Battery disassembly system

Abstract

A battery disassembly system (100) is disclosed. The battery disassembly system (100) comprises a manipulator (102) to identify and pick up individual battery cell from a battery pack, wherein a cover of the battery pack has been removed by an operator. The disassembly unit comprises a receiving unit (112) to receive the battery cell from the robotic manipulator (102). Further, a cutting unit (116) receives the battery cell from the receiving unit (112) and cut an encapsulation of the battery cell. A retrieving unit (118) retrieves electrodes from the battery cell.

Description

BATTERY DISASSEMBEY SYSTEM

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to battery disassembly systems.BACKGROUND

[0002] The use of batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) in consumer electronics, electric cars, and electric grid storage has increased exponentially in the last few decades. To reduce environmental impact and for sustainable use, it is necessary that the batteries are recycled once the batteries reach their end of life.

[0003] For recycling the batteries, it is necessary that the batteries are disassembled non-destructively so that the electrodes of the batteries are recovered and recycled efficiently. As of today, disassembly and recycling of used batteries is done only to a small extent. Also, such disassembly operations are generally done manually. Such manual operations are labor intensive, time intensive, and dangerous to humans owing to the exposure to hazardous materials in the batteries. On the other hand, fully automated disassembly of batteries is not possible as of today with state- of-the-art robotic systems primarily because of the presence of soft deformable material in the batteries which may be damaged during the disassembly process.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary of the subject matter in order to provide a basic understanding of some of the aspects of subject matter embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of the subject matter. It is not intended to identify key / critical elements of the embodiments or to delineate the scope of the subject matter. Its sole purpose to present some concepts of the subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0005] The implementation of the present disclosure proposes a battery disassembly system. According to the present subject matter the system requires a human operator to perform tasks that cannot be automated, whereas a robotic manipulator along with a disassembly unit perform tasks that are potentially dangerous and harmful to the human operator.

[0006] According to the present subject matter, battery disassembly system is disclosed. The battery disassembly system comprises a manipulator to identify and pick up individual battery cell from a battery pack, wherein a cover of the battery pack has been removed by an operator. In an example, a human operator may remove a top cover of a battery pack, such as a lithium-ion battery. The human operator also removes any existing seals, soldered wires, battery management module manually from the battery pack. Thereafter, the robotic manipulator picks up individual battery cells from within the battery and delivers the individual battery cells to the disassembly unit.

[0007] A receiving unit of the disassembly unit receives the individual battery cells and delivers the individual battery cells to a cutting unit. The cutting unit cuts open an encapsulation of the the individual cells and a retrieving unit retrieves the electrodes from the individual cells. The receiving unit and retrieving unit may comprise linear actuators to handle the battery cells and the electrodes without destroying the same.

[0008] Thus, the present subject matter discloses a human-robot collaborative system such that the disassembly of the batteries can be done without destroying the electrodes and the electrodes can be safely removed from the individual battery cells.

[0009] The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The foregoing and further objects, features, and advantages of the present subject matter will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals are used to represent like elements.

[0011] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter, and are, therefore, not to be consideredfor limiting of its scope, for the subject matter may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0012] For a better understanding of the present disclosure, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a battery disassembly system in an example implementation of the present subject matter.

[0014] FIG. 2a-2g stages of battery disassembly in an example implementation of the present subject matter.

[0015] Although specific features of various embodiments may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. Any feature of any drawing may be referenced and / or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The embodiments of the present subject matter are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present subject matter is not limited to these embodiments which are only provided to explain more clearly the present subject matter to the ordinarily skilled in the art of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals are used to indicate like components.

[0017] This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

[0018] Various aspects of the proposed system and method are described fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same referencenumbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. The teachings disclosed may, however, be embodied in many different models with variations and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that any aspect disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim, and also that the following detailed description does not limit the claims.

[0019] Figure la illustrates a battery disassembly system 100 in an example implementation of the present subject matter. The disassembly system comprises a robotic manipulator 102 and a disassembly unit 104. In an example, the robotic manipulator 102 may be reprogrammable and multifunctional mechanical device responsible for moving / holding various components. The robotic manipulator 102 may comprise an arm-like structure to perform tasks, such as picking up individual battery cells. In an example, the robotic manipulator 102 may have four or more axes. In an example, the arm like structure of the robotic manipulator 102 may be made up of carbon steel, plastics, carbon fiber, aluminum etc.

[0020] The robotic manipulator 102 is trained to correctly identify and pick up the individual battery cells from the battery pack 106. In an example, the robotic manipulator 102 may be trained based on machine learning. Thus, the robotic manipulator 102 can identify and pick up battery cells of different shapes and sizes. Hence, different types of battery cells can be picked up by the robotic manipulator 102 and battery cell design is no limitation.

[0021] In operation an operator 108 removes a cover 110 of the battery pack 106 before the robotic manipulator 102 can pick up the individual cells from the battery pack 106. In an example, the operator 108 may be human operator. The operator 108 may need to unscrew some attachments from the cover 110 in order to remove the cover 110 from the battery pack 106. Further, the operator 108 also removes any soldering or fastening means, if present inside the battery pack 106. Further, in some embodiments the operator 108 may also need to remove a battery management module if present in the battery pack 106. The above-mentioned tasksof opening the battery assembly and removing soldering etc., cannot be automated without destroying the integrity of battery cells of the battery pack 106. Thus, the operator 108 performing the above task ensures that the battery pack’s 106 cover 110 is removed quickly, and battery cells are not destroyed while removing wirings, soldering etc.

[0022] After the battery pack’s 106 cover 110 is removed, the robotic manipulator 102 picks up the battery cells and delivers the battery cells to the disassembly unit 104. The disassembly unit 104 comprises a receiving unit 112 to receive the battery cells from the robotic manipular 102.

[0023] The receiving unit 112 may be a linear rotatory device having a gripper 114 to grip the individual cells provided by the robotic manipulator 102. The gripper 114 holds the battery cells from its edges when the battery cells are delivered to the receiving unit 112. Further, to cut an encapsulation of the battery cells, the receiving unit 112 rotates such that tips of the encapsulation reach a cutting unit 116. To ensure that the tips of the encapsulation of the battery cells (for different sizes of battery cells) reach the cutting unit 116 when the receiving unit 112 is rotated, the robotic manipulator 102 is trained such that the robotic manipulator 102 delivers the battery cells to the receiving unit 112 at an appropriate height of the battery cells. Thereafter, the receiving unit 112 grips the battery cells at such height. This ensures that the tips of the encapsulation reach the cutting unit 116 when the receiving unit 112 is rotated. The cutting unit 116 may comprise a cutter to cut the tips of the encapsulation of the battery cells. In an example, the cutter may be liner blade, a rotatory blade etc. In an example, the encapsulation may be a pouch such that the electrodes of the batteries are provided inside the pouch. The cutter cuts the tips of the pouch of the battery cells and a retrieving unit 118 retrieves the electrodes of the battery cells. In another example, battery cells may be prismatic type cells, polymer cells, and cylindrical cells. The cutting unit 116 may cut the tips of such encapsulation to retrieve the electrodes. The retrieved electrodes can be further sent for recycling, which could involve separation of the electrode stack into anode, cathode, and separator material. This could also involve a chemical extraction process, where the active material, such as Lithium, could be recovered.

[0024] Generally, while performing disassembly of the batteries, there is always an associated risk of fire due to sudden discharge current from the batteries being disassembled. In an example, to prevent such hazard, the system 100 may be placed inside an inert chamber to prevent short circuiting or fire hazard due to discharge current of batteries. Since opening of each individual cell is performed by the disassembly unit 104, human intervention is not needed at this step. As such, the disassembly unit 104 alone could be placed in the inert chamber, with the robotic manipulator delivering the individual cells to the chamber. In the rare situation where the human operator 108, is required to be present during the opening of each cell, he / she may be provided with adequate gears, such as oxygen marks to allow the human operator 108 to work inside the inert chambers.

[0025] Fig. 2a-2g shows various stages for battery disassembly in accordance with an example implementation of the present subject matter.

[0026] Fig. 2a shows a first stage, where a operator 108 removes the cover 110 of the battery pack 106. The battery pack 106 may comprise a plurality of battery cells 202. The operator 108 may also remove any soldering and wire connections between the plurality of battery cells. In addition, the human operator 108 also removes a battery management module, if present, in the battery pack 106.

[0027] In the next stage as shown in fig. 2b, the robotic manipulator 102 moves towards the battery pack 106 and identifies individual battery cells inside the battery pack 106. In an example, the robotic manipulator 102 may be trained to automatically identify the individual battery cells from within the battery pack 106. In another example, the operator 108 may provide an identifier, such as a mark on the individual battery cells. Based on the mark provided by the operator 108, the robotic manipulator 102 may identify the individual battery cells. The robotic manipulator 102 is trained such that the robotic manipulator 102 is not limited to identifying a specific design of the battery cell but is able to identify battery cells of any make and design. Also, in cases where the operator 108 marks the battery cells, the robotic manipulator 102 is able to identify the battery cell of any design based on the mark provided by the operator 108.

[0028] After identification of the individual battery cells, the robotic manipulator 102 may pick up at least one individual battery cell from the battery pack and delivers the at least one individual battery cell to the receiving unit 112 of the disassembly unit 104. This is shown in fig. 2c where the robotic manipulator 102 delivers the individual battery cell to the receiving unit 112.

[0029] Fig. 2d illustrates an example individual battery cell 204 being held by the receiving unit 112 after the battery cell 204 was delivered to the receiving unit 112 by the robotic manipulator 102. The receiving unit 112 may comprise soft grippers to hold the battery cell 204 by edges of the battery cell 204. The receiving unit 112 holding the battery cell 204 by the edges ensure that the battery cells are not damaged while handling.

[0030] Fig. 2e shows a stage where the receiving unit 112 rotates clockwise such that a tip 206 of the battery cell 204 is provided to the cutting unit 116. In an example, the receiving unit 112 may comprise rotatory actuators to enable the receiving unit 112 to rotate and thus, provide the battery cell 204 to the cutting unit 116. Thereafter, as shown in fig. 2f, the cutting unit 116 uses a cutter 208 to cut the encapsulation of the battery cell 204. In an example, the battery cell may be pouch type battery cell and the cutter 208 may cut the tip of the pouch longitudinally so as to expose electrodes that are present inside the battery cell 204.

[0031] In an example, a linear cutter 208 is shown, however, such use of linear cutter should not be considered as a limitation and it should be understood that any type of cutter may be used to facilitate the cutting of the battery cell 204.

[0032] During the cutting of the battery cell 204, the battery cell 204 is held by the receiving unit 112 by the edges of the battery cell 204 which ensures that electrodes inside the battery cell 204 is not damaged during the cutting operation.

[0033] At last stage, as shown in fig. 2g, the retrieving unit 118 retrieves electrodes 210 from inside the battery cell 204. In an example, the retrieving unit 118 may comprise a linear actuators with gripping unit 212 to grip the electrodes 210 and pull out the electrodes 210 from inside the battery cell 204. In an example, the retrieved electrodes 210 may be used in recycling of the useful metals found in the electrodes 210.

[0034] Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein described.

[0034] A person skilled in the art may be clearly aware that, the descriptions of the embodiments provided in this application may be referred to each other. For convenience and conciseness, for example, for functions of the devices provided in the embodiments of this application and the performed steps, refer to related descriptions of the method embodiments of this application. The method embodiments and the device embodiments may also be referred to each other or combined with each other.

[0035] In the several embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed system, device, and method may be implemented in another manner. For example, some features of the method embodiments described above may be ignored or not performed. The described device embodiments are merely examples.

[0036] The term based on is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional factors not described unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references. The meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”

[0037] As used herein the terms “and” and “or” may be used interchangeably to refer to a set of items in both the conjunctive and disjunctive in order to encompass the full description of combinations and alternatives of the items. In either case, the set is to be interpreted as meaning each of the items singularly as alternatives, as well as any combination of the listed items.

[0038] The description above is merely illustrating the technical scope of the present disclosure, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be implemented separately or in combination with each other.

[0039] The embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of the present disclosure should be construed by claims below, and all technical spirits within a range equivalent to claims should be construed as being included in the right scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] While only certain features have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 24 January 2025 (24.01.2025)We Claim:

1. A battery disassembly system (100) comprising: a robotic manipulator (102) to identify and pick up an individual battery cell from a battery pack, wherein a cover of the battery pack has been removed by an operator; a disassembly unit (104) comprising: a receiving unit (112) to receive the battery cell from the robotic manipulator (102); a cutting unit (116) to receive the battery cell from the receiving unit (112) and cut an encapsulation of the battery cell; a retrieving unit (118) to retrieve electrodes from the battery cell.

2. The battery disassembly system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving unit (112) and the cutting unit (116) are separated by a predetermined distance, and wherein the receiving unit (112) is rotatable to enable a tip of the encapsulation of individual battery cell to reach the cutting unit (116).

3. The battery disassembly system (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the robotic manipulator (102) delivers the individual battery cell to the receiving unit (112) at an appropriate height of the individual battery cell such that to allow the tip of the encapsulation of the individual battery cell to reach the cutting unit (116) for different sizes of battery cells when the receiving unit (112) is rotated.

4. The battery disassembly system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving unit (112) is a linear rotatory device comprising a gripper (114) to grip the individual battery cells.

5. The battery disassembly system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the robotic manipulator (102) is trained based on machine learning to identify and pick up individual battery cells.12AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19)6. The battery disassembly system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the robotic manipulator (102) is to identify the individual battery cell based on an identifier provided on the individual battery cell.

7. A battery disassembly method comprising: removing a cover of a battery pack; identifying, by a robotic manipulator (102), individual battery cells in the battery pack; picking up, by the robotic manipulator (102), an individual battery cell from the battery pack based on the identification; delivering, by the robotic manipulator (102), the picked individual battery cell to a receiving unit; cutting, by a cutting unit (116), an encapsulation of the delivered individual battery cell; retrieving, by a retrieving unit (118), electrodes of the individual battery cell.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the removing the cover of the battery pack is performed by an operator.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein a soldering between the individual battery cells is removed by an operator.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein identifying individual battery cells in the battery pack is based on an identifier provided on the individual battery cells.13AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19)

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