Battery module manufacturing method and battery module liquid injection port sealing system

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a battery module that can accurately weld a sealing material to an opening surface having a liquid injection port, and a liquid injection port sealing system for a battery module using the manufacturing method described herein. [Solution] The method for manufacturing a battery module according to the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a battery module having an injection port on its upper surface for injecting an electrolyte, wherein a sealing material is placed in the injection port under a reduced pressure environment, and the sealing material is welded and sealed by bringing the contact surface of a welding member into contact with it, comprising: an angle adjustment step in which the contact surface is inclined according to the inclination angle of the opening surface defined by the upper surface of the edge of the injection port, and the angle of the contact surface is adjusted so that it is substantially parallel to the opening surface; and a welding step in which the contact surface which has become substantially parallel to the opening surface in the angle adjustment step is brought into contact with the opening surface, and the sealing material is welded to the injection port.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a battery module and an injection port sealing system for a battery module.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a power storage device, in which a sealing body of the power storage device is formed by melting a plurality of sealing members, an electrolytic solution is injected into the power storage device through a communication port provided in the sealing body, and the communication port is sealed after the injection.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When sealing the communication port (injection port) in Patent Document 1, the power storage device (battery module) is sandwiched and restrained by a jig. At this time, the battery module inclines and the position varies within the jig, and the injection port also inclines. Therefore, when welding a sealing material to the injection port, if a heater or the like used for welding is pressed horizontally, the accuracy of sealing may decrease due to the difference in the inclination angle between the injection port and the heater.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a method for manufacturing a battery module capable of accurately welding a sealing material to an opening surface having an injection port, and an injection port sealing system for a battery module using the method for manufacturing the battery module.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A method for manufacturing a battery module according to an aspect of the present disclosure is A method for manufacturing a battery module having an electrolyte injection port on its upper surface, comprising placing a sealing material in the injection port under a reduced pressure environment and welding and sealing the sealing material by bringing the contact surfaces of a welding member into contact with it, An angle adjustment step is performed to adjust the angle of the contact surface so that it is substantially parallel to the opening surface, by tilting the contact surface in accordance with the inclination angle of the opening surface, with respect to the opening surface defined by the upper surface of the edge of the liquid injection port. The method includes a welding step in which the contact surface, which is substantially parallel to the opening surface in the angle adjustment step, is brought into contact with the opening surface, and the sealing material is welded to the liquid injection port.

[0007] A battery module injection port sealing system according to one aspect of this disclosure is: A battery module having an electrolyte injection port on its upper surface, wherein a sealing material is placed in the injection port under reduced pressure, and the sealing material is welded and sealed by bringing the contact surfaces of a welding member into contact with the port, An angle adjustment means for adjusting the angle of the contact surface so that it is substantially parallel to the opening surface, by tilting the contact surface according to the inclination angle of the opening surface, with respect to the opening surface defined by the upper surface of the edge of the liquid injection port, The device comprises a welding means for bringing the contact surface, which is substantially parallel to the opening surface by the angle adjustment means, into contact with the opening surface, and welding the sealing material to the liquid injection port. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, a method for manufacturing a battery module that can accurately weld a sealing material to an opening surface having a liquid injection port, and a liquid injection port sealing system for a battery module using the manufacturing method of the battery module can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] (a) A schematic perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. (b) A schematic perspective view of a sealing material welding jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. (c) A front view of a sealing material welding jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of a liquid injection port sealing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a schematic perspective view of the injection port sealing system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a battery module according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] (a) A front view of the sealing material welding jig when it is lowered in the manufacturing method of a battery module according to the present disclosure. (b) A front view of the positioning part when it is pressed in the manufacturing method of a battery module according to the present disclosure. (c) A front view of the sealing material when it is placed in the manufacturing method of a battery module according to the present disclosure. (d) A front view of the sealing material when it is welded in the manufacturing method of a battery module according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] (a) This figure shows the positional relationship between the battery module and the heat plate when the liquid injection port is sealed with a sealant. (b) This figure shows the positional relationship between the battery module and the heat plate when the battery module is tilted. (c) This figure shows the positional relationship between the battery module and the heat plate when the heat plate is tilted to match the tilt of the battery module. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes specific embodiments of this disclosure in detail with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, for clarity, the following descriptions and drawings have been simplified as appropriate.

[0011] <Configuration of battery module and sealing material welding jig> The sealing material welding jig according to the embodiments of this disclosure is a jig used to weld a sealing material to a battery module having an injection port on its upper surface for injecting an electrolyte, by placing the sealing material in the injection port under a reduced pressure environment and bringing the contact surfaces of the welding members into contact with the sealing material. The embodiments of this disclosure disclose a sealing material welding jig that allows the welding jig to be positioned appropriately with respect to the sealing material, enabling high-precision welding of the sealing material.

[0012] FIG. 1(a) is a schematic view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that the right-handed xyz orthogonal coordinates shown in FIG. 1(a) are for convenience in showing the positional relationship of the components. In FIG. 1(a), the positive z-axis direction is vertically upward, the xy plane is a horizontal plane, and is common among the drawings including FIGS. 1(b)(c), FIG. 3, and FIGS. 5 to 6 described later.

[0013] The battery module 1 includes a main body portion 11 and a liquid injection frame portion 12. The battery module 1 has the y-axis direction in FIG. 1(a) as the longitudinal direction. The liquid injection frame portion 12 has a liquid injection port 122 on the surface on the positive z-axis side, and the surface having the liquid injection port 122 is defined as an opening surface 121. The battery module 1 is, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a lead-acid battery, or a nickel-metal hydride battery, and is configured by housing a positive electrode active material layer, a negative electrode active material layer, a current collector, a separator, an electrolytic solution, etc. in the main body portion 11. The size of the battery module 1 and the number of the positive electrode active material layer, negative electrode active material layer, current collector, and separator housed in the main body portion 11 are appropriately determined according to the application.

[0014] The liquid injection frame portion 12 is provided on the surface on the positive z-axis side of the main body portion 11. A liquid injection port 122 is provided on the opening surface 121 which is the surface on the positive z-axis side of the liquid injection frame portion 12. That is, the opening surface 121 is defined as the upper surface of the edge of the liquid injection port 122. The inside of the liquid injection frame portion 12 is connected to the inside of the main body portion 11, and the electrolytic solution injected from the liquid injection port 122 penetrates into the inside of the main body portion 11 through the liquid injection frame portion 12.

[0015] Note that the height of the liquid injection frame portion 12 in the z-axis direction is a height at which a sealing material can be welded to the opening surface 121 when the battery module 1 is constrained in the x-axis direction by a constraining jig 5 described later. Further, the opening surface 121 is preferably parallel to the surface on the positive z-axis side of the main body portion 11.

[0016] FIG. 1(b) is a schematic perspective view of a sealing material welding jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1(c) is a front view of the sealing material welding jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The sealing material welding jig 2 comprises a positioning section 21, a positioning arm 22, a tilt fixing section 23, a heat plate 24, a sealing material holding arm 25, a suction pad 26, a slide member 27, and a cylinder 28. Here, the negative z-axis side of the heat plate 24 is the welding surface 241. The suction pad 26 suctions and holds the sealing material 3. The sealing material welding jig 2 is connected to the support column 4 via the slide member 27. Here, the positioning section 21 is a positioning member and angle acquisition means, the positioning arm 22 is an angle adjustment means and a removal means, the tilt fixing section 23 is an angle acquisition means, and the heat plate 24 is the welding member.

[0017] The sealing material welding jig 2 places the sealing material 3 on the liquid injection port 122 of the battery module 1 and welds the sealing material 3 to the liquid injection port 122 by bringing the heat plate 24 into contact with it. More specifically, first, the sealing material welding jig 2 moves in the negative z-axis direction via the sliding member 27. At the same time, the sealing material 3 supplied from the outside is moved and placed on the liquid injection port 122 while being held in place by the suction pad 26. Next, by opening the cylinder 28, the positioning part 21, positioning arm 22, tilt fixing part 23, and heat plate 24 can be moved independently. Finally, the welding surface 241 of the heat plate 24 is brought into contact with the opening surface 121 on which the sealing material 3 is placed, welding the sealing material 3 to the liquid injection port 122. The size of the sealing material welding jig 2 is appropriately determined according to the size of the opening surface 121 and the liquid injection port 122 of the battery module 1.

[0018] The positioning part 21 is connected to a positioning arm 22 extending in the y-axis direction and is arranged at the end on the positive y-axis side and the end on the negative y-axis side of the positioning arm 22 respectively. Also, the positioning part 21 is fixed to the positioning arm 22 such that the distances from the lower ends of the plurality of positioning parts 21 to the positioning arm 22 are equal respectively. By pressing the lower end of the positioning part 21 with a fixed distance to the positioning arm 22 against the surface on the positive z-axis side of the main body part 11 of the battery module 1, the positioning arm 22 inclines according to the inclination of the surface on the positive z-axis side of the main body part 11. Thereby, when the surface on the positive z-axis side of the main body part 11 and the opening surface 121 are parallel, the positioning arm 22 can acquire the inclination in the y-axis direction of the opening surface 121. When the surface on the positive z-axis side of the main body part 11 and the opening surface 121 are not parallel, by directly pressing the lower end of the positioning part 21 against the opening surface 121, the same effect as when the surface on the positive z-axis side of the main body part 11 and the opening surface 121 are parallel can be obtained.

[0019] Also, the positioning part 21 has a moving mechanism on the surface connected to the positioning arm 22 and is movable in the z-axis direction while being connected to the positioning arm 22. By the positioning part 21 having the moving mechanism, after the sealing material welding jig 2 presses the positioning part 21 against the battery module 1, the operation of pressing the welding surface 241 of the heat plate 24 against the liquid injection port 122 can be easily performed. The material of the positioning part 21 is, for example, an iron-based metal such as iron or carbon steel or an alloy steel such as stainless steel. Also, in order to protect the surface on the positive z-axis side of the battery module 1 when the positioning part 21 is pressed, the lower end of the positioning part 21 may be covered with a flexible member such as resin.

[0020] The positioning arm 22 is connected to the positioning unit 21, the tilt fixing unit 23, the heat plate 24, and the slide member 27. More specifically, the positioning arm 22 has both ends of the arm extending in the y-axis direction (the longitudinal direction of the battery module 1) connected to the positioning unit 21, the face on the negative z-axis side connected to the heat plate 24, and the face on the positive x-axis side connected to the slide member 27. The y-axis length of the positioning arm 22 is appropriately determined according to the y-axis length of the battery module 1 to be pressed against. The material of the positioning arm 22 is, for example, iron, ferrous metal such as carbon steel, or alloy steel such as stainless steel.

[0021] Furthermore, the positioning arm 22 is configured to rotate around the x-axis as the axis of rotation at the connection point with the slide member 27. This makes it possible to tilt the positioning unit 21 and the heat plate 24, which are connected to the positioning arm 22, with respect to the y-axis.

[0022] Furthermore, when connecting the positioning arm 22 and the heat plate 24, it is preferable that the welding surface 241 of the heat plate 24 be connected so that it is parallel to the positioning arm 22 which extends in the y-axis direction. This makes the inclination of the positioning arm 22 with respect to the y-axis equal to the inclination of the heat plate 24 with respect to the y-axis. Therefore, by matching the inclination of the positioning arm 22 with the inclination of the battery module 1, the opening surface 121 of the battery module 1 and the welding surface 241 of the heat plate 24 become parallel. In other words, the inclination angle of the positioning arm 22 is obtained as the inclination angle of the opening surface 121.

[0023] In Figure 2, there are two positioning units 21, and the positioning arm 22 is configured to rotate around the x-axis as its axis of rotation. However, the sealing material welding jig 2 may have three or more positioning units 21, and the positioning arm 22 may be configured to tilt in the x-axis direction as well. By using three or more positioning units 21, it becomes possible to obtain the tilt of the battery module 1 as a tilt with respect to the xy-plane.

[0024] The tilt fixing unit 23 is connected to the positioning arm 22. The tilt fixing unit 23 has a mechanism for fixing the tilt of the positioning arm 22, which rotates around the x-axis as its axis of rotation. As a result, the tilt of the positioning arm 22, which is tilted with respect to the y-axis, is fixed in accordance with the tilt of the battery module 1 with respect to the y-axis, making it possible to obtain the tilt of the battery module 1 with respect to the y-axis as the tilt of the positioning arm 22. The tilt fixing unit 23 operates by receiving power from an external source, such as electricity.

[0025] The heat plate 24 is connected to the positioning arm 22. The heat plate 24 is at a high temperature capable of melting the sealant 3, and by bringing the welding surface 241 into contact with the sealant 3 placed on the liquid injection port 122 of the battery module 1, the sealant 3 is melted and welded to the liquid injection port 122. The heat plate 24 is made of a flat plate made of an iron-based metal such as iron or carbon steel, and has a heater such as a sheathed heater inside. By passing an electric current through the heater, it heats up and functions as a welding member. The surface of the flat plate used as the heat plate 24 may be treated with a surface coating such as fluororesin. The size of the heat plate 24 is appropriately determined according to the size of the opening surface 121 and the liquid injection port 122 of the battery module 1.

[0026] The sealing material holding arm 25 has a suction pad 26 and is connected to the cylinder 28. The sealing material holding arm 25 holds the sealing material 3 via the suction pad 26. Here, the sealing material holding arm 25 has an inverted U-shape when viewed from above, which allows the heat plate 24 to pass through the inside of the U-shape, making it possible to bring the heat plate 24 and the sealing material 3 into contact during welding. In addition, the sealing material holding arm 25 has, for example, an exhaust mechanism inside, which reduces the pressure inside the suction pad 26 that is in contact with the sealing material 3, enabling the suction of the sealing material 3 by the suction pad 26 under negative pressure. The material of the sealing material holding arm 25 is, for example, an iron-based metal such as iron or carbon steel, or an alloy steel such as stainless steel.

[0027] The suction pad 26 is pressed against the sealant 3, and the internal pressure is reduced, causing the sealant 3 to be adsorbed and held. The inside of the suction pad 26 is connected to, for example, an exhaust mechanism of the sealant holding arm 25, and the pressure is reduced therein. The material of the suction pad 26 is, for example, a rubber-based resin such as nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, or fluororubber. The number of suction pads 26 is appropriately determined so that the sealant 3 can be held sufficiently.

[0028] The sliding member 27 is connected to the positioning arm 22 and the support column 4. The sliding member 27 moves the sealing material welding jig 2 in the z-axis direction along the support column 4. The sliding member 27 is configured to be movable along the support column 4, for example, by fitting into a rail provided on the support column 4. Alternatively, the sliding member 27 may be configured to be movable by receiving power such as hydraulics. The material of the sliding member 27 is, for example, an iron-based metal such as iron or carbon steel, or an alloy steel such as stainless steel.

[0029] The cylinder 28 is connected to the sealant holding arm 25, the slide member 27, and the support column 4. By operating the cylinder 28, the distance between the sealant holding arm 25 and the slide member 27 is fixed. As a result, moving the slide member 27 causes the sealant welding jig 2 to move as a single unit. On the other hand, by releasing the cylinder 28, the distance between the sealant holding arm 25 and the slide member 27 becomes variable. This makes it possible to move only the positioning unit 21, the positioning arm 22, the tilt fixing unit 23, and the heat plate 24 independently. The material of the cylinder 28 is, for example, iron, carbon steel or other ferrous metals, or alloy steel such as stainless steel.

[0030] The sealing material 3 is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 26 and welded to the liquid injection port 122 of the battery module 1 by the welding surface 241 of the heat plate 24. The size of the sealing material 3 is appropriately determined according to the size of the opening surface 121 and the liquid injection port 122 of the battery module 1. The sealing material 3 contains a thermoplastic resin, such as polyethylene, polypropylene or other olefin resins, polyethylene terephthalate, or acrylic resin.

[0031] The support column 4 is connected to the sliding member 27 and the cylinder 28. The support column 4 has, for example, a rail or hydraulic mechanism that allows the sliding member 27 and the cylinder 28 to move along the support column 4. The material of the support column 4 is, for example, iron or an iron-based metal such as carbon steel.

[0032] <Configuration of the injection port sealing system> Next, the configuration of the injection port sealing system will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the injection port sealing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the injection port sealing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] The liquid injection port sealing system S comprises a battery module 1, a sealing material welding jig 2, sealing material 3, a support column 4, a restraining jig 5, a vacuum container 6, and a sealing material supply unit 7. The vacuum container 6 has a depressurization section 61, a transport section 62, an inlet 63, and an outlet 64. The battery module 1, sealing material welding jig 2, sealing material 3, support column 4, and restraining jig 5 are all housed inside the vacuum container 6, and the sealing material 3 is welded inside the vacuum container 6.

[0034] The restraint fixture 5 is a pair of fixing fixtures for fixing the battery module 1 being transported into the vacuum container 6 from the positive x-axis side and the negative x-axis side. The restraint fixture 5 is a means of fixing the battery module 1, and when the battery module 1 is fixed by the restraint fixture 5, the opening surface 121 of the battery module 1 no longer tilts in the short direction (x-axis direction). On the other hand, when the battery module 1 is restrained by the restraint fixture 5, there are battery modules 1 in which the opening surface 121 remains tilted in the longitudinal direction due to reasons such as the tilting of the stand on which the battery module 1 is placed. The size of the restraint fixture 5 is appropriately determined according to the size of the battery module 1. The material of the restraint fixture 5 is, for example, iron, ferrous metals such as carbon steel, alloy steel such as stainless steel, or synthetic resin such as plastic.

[0035] The vacuum container 6 is depressurized by a depressurization unit 61, and the sealing material 3 is welded to the battery module 1 by a sealing material welding jig 2 under reduced pressure. The battery module 1 is loaded in through an inlet 63 by a transport unit 62 and discharged from an outlet 64 after the sealing material 3 has been welded. The size of the vacuum container 6 is appropriately determined according to the size of the battery module 1 and the sealing material welding jig 2. The material of the vacuum container 6 is, for example, an iron-based metal such as iron or carbon steel, or an alloy steel such as stainless steel. Alternatively, a transparent material such as glass, acrylic resin, or polycarbonate resin may be used as a window to allow visibility inside the vacuum container 6.

[0036] The pressure reduction unit 61 connects the inside and outside of the vacuum container 6 and reduces the pressure inside the vacuum container 6. The pressure reduction unit 61 has, for example, a vacuum pump and reduces the pressure inside the vacuum container 6 by discharging the air inside the vacuum container 6 to the outside. The pressure reduction unit 61 is configured to reduce the pressure inside the vacuum container 6 to, for example, 0.01 to 10 kPa. The pressure reduction unit 61 may also have a function to replace the gas inside the vacuum container 6, for example, by replacing the gas inside the vacuum container 6 with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas. By replacing the air inside the vacuum container 6 with an inert gas and reducing the pressure, it is possible to suppress the ingress of moisture or dust when sealing the battery module 1.

[0037] The transport unit 62 connects an openable and closable entrance 63 and an openable and closable exit 64, and transports the battery module 1, which is restrained by the restraint jig 5. The transport unit 62 is, for example, a resin roller or a belt conveyor, and is configured to transport the battery module 1. The transport unit 62 may also be inclined with respect to the xy plane, and may be equipped with fixing members that can temporarily fix the battery module 1 on the transport unit 62. In Figure 3, the entrance 63 is located on the positive y-axis side and the exit 64 is located on the negative y-axis side, but the entrance 63 may be located on the negative y-axis side and the exit 64 on the positive y-axis side. In addition, the transport unit 62 may have a path that bends midway, in which case the positions of the entrance 63 and exit 64 are appropriately determined to match the path of the transport unit 62.

[0038] The sealing material supply unit 7 supplies the sealing material 3 to the sealing material welding jig 2 from outside the vacuum container 6. The sealing material supply unit 7 is a logistics device, or so-called material handling equipment, that transports the sealing material 3 by, for example, placing the sealing material 3 on a plate-shaped member and moving the plate-shaped member in the x-axis direction via rails or the like. The sealing material supply unit 7 is made of, for example, iron, ferrous metals such as carbon steel, or alloy steels such as stainless steel.

[0039] As described above, the battery module liquid injection port sealing system according to the embodiment of this disclosure seals the liquid injection port of the battery module using a sealing material welding jig inside a vacuum container. At this time, the sealing material welding jig acquires the tilt of the battery module and tilts the heat plate to match the tilt of the battery module to perform sealing of the sealing material. As a result, since the sealing material is welded with the heat plate parallel to the opening surface of the battery module, a battery module liquid injection port sealing system is provided that can accurately weld the sealing material to the opening surface having the liquid injection port.

[0040] <Manufacturing method for battery modules> Next, a method for manufacturing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the method for manufacturing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 5(a) to 5(d) are front views of the method for manufacturing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] First, the battery module 1 is fixed from the positive x-axis side and the negative x-axis side using the restraint jig 5 (step S1). As a result of the fixing step shown in step S1, the opening surface 121 of the battery module 1 will no longer be tilted in the short-side direction. In step S1, the restraint jig 5 may also be connected to the transport unit 62. That is, the battery module 1 may be fixed on the transport unit 62 via the restraint jig 5.

[0042] Next, the fixed battery module 1 is transported into the vacuum container 6 using the transport unit 62 (step S2). The transport speed is appropriately determined according to the production speed of the battery module 1. There may also be two or more battery modules 1 inside the vacuum container 6.

[0043] Next, the sealing material 3 is supplied into the vacuum container 6 using the sealing material supply unit 7, and the sealing material 3 is held in place by the suction pad 26 (step S3). Step S3 may be performed before or simultaneously with step S2 described above.

[0044] Next, the pressure inside the vacuum container 6 is reduced (step S4). The rate of reduction and the pressure inside the vacuum container 6 are appropriately determined according to the production speed of the battery module 1. Next, as shown in Figure 5(a), the sealing material welding jig 2 is lowered along the support column 4 (step S5). The lowering of the sealing material welding jig 2 is performed via the sliding member 27.

[0045] Next, the positioning unit 21 is lowered relative to the positioning arm 22 (step S6). It is preferable to perform step S6 simultaneously with step S5. Performing steps S5 and S6 simultaneously makes it possible to shorten the process time.

[0046] Next, as shown in Figure 5(b), the positioning unit 21 is pressed against the battery module 1, and the positioning arm 22 and the heat plate 24 are tilted (step S7). As described above, the distance from each positioning unit 21 to the positioning arm 22 is fixed, so by pressing the positioning unit 21 against the battery module 1, the opening surface 121 of the battery module 1 and the welding surface 241 of the heat plate 24 become parallel.

[0047] Next, the tilt of the positioning arm 22 is fixed by the tilt fixing part 23, and the tilt of the heat plate 24 is fixed (step S8). As a result, the tilt of the heat plate 24 is fixed while the parallelism between the opening surface 121 of the battery module 1 and the welding surface 241 of the heat plate 24 is maintained.

[0048] Next, as shown in Figure 5(c), the positioning unit 21 is raised relative to the positioning arm 22, and the positioning unit 21 is removed from the battery module 1 (step S9). Next, the sealing material 3 is released from the suction pad 26, thereby placing the sealing material 3 on the opening surface 121 (step S10). Note that steps S9 and S10 may be performed with step S10 preceding step S9, or the two steps may be performed simultaneously.

[0049] Next, the cylinder 28 is opened (step S11). This makes it possible to move only the positioning part 21, positioning arm 22, tilt fixing part 23, and heat plate 24 independently via the slide member 27.

[0050] Next, as shown in Figure 5(d), the positioning unit 21, positioning arm 22, tilt fixing unit 23, and heat plate 24 are lowered along the support column 4, and the sealing material 3 is welded to the opening surface 121 of the battery module 1 (step S12). As a result, the liquid injection port 122 is sealed by the sealing material 3.

[0051] Figure 6 shows the positional relationship between the battery module and the heat plate when sealing the liquid injection port with a sealant. When the battery module 1 is restrained using the restraint jig 5, if the opening surface 121 is parallel to the xy plane, the sealant 3 can be welded without tilting the heat plate 24, as shown in Figure 6(a). On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(b), if the battery module 1 is tilted by an angle θ with respect to the y axis and the opening surface 121 is not parallel to the xy plane, pressing and welding with the heat plate 24 in a state parallel to the xy plane will result in the sealant 3 being welded at an angle. This may cause problems such as poor welding of the sealant 3 at the liquid injection port 122 when processing is performed in a subsequent process based on the opening surface 121. As shown in this disclosure, by tilting the heat plate 24 by an angle θ with respect to the y axis so that the opening surface 121 and the welding surface 241 are parallel, it is possible to weld the sealant 3 parallel to the opening surface 121, as shown in Figure 6(c).

[0052] Finally, the sealing material welding jig 2 is returned to the state shown in Figure 5(a), the pressure inside the vacuum container 6 is returned to atmospheric pressure, and the battery module 1 is discharged from the outlet 64 (step S13).

[0053] As described above, the method for manufacturing a battery module according to the embodiment of this disclosure involves tilting the heat plate to match the inclination of the battery module and welding the sealing material. As a result, the sealing material is welded with the heat plate parallel to the opening surface of the battery module, thus providing a method for manufacturing a battery module that can accurately weld the sealing material to the opening surface having a liquid injection port. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Battery module, 11 Main body, 12 Liquid injection frame, 121 Opening surface, 122 Liquid injection port, 2 Sealing material welding jig, 21 Positioning part, 22 Positioning arm, 23 Tilt fixing part, 24 Heat plate, 241 Welding surface, 25 Sealing material holding arm, 26 Suction pad, 27 Slide member, 28 Cylinder, 3 Sealing material, 4 Support column, 5 Restraint jig, 6 Vacuum container, 61 Pressure reduction section, 62 Transport section, 63 Inlet, 64 Outlet, 7 Sealing material supply section, S Liquid injection port sealing system

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a battery module having an electrolyte injection port on its upper surface, comprising placing a sealing material in the injection port under a reduced pressure environment and welding and sealing the sealing material by bringing the contact surfaces of a welding member into contact with it, An angle adjustment step is performed to adjust the angle of the contact surface so that it is substantially parallel to the opening surface, by tilting the contact surface in accordance with the inclination angle of the opening surface, with respect to the opening surface defined by the upper surface of the edge of the liquid injection port. The method includes a welding step in which the contact surface, which is substantially parallel to the opening surface, is brought into contact with the opening surface in the angle adjustment step, and the sealing material is welded to the liquid injection port. A method for manufacturing battery modules.

2. The angle adjustment step is performed by a pair of positioning members connected to each other by arms extending longitudinally from the upper surface of the battery module. An angle acquisition step is to obtain the inclination angle of the arm that inclins in the longitudinal direction as the inclination angle of the opening surface by pressing the pair of positioning members against the upper surface of the battery module, The method further includes a removal step of removing the positioning member, which has been pressed against the upper surface of the battery module in the angle acquisition step, from the battery module. A method for manufacturing a battery module according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes a fixing step for securing the battery module so that the opening surface does not tilt in the short-side direction of the upper surface of the battery module. A method for manufacturing a battery module according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A battery module having an electrolyte injection port on its upper surface, wherein a sealing material is placed in the injection port under reduced pressure, and the sealing material is welded and sealed by bringing the contact surfaces of a welding member into contact with the injection port, An angle adjustment means for adjusting the angle of the contact surface so that it is substantially parallel to the opening surface, by tilting the contact surface according to the inclination angle of the opening surface, with respect to the opening surface defined by the upper surface of the edge of the liquid injection port, The device comprises a welding means for bringing the contact surface, which is substantially parallel to the opening surface by the angle adjustment means, into contact with the opening surface, and welding the sealing material to the liquid injection port. A sealing system for the electrolyte injection port of a battery module.

5. The angle adjustment means has a pair of positioning members connected to each other by arms extending longitudinally from the upper surface of the battery module. An angle acquisition means for obtaining the inclination angle of the arm that inclins in the longitudinal direction as the inclination angle of the opening surface by pressing the pair of positioning members against the upper surface of the battery module, The system further comprises a removal means for removing the positioning member, which has been pressed against the upper surface of the battery module by the angle acquisition means, from the battery module. A battery module liquid injection port sealing system according to claim 4.

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