Pole welding device and battery assembly system

Abstract

A pole welding device (500) and a battery assembly system (1). The pole welding device (500) comprises: a battery cell fixing assembly (510), a first tab pressing plate unit (520a), and a welding assembly (515), wherein the battery cell fixing assembly (510) is used for supporting and fixing a horizontally-arranged battery cell (100); the first tab pressing plate unit (520a) comprises a first driving assembly (521) and a first tab pressing plate (522), the first tab pressing plate (522) is mounted on the first driving assembly (521), and the first driving assembly (521) is used for driving the first tab pressing plate (522) to move, such that the first tab pressing plate (522) presses a tab portion (1030) of the battery cell (100) onto a pole (104) of the battery cell (100); the welding assembly (515) is configured to weld the tab portion (1030) and the pole (104) which are pressed together.

Description

Pole welding equipment and battery assembly system

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 2023116414241, filed on November 30, 2023, entitled “Pole Welding Device and Battery Assembly System,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of battery processing, and in particular to a pole welding device and a battery assembly system. [Background Technology]

[0003] With the advancement of battery technology, battery cells are being used in a growing number of fields and are gradually replacing traditional fossil fuels in the automotive powertrain sector. Battery cells store chemical energy and controllably convert it into electrical energy. In recyclable battery cells, after discharge, the active materials can be activated by recharging for continued use.

[0004] In the production process of battery cells, welding of the pole ear is a very important step. However, during the welding process of the pole ear, welding slag may fall into the interior of the battery cell, causing quality problems of the battery cell.

[0005] In addition, the above statements are only used to provide background technical information related to the present application and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0006] [Summary of the invention]

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a pole welding device and a battery assembly system, which can reduce the possibility of welding slag falling into the battery cell during the welding process of the pole ear.

[0008] One embodiment of the present application provides a pole welding device, which includes: a battery cell fixing assembly, a first pole tab pressure plate unit and a welding assembly, the battery cell fixing assembly is used to support and fix the battery cell arranged horizontally; the first pole tab pressure plate unit includes a first driving assembly and a first pole tab pressure plate, the first pole tab pressure plate is installed on the first driving assembly, and the first driving assembly is used to drive the first pole tab pressure plate to move so that the first pole tab pressure plate presses the pole tab portion of the battery cell onto the pole of the battery cell; the welding assembly is configured to weld the pressed pole tab portion and the pole.

[0009] In the above manner, the battery cell is arranged on the battery cell fixing assembly in a flat lying manner (that is, the pole ear and the pole are facing the horizontal direction), and then the pole ear is pressed by the first pole ear pressure plate, and welded by the welding assembly, so that the welding slag in the welding process is not easy to enter the interior of the battery cell under the action of gravity.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first driving assembly is configured to: drive the first pole tab pressure plate to perform a first movement so that the pole tab portion is pre-bent by the first pole tab pressure plate; and drive the first pole tab pressure plate to perform a second movement so that the pole tab portion is pressed onto the pole column by the first pole tab pressure plate; the welding assembly is configured to: provide welding energy to the pole tab portion and the pole column when the pole tab pressure plate presses the pole tab portion onto the pole column.

[0011] By pre-bending the pole lug portion before bending the pole lug portion in the above manner, the possibility of wrinkles being generated in the pole lug portion during the bending process can be reduced.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first tab pressure plate defines a hollow area, and when the first tab pressure plate presses the tab portion onto the pole, the hollow area exposes the area to be welded of the tab portion; the welding assembly includes a laser, which is used to emit laser and pass the laser through the hollow area and irradiate the area to be welded.

[0013] In this way, the tab portion can be welded when the first tab pressure plate is pressed against the pole surface, reducing the possibility that the tab will rebound after being separated from the first tab pressure plate and further reduce the welding quality.

[0014] In some embodiments, the pole welding device also includes a second pole tab pressure plate unit, the second pole tab pressure plate unit has the same structure as the first pole tab pressure plate unit, and the first pole tab pressure plate unit and the second pole tab pressure plate unit work alternately; the pole welding device is provided with a welding station, a first pressure plate changing station and a second pressure plate changing station, and the first pressure plate changing station and the second pressure plate changing station are respectively located on both sides of the welding station; the welding assembly is arranged corresponding to the welding station, the first pole tab pressure plate unit is arranged to be driven and switch between the welding station and the second pressure plate changing station, and the second pole tab pressure plate unit is arranged to be driven and switch between the welding station and the first pressure plate changing station; the pole welding device also includes a first pressure plate changing assembly and a second pressure plate changing assembly; the first pressure plate changing assembly is arranged at the first pressure plate changing station, for replacing the first pole tab pressure plate in the second pole tab pressure plate unit located at the first pressure plate changing station; the second pressure plate changing assembly is arranged at the second pressure plate changing station, for replacing the first pole tab pressure plate in the first pole tab pressure plate unit located at the second pressure plate changing station.

[0015] Through the above method, when the first pole tab pressure plate unit needs to be cleaned or replaced, it can be moved from the welding station to the first pressure plate changing station through the first pressure plate changing assembly, and the second pole tab pressure plate unit can be moved from the second pressure plate changing station to the welding station through the second pressure plate changing assembly to replace the first pole tab pressure plate unit for bending work, thereby reducing the downtime of the pole welding device during the replacement of the first pole tab pressure plate unit and improving production efficiency.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first pressure plate replacement assembly includes a first pressure plate storage bin and a first pressure plate waste bin. The first pressure plate storage bin is used to store the first tab pressure plate to be replaced, and the first pressure plate waste bin is used to store the replaced first tab pressure plate.

[0017] Through the above method, the operator can regularly store a certain number of first tab pressure plates in the first pressure plate storage bin and clean the first tab pressure plates in the first pressure plate waste bin, so that the pole welding device can maintain normal operation for a period of time.

[0018] In some embodiments, the pole welding device also includes a reference assembly, which is arranged corresponding to the welding assembly and includes a reference plate unit and a pushing unit; the reference plate unit is arranged to move to a position between the welding assembly and the battery cell fixing assembly when the battery cell fixing assembly moves to the corresponding welding assembly; the pushing unit is arranged to push the battery cell fixing assembly and / or the battery cell against the reference plate unit when the reference plate unit moves to a position between the welding assembly and the battery cell fixing assembly.

[0019] In the above manner, the battery cell is positioned by the reference assembly, so that the battery cell can be accurately positioned in the area to be welded.

[0020] In some embodiments, the pole welding device further includes a code scanning component, which is used to scan the battery cell fixing component that supports and fixes the battery cell and the first tab pressure plate unit that presses the tab portion of the same battery cell.

[0021] By adopting the above method, the number of times the tab portion of each first tab pressure plate unit is folded can be conveniently counted, which is conducive to timely replacement of the first tab pressure plate.

[0022] In some embodiments, the pole welding device further includes a first dust removal assembly, which is mounted on the first pole ear pressure plate unit; when the welding assembly welds the pole ear and the pole that are pressed together, the first dust removal assembly is in gas communication with the area where the pole ear is located.

[0023] Through the above method, the welding slag, smoke and dust generated during the welding process can be preliminarily cleaned.

[0024] In some embodiments, the pole welding device also includes a battery cell conveying assembly and a second dust removal assembly. The battery cell conveying assembly is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly to move from the first pole tab pressure plate unit toward the second dust removal assembly. The second dust removal assembly is used to remove dust from the welding area of ​​the pole tab.

[0025] Through the above method, the welding slag and dust remaining in the battery cell after welding can be further cleaned.

[0026] In some embodiments, the second dust removal assembly includes a dust removal duct and a dust removal hood. The dust removal duct is used to communicate with the exhaust assembly. The dust removal hood is connected to the dust removal duct and is used to be pressed onto the pole of the battery cell to form an exhaust space between the pole and the dust removal hood.

[0027] In the above manner, the second dust removal component can absorb and collect welding slag and dust for easy cleaning.

[0028] In some embodiments, the second dust removal assembly further includes a moving brush disposed in the dust removal cover for contacting and moving with the welding area of ​​the pole ear; and / or the dust removal cover includes a plug for blocking at least a portion of the through hole of the pole.

[0029] In the above manner, the moving brush can further improve the efficiency of cleaning welding slag, and the plug can reduce the possibility of welding slag, smoke and dust entering the battery cell through the through hole.

[0030] In some embodiments, the battery cell conveying assembly is configured to convey the battery cell fixing assembly along a circulation path, and the circulation path includes an upper path, a descending path, a lower path and an ascending path connected in sequence; and the battery cell conveying assembly is configured to: when the battery cell fixing assembly enters the descending path from the upper path, drive the battery cell fixing assembly to be conveyed along the descending path toward the lower path in a translational manner; when the battery cell fixing assembly enters the ascending path from the lower path, drive the battery cell fixing assembly to be conveyed along the ascending path toward the upper path in a translational manner.

[0031] Through the above method, the battery cell conveying assembly can receive the battery cells cyclically and convey the battery cells to the first pressing plate unit.

[0032] In some embodiments, the head end of the battery cell fixing assembly is used to connect the tail end of the adjacent battery cell fixing assembly, and the battery cell fixing assemblies are configured to lock with each other along the direction from the head end to the tail end and can move relative to each other along the direction perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end.

[0033] Through the above method, the battery cell fixing components can be detachably connected. When connected, the connected battery cell fixing components can move synchronously. After being separated, the battery cell fixing components can enter different paths including the upper path, the descending path, the lower path and the ascending path respectively.

[0034] In some embodiments, the battery cell conveying assembly includes: a first driving unit, a second driving unit, a first lifting unit and a second lifting unit, the first driving unit is used to drive at least one battery cell fixing assembly located on the upper path to move along the upper path, so that all battery cell fixing assemblies located on the upper path move along the upper path, the first lifting unit is arranged at the end of the upper path, and is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly to separate from the battery cell fixing assembly located on the upper path, enter the descending path, and connect with the battery cell fixing assembly located on the lower path, the second driving unit is used to drive at least one battery cell fixing assembly located on the lower path to move along the lower path, so that all battery cell fixing assemblies located on the lower path move along the lower path; the second lifting unit is arranged at the head end of the upper path, and is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly to separate from the battery cell fixing assembly located on the lower path, enter the ascending path, and connect with the battery cell fixing assembly located on the upper path.

[0035] Through the above method, compared with the case where the various paths of the battery cell conveying assembly are arranged on the same horizontal plane, the floor space occupied by the battery cell conveying assembly can be reduced.

[0036] In some embodiments, the battery cell fixing assembly has a first connecting portion located at the head end and a second connecting portion located at the tail end, one of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is provided with a limiting slide groove, the extension direction of the limiting slide groove is perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end, and the other is provided with a roller slidably arranged on the limiting slide groove, so that when any two battery cell fixing assemblies are connected, they are relatively locked in the direction from the head end to the tail end, and can slide relatively in the direction along the extension direction of the limiting slide groove.

[0037] By using the above method, the friction force during the separation process of the battery cell fixing assembly can be reduced, making the battery cell fixing assembly easier to separate. In addition, the use of the roller can also reduce the probability of the battery cell fixing assembly failing to connect when the battery cell fixing assembly is not aligned during the connection process.

[0038] In some embodiments, the pole welding device also includes a photographing component, the battery cell conveying component is used to drive the battery cell fixing component to move from the second dust removal component toward the photographing component, the photographing component includes a 2D camera system and / or a 3D camera system, the 2D camera system is used to take pictures of the poles that have been completed welded, and the 3D camera system is used to perform 3D contour line scanning on the poles that have been completed welded.

[0039] By using the above method, defects such as weld marks and weld mark height after welding of the pole lug can be identified.

[0040] In some embodiments, the first tab pressure plate is made of tungsten steel.

[0041] By adopting the above method, the strength and heat resistance of the first tab pressing plate can be improved.

[0042] In some embodiments, the pole welding device also includes a cell loading assembly and a cell flipping assembly; the cell loading assembly is used to support the upright battery cells and transport the battery cells toward the cell flipping assembly; the cell flipping assembly is used to clamp the upright battery cells, flip the battery cells to a flat setting, and place the flatly set battery cells on the cell fixing assembly.

[0043] Through the above method, the battery cells can be automatically turned over, thereby improving the loading efficiency.

[0044] One embodiment of the present application also provides a battery assembly system, which includes the above-mentioned pole welding device.

[0045] In some embodiments, the battery cell includes a shell, a bottom cover and an electrode assembly; the shell has an open end, and a pole is provided on the wall of the shell opposite to the open end, the pole has a through hole, and the shell and the bottom cover are connected to form a accommodating cavity connected to the through hole; the active material coating portion of the electrode assembly is arranged in the shell, and the pole ear portion of the electrode assembly is connected to the side of the pole away from the accommodating cavity through the through hole; the battery assembly system also includes a conveying device and an assembly device, the conveying device is used to convey the structure to be assembled to each workstation of the assembly equipment; the workstation of the assembly equipment includes at least a pole welding device; wherein the pole welding device is used to weld the pole ear portion passing through the through hole to the side of the pole away from the accommodating cavity.

[0046] In some embodiments, the battery assembly system also includes a pole tab forming device, a shell insertion device, a pole tab piercing device and a bottom cover welding device; wherein, the pole tab forming device is used to weld multiple pole tab sheets of the electrode assembly to form a pole tab portion; the shell insertion device is used to load the electrode assembly into the shell from the open end; the pole tab piercing device is used to clamp the pole tab portion through the through hole when the electrode assembly is loaded into the shell; the bottom cover welding device is used to weld the bottom cover to the open end of the shell.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0047] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present application. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0048] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a battery cell according to one or more embodiments;

[0049] FIG2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the tab portion of the battery cell in FIG1 ;

[0050] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the layout of a pole welding device according to one or more embodiments;

[0051] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a first tab pressure plate unit according to one or more embodiments;

[0052] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of the first tab pressure plate unit in FIG4 from another perspective;

[0053] FIG6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first tab pressure plate according to one or more embodiments;

[0054] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a first pressure-changing plate assembly and a second pressure-changing plate assembly according to one or more embodiments;

[0055] FIG8 is a top view of FIG6;

[0056] FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of positioning a battery cell using a reference assembly according to one or more embodiments;

[0057] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a second dust removal assembly according to one or more embodiments;

[0058] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery cell delivery assembly according to one or more embodiments;

[0059] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery cell fixing assembly according to one or more embodiments;

[0060] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of two battery cell fixing assemblies connected according to one or more embodiments;

[0061] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of the first driving unit and the first guiding unit in FIG11;

[0062] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of the first lifting unit or the second lifting unit in FIG11;

[0063] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of the second driving unit and the second guide unit in FIG11;

[0064] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a cell loading assembly according to one or more embodiments;

[0065] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery cell blanking assembly according to one or more embodiments;

[0066] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of a battery assembly system assembling battery cells according to one or more embodiments.

[0067] The reference numerals in the specific embodiments are as follows: 100 battery cell; 101 housing; 101a open end; 102 bottom cover; 103 electrode assembly; 1030 tab portion; 104 pole; 1040 through hole; 500 pole welding device; 510 battery cell fixing assembly; 511 first connecting portion; 512 second connecting portion; 513 guide chute; 514 roller; 515 welding assembly; 516 base; 517 battery cell carrying portion; 518 guide rail; 519 first limiting area; 520a first tab pressure plate unit; 520b second tab pressure plate unit; 521 first drive assembly; 522 first tab pressure plate; 5210 drive motor; 5220 hollow area; 5221 gas channel; 530a First pressure-changing plate assembly; 530b Second pressure-changing plate assembly; 531 First pressure plate storage bin; 532 First pressure plate waste bin; 533 Tab pressure plate fixture; 534 Motor; 540 Reference assembly; 541 Reference plate unit; 542 Pushing unit; 550 First dust removal assembly; 560 Cell conveying assembly; 561 First drive unit; 562 Second drive unit; 563 First lifting unit; 564 Second lifting unit; 565 First guide unit; 566 First drive block; 567 Second guide unit; 570 Second dust removal assembly; 571 Dust removal duct; 572 Dust removal cover; 573 Moving brush; 574 Plug; 575 Drive assembly; 576 First drive motor; 577 Second drive motor; 580 Battery cell loading assembly; 581 Conveying unit; 582 Loading robot arm; 583 Battery cell gripper; 584 First transfer motor; 585 Second transfer motor; 586 Battery cell flipping assembly; 590 Battery cell resetting assembly; 595 Battery cell unloading assembly; 596 First unloading unit; 597 Second unloading unit; 1 Battery assembly system; 200 Tab forming device; 300 Shell insertion device; 400 Tab piercing device; 600 Bottom cover welding device. [Specific implementation method]

[0068] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application and are therefore only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0069] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application; the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned figure descriptions are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0070] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the quantity, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0071] References herein to "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0072] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0073] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "multiple" refers to more than two (including two). Similarly, "multiple groups" refers to more than two groups (including two groups), and "multiple pieces" refers to more than two pieces (including two pieces).

[0074] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

[0075] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, technical terms such as "installed," "connected," "connected," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components or interactions between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application based on specific circumstances.

[0076] With the advancement of battery technology, battery cells are being used in a growing number of fields and are gradually replacing traditional fossil fuels in the automotive powertrain sector. Battery cells store chemical energy and controllably convert it into electrical energy. In recyclable battery cells, after discharge, the active materials can be activated by recharging for continued use.

[0077] At present, during the welding process of the tabs of most battery cells, the battery cells are set upright, which makes it easy for welding slag to enter the interior of the battery cells under the action of gravity, making the battery cells prone to quality problems.

[0078] In order to reduce the possibility of welding slag entering the interior of the battery cell, the battery cell can be welded while it is in a flat position, so that the welding slag is more likely to fall off under the action of gravity rather than entering the interior of the battery cell. For example, the pole welding device may include a battery cell fixing assembly, a first tab pressure plate unit and a welding assembly, the battery cell fixing assembly is used to support and fix the flatly arranged battery cell; the first tab pressure plate unit includes a first drive assembly and a first tab pressure plate, the first tab pressure plate is installed on the first drive assembly, and the first drive assembly is used to drive the first tab pressure plate to move so that the first tab pressure plate presses the tab of the battery cell onto the pole of the battery cell; the welding assembly is configured to weld the pressed tab portion and the pole.

[0079] In the above manner, the battery cell is arranged on the battery cell fixing assembly in a flat lying manner (that is, the pole ear and the pole are facing the horizontal direction), and then the pole ear is pressed by the first pole ear pressure plate, and welded by the welding assembly, so that the welding slag in the welding process is not easy to enter the interior of the battery cell under the action of gravity.

[0080] The battery cells disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be used in electrical devices that use battery cells (also referred to as battery cells or batteries) as power sources or various energy storage systems that use battery cells as energy storage elements. The electrical devices can be, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, electric toys, electric tools, battery cars, electric cars, ships, spacecraft, and the like. Among them, electric toys can include fixed or mobile electric toys, for example, game consoles, electric car toys, electric ship toys, and electric airplane toys, and the like, and spacecraft can include airplanes, rockets, space shuttles, and spacecraft, and the like. The pole welding device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be used to weld the ear parts and poles of the battery cells. The battery assembly system disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be used to assemble the above-mentioned battery cells.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, the battery cells may be secondary batteries. A secondary battery refers to a battery cell that can be recharged after discharge to activate the active material and continue to be used. Each battery cell may also be a primary battery. Battery cells include, but are not limited to, lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, sodium-lithium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries, sodium metal batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, magnesium-ion batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, and lead-acid batteries.

[0082] 1 and 2 , according to one or more embodiments of the present application, the battery cell 100 may include a shell 101, a bottom cover 102, and an electrode assembly 103. The shell 101 has an open end 101a. A pole 104 is provided on the wall of the shell 101 opposite to the open end 101a. The pole 104 has a through hole 1040. The shell 101 and the bottom cover 102 are connected to form a receiving cavity connected to the through hole 104. The active material coating portion of the electrode assembly 103 is provided in the shell 101. The pole ear portion 1030 of the electrode assembly 103 is connected to the side of the pole 104 facing away from the receiving cavity through the through hole 1040.

[0083] 3 , 4 and 5 , the pole welding device 500 may include: a cell fixing assembly 510, a first tab pressure plate unit 520a and a welding assembly 515, wherein the cell fixing assembly 510 is used to support and fix the flatly arranged cell 100; the first tab pressure plate unit 520a includes a first driving assembly 521 and a first tab pressure plate 522, the first tab pressure plate 522 is installed on the first driving assembly 521, and the first driving assembly 521 is used to drive the first tab pressure plate 522 to move so that the first tab pressure plate 522 presses the tab portion 1030 of the cell 100 onto the pole 104 of the cell; the welding assembly 515 is configured to weld the pressed tab portion 1030 and the pole 104.

[0084] The battery cell's horizontal arrangement may refer to the battery cell's tabs 1030 and poles 104 being oriented horizontally. In this manner, the battery cell is arranged horizontally (i.e., the tabs 1030 and poles 104 are oriented horizontally) on the battery cell fixing assembly 510. The tabs 1030 are then pressed against the first tab pressure plate 522, and welding is performed using the welding assembly 515. This prevents welding slag from entering the battery cell under gravity during the welding process. The first drive assembly 521 may include one or two drive motors 5210.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first driving assembly 521 is configured to: drive the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to perform a first movement so that the pole tab portion 1030 is pre-bent by the first pole tab pressure plate 522; and drive the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to perform a second movement so that the pole tab portion 1030 is pressed onto the pole column 104 by the first pole tab pressure plate 522; the welding assembly 515 is configured to: provide welding energy to the pole tab portion 1030 and the pole column 104 when the first pole tab pressure plate 522 presses the pole tab portion 1030 onto the pole column 104.

[0086] Pre-bending may mean that the pole lug 1030 is not pressed against the surface of the pole post 104, and a preset angle is formed between the pole lug 1030 and the surface of the pole post 104. The preset angle may range from 15 degrees to 75 degrees. Driving the first pole lug pressure plate 522 to perform a first movement may mean driving the first pole lug pressure plate 522 to move from one side of the pole lug 1030 toward the other side of the pole lug 1030. During this process, the pole lug 1030 may be pre-bent under the action of the first pole lug pressure plate 522. Driving the first pole lug pressure plate 522 to perform a second movement may mean driving the first pole lug pressure plate 522 to move toward the surface of the pole post 104 until the first pole lug pressure plate 522 presses the pole lug 1030 against the surface of the pole post 104. The welding assembly 515 may weld the pole lug 1030 and the pole post 104 using a laser or ultrasonic wave.

[0087] One of the two drive motors 5210 can be used to drive the first tab pressing plate 522 to perform a first movement. The other of the two drive motors 5210 can be used to drive the first tab pressing plate 522 to perform a second movement. The directions of the first movement and the second movement can be perpendicular to each other. When the battery cell 100 is placed flat, the first movement can be a top-down movement, and the second movement can be a horizontal movement.

[0088] According to one or more embodiments of the present application, the first drive assembly 521 is configured to, after the drive motor 5210 that drives the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to perform the first movement drives the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to pre-bend the pole tab portion 1030, drive the drive motor 5210 that drives the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to perform the second movement drives the support frame to drive the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to press the pole tab portion 1030 onto the pole 104 of the battery cell 100; wherein, the drive motor 5210 that drives the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to perform the first movement is installed on the support frame. Alternatively, the first drive assembly 521 is configured to, while the drive motor 5210 drives the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to perform a first movement to drive the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to pre-bend the pole tab portion 1030, drive the drive motor 5210 drives the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to perform a second movement to drive the support frame to drive the first pole tab pressure plate 522 to press the pole tab portion 1030 onto the pole 104 of the battery cell 100.

[0089] That is, the two driving motors 5210 can work in sequence or simultaneously.

[0090] By pre-bending the pole lug 1030 before bending it, the possibility of wrinkles forming on the pole lug 1030 during the bending process can be reduced. Furthermore, when the two drive motors 5210 are moving simultaneously, the efficiency of bending the pole lug 1030 is improved, and the possibility of wrinkles forming on the pole lug 1030 during the bending process is further reduced. This is because the simultaneous movement of the two drive motors 5210 generates a force on the pole lug 1030 to be bent that is always directed away from the base of the pole lug 1030, thereby preventing the pole lug 1030 from moving in the opposite direction during the bending process, thereby achieving a better bending effect on the pole lug.

[0091] Referring to Figure 6, in some embodiments, the first tab pressure plate 522 defines a hollow area 5220. When the first tab pressure plate 522 presses the tab portion 1030 onto the pole 104, the hollow area 5220 exposes the area to be welded of the tab portion 1030; the welding assembly 515 includes a laser, which is used to emit laser and irradiate the laser through the hollow area 5220 to the area to be welded.

[0092] In this way, the pole lug 1030 can be welded when the first pole lug pressure plate 522 is pressed against the surface of the pole lug 1030 , thereby reducing the possibility that the pole lug 1030 will rebound after separation from the first pole lug pressure plate 522 and further reduce the welding quality.

[0093] 7 and 8, in some embodiments, the pole welding device 500 further includes a second tab pressure plate unit 520b, which has the same structure as the first tab pressure plate unit 520a, and the first tab pressure plate unit 520a and the second tab pressure plate unit 520b work alternately; the pole welding device 500 is provided with a welding station, a first pressure plate changing station and a second pressure plate changing station, and the first pressure plate changing station and the second pressure plate changing station are respectively located on both sides of the welding station; the welding assembly 515 is arranged corresponding to the welding station, and the first tab pressure plate unit 520a is arranged to be driven and moved between the welding station and the second pressure plate changing station. The second tab pressure plate unit 520b is configured to be driven to switch between the welding station and the first tab pressure plate station; the pole welding device 500 also includes a first tab pressure plate assembly 530a and a second tab pressure plate assembly 530b; the first tab pressure plate assembly 530a is arranged at the first tab pressure plate station, for replacing the first tab pressure plate 522 in the second tab pressure plate unit 520b at the first tab pressure plate station; the second tab pressure plate assembly 530b is arranged at the second tab pressure plate station, for replacing the first tab pressure plate 522 in the first tab pressure plate unit 520a at the second tab pressure plate station.

[0094] The first tab pressure plate unit 520a and the second tab pressure plate unit 520b described in this application are only different in naming to facilitate description. The alternating operation of the first tab pressure plate unit 520a and the second tab pressure plate unit 520b can refer to that when the first tab pressure plate unit 520a is in the welding station to bend the tab of the battery cell, the second tab pressure plate unit 520b is in a non-working state (for example, it can be in the first pressure plate replacement station). Similarly, when the second tab pressure plate unit 520b is in the welding station to bend the tab portion 1030 of the battery cell, the first tab pressure plate unit 520a can be in a non-working state (for example, it can be in the second pressure plate replacement station).

[0095] In the above manner, when the first pole tab pressure plate unit 520a needs to be cleaned or replaced, it can be moved from the welding station to the first pressure plate changing station through the first pressure plate changing assembly 530a, and the second pole tab pressure plate unit 520b can be moved from the second pressure plate changing station to the welding station through the second pressure plate changing assembly 530b to replace the first pole tab pressure plate unit 520a for bending work, thereby reducing the downtime of the pole welding device 500 during the replacement process of the first pole tab pressure plate unit 520a and improving production efficiency.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first tab pressure plate unit 520a can be bent for each pair of tab portions 1030 of a battery cell, and after the welding assembly 515 welds the tab portions 1030 of the battery cell, the first tab pressure plate unit 520a can be moved from the welding station to the second tab replacement station for cooling. At this time, the second tab pressure plate unit 520b can be moved from the first tab replacement station to the welding station to bend the tab portion of the next battery cell. Similarly, after the second tab pressure plate unit 520b bends the tab portion of a battery cell and the welding assembly 515 welds the tab portion 1030 of the battery cell, it can be moved to the first tab replacement station for cooling, and the first tab pressure plate unit 520a can be moved to the welding station again. In this way, the first tab pressure plate unit 520a and the second tab pressure plate unit 520b can be cooled in a timely manner, reducing the possibility of heat accumulation during welding, thereby increasing the service life of the first tab pressure plate unit 520a and the second tab pressure plate unit 520b. In other embodiments, the first tab pressure plate unit 520 can also continue to operate at the welding station, so that after bending the tab portions 1030 of multiple battery cells in sequence, it is removed from the welding station and the second tab pressure plate unit 520b is moved to the welding station to continue operating.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first pressure plate changing assembly 530a / the second pressure plate changing assembly 530b includes a first pressure plate storage bin 531 and a first pressure plate waste bin 532. The first pressure plate storage bin 531 is used to store the first tab pressure plate 522 to be replaced, and the first pressure plate waste bin 532 is used to store the replaced first tab pressure plate 522.

[0098] The first pressing plate storage bin 531 and the first pressing plate waste bin 532 can be located in the same box. The box can be provided with a plurality of tab pressing plate storage areas, each of which can serve as the first pressing plate storage bin 531 or the first pressing plate waste bin 532.

[0099] In the above manner, the operator can regularly store a certain number of first tab pressure plates 522 in the first pressure plate storage bin 531 and clean the first tab pressure plates 522 in the first pressure plate waste bin 532, so that the pole welding device 500 can maintain normal operation for a period of time.

[0100] The first pressure plate changing assembly 530a / the second pressure plate changing assembly 530b may include a tab pressure plate fixture 533 and at least one motor 534. The tab pressure plate fixture 533 may be used to pick up the first tab pressure plate 522. The at least one motor 534 may drive the tab pressure plate fixture 533 to move, for example, to drive the tab pressure plate fixture 533 to remove the first tab pressure plate 522 of the first tab pressure plate unit 520a located at the second pressure plate changing station and move it to the first pressure plate waste bin 532, or to remove the first tab pressure plate 522 from the first pressure plate storage bin 531, move it to the first pressure plate changing station and complete the corresponding assembly. The number of motors 534 may be two or three, and the directions in which the two or three motors 534 drive the tab pressure plate fixture 533 to move may be perpendicular to each other.

[0101] Referring to Figure 9, in some embodiments, the pole welding device 500 also includes a reference assembly 540, which is arranged corresponding to the welding assembly 515 and includes a reference plate unit 541 and a pushing unit 542; the reference plate unit 541 is arranged to: when the battery cell fixing assembly 510 moves to the corresponding welding assembly 515, it moves to be located between the welding assembly 515 and the battery cell fixing assembly 510; the pushing unit 542 is arranged to: when the reference plate unit 541 moves to be located between the welding assembly 515 and the battery cell fixing assembly 510, the battery cell fixing assembly 510 and / or the battery cell are pushed and rested on the reference plate unit 541.

[0102] That is, the reference plate unit 541 can be relatively fixed, and the pushing unit 542 can move horizontally relative to the reference plate unit 541, thereby driving the movement of the battery cell fixing assembly 510. The battery cell fixing assembly 510 can include a base 516 and a battery cell carrier 517. The battery cell carrier 517 can be movably disposed on the base 516. The base 516 can be provided with a guide rail 518. The guide rail 518 can extend in a direction from one side of the base to the other side, or parallel to the direction of the pole 104 of the battery cell disposed on the battery cell fixing assembly 510. The battery cell carrier 517 can be slidably disposed on the guide rail 518 of the base 516.

[0103] The reference plate unit 541 can provide a reference plane, which can be coplanar or parallel to the welding plane (focal plane) of the welding assembly 515 (such as a laser), so that when the battery cell fixing assembly 510 / battery cell is against the reference plane, the bent surface of the battery cell's pole ear portion 1030 is located within the welding plane.

[0104] In the above manner, the battery cell is positioned by the reference assembly 540 , so that the battery cell can be accurately positioned in the area to be welded.

[0105] In some embodiments, the pole welding device 500 further includes a code scanning component (not shown), which is used to scan the battery cell fixing component 510 that supports and fixes the battery cell and the first tab pressure plate unit 520a that presses the tab portion of the same battery cell.

[0106] By using the above method, the number of times the tab portion of each first tab pressing plate unit 520 a is folded can be conveniently counted, which is conducive to timely replacement of the first tab pressing plate 522 .

[0107] In some embodiments, the pole welding device 500 also includes a first dust removal assembly 550 (see Figure 3), which is installed on the first pole ear pressure plate unit 520a; when the welding assembly 515 welds the pole ear portion 1030 and the pole 104 that are pressed together, the first dust removal assembly 550 is connected to the gas in the area where the pole ear portion 1030 is located.

[0108] The first dust removal assembly 550 may include a suction device and a connecting pipe. A gas channel 5221 may be defined within the first tab pressure plate 522. One end of the gas channel 5221 may be connected to the connecting pipe, while the other end extends through the surface of the first tab pressure plate 522 facing the tab portion. This allows the first dust removal assembly 550 to remove welding slag, dust, or smoke generated during welding from the tab portion through the connecting pipe and the gas channel 5221. Furthermore, the gas channel 5221 may also be connected to the hollowed-out area 5220.

[0109] Through the above method, the welding slag, smoke and dust generated during the welding process can be preliminarily cleaned.

[0110] Referring to Figures 1 and 10, in some embodiments, the pole welding device 500 also includes a battery cell conveying assembly 560 and a second dust removal assembly 570. The battery cell conveying assembly 560 is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly 510 to move from the first pole tab pressure plate unit 520a toward the second dust removal assembly 570. The second dust removal assembly 570 is used to remove dust from the welding area of ​​the pole tab portion 1030.

[0111] Through the above method, the welding slag and dust remaining in the battery cell after welding can be further cleaned.

[0112] In some embodiments, the second dust removal assembly 570 includes a dust removal duct 571 and a dust removal cover 572. The dust removal duct 571 is used to connect with the exhaust assembly, and the dust removal cover 572 is connected with the dust removal duct 571 and is used to be pressed on the pole 104 of the battery cell to form an exhaust space between the pole 104 and the dust removal cover 572.

[0113] In the above manner, the second dust removal component 570 can absorb and collect welding slag and dust for easy cleaning.

[0114] In some embodiments, the second dust removal assembly 570 also includes a moving brush 573, which is disposed in the dust removal cover 572 and is used to contact and move with the welding area of ​​the pole ear portion 1030; and / or the dust removal cover 572 includes a plug 574, which is used to block at least a portion of the through hole 1040 of the pole 104.

[0115] The second dust removal assembly 570 may further include a drive assembly 575, which may include a first drive motor 576 for driving the motion brush 573 to rotate. The motion brush 573 may be connected to the output shaft of the first drive motor 576, so that the first drive motor 576 can drive the motion brush 573 to rotate and clean the surface of the pole lug 1030 during rotation. To improve the strength of the weld, the weld mark may be relatively large. Therefore, the motion brush 573 can also move along the surface of the pole lug 1030 to comprehensively clean the surface of the pole lug 1030. The drive assembly 575 may also include a second drive motor 577 for driving the motion brush 573 along the surface of the pole lug 1030 / pole 104. The motion brush 573 is movably disposed within the dust removal cover 572. The first driving motor 576 can be arranged on the second driving motor 577 so that the second driving motor 577 can drive the first driving motor 576 to move horizontally, thereby driving the moving brush 573 to move along the surface of the pole ear portion 1030 .

[0116] Plug 574 can be a rubber plug having the same shape as through-hole 1040 so that it can be inserted into through-hole 1040 to reduce the probability of welding slag, smoke, and dust entering through-hole 1040. In this way, the moving brush 573 can further improve the efficiency of cleaning welding slag, and plug 574 can reduce the possibility of welding slag, smoke, and dust entering the battery cell through through-hole 1040.

[0117] Referring to Figure 11, in some embodiments, the battery cell conveying assembly 560 is configured to convey the battery cell fixing assembly 510 along a circulation path, and the circulation path includes an upper path, a descending path, a lower path and an ascending path connected in sequence; and the battery cell conveying assembly 560 is configured to: when the battery cell fixing assembly 510 enters the descending path from the upper path, drive the battery cell fixing assembly 510 to be conveyed along the descending path toward the lower path in a translational manner; when the battery cell fixing assembly 510 enters the ascending path from the lower path, drive the battery cell fixing assembly 510 to be conveyed along the ascending path toward the upper path in a translational manner.

[0118] The upper path can be located above the lower path, and the descending path and ascending path can be located at the beginning and end of the upper and lower paths respectively. The descending path can extend vertically downward or obliquely downward. The ascending path can extend vertically upward or obliquely upward.

[0119] Through the above-mentioned method, the battery cell conveying assembly 560 can receive the battery cells in a cyclic manner and convey the battery cells to the first pressing plate unit.

[0120] 12 and 13 , in some embodiments, the head end of the battery cell fixing assembly 510 is used to connect the tail end of the adjacent battery cell fixing assembly 510 , and the battery cell fixing assembly 510 is configured to lock with each other along the direction from the head end to the tail end, and to be relatively movable along a direction perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end.

[0121] That is, the head end of each battery cell fixing assembly 510 can be connected to the tail end of the previous adjacent battery cell fixing assembly 510, and the tail end can be connected to the head end of the next adjacent battery cell fixing assembly 510. The battery cell fixing assemblies 510 are configured to lock with each other along the direction from the head end to the tail end, which means that when two adjacent battery cell fixing assemblies 510 are connected together, a force is applied to one of them in a direction from the head end to the tail end, and the other will move synchronously and will not be easily separated. The battery cell fixing assemblies 510 are configured to be relatively movable along a direction perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end, which means that when two adjacent battery cell fixing assemblies 510 are connected together, a force is applied to one of them in a direction perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end, and the battery cell fixing assembly 510 will move relative to the other battery cell fixing assembly 510, or even separate from each other.

[0122] After reaching the end point, the cell securing assembly 510 on the upper path can move in a direction perpendicular to the cell securing assembly 510 on the upper path (e.g., the direction of the descending path), thereby separating from the other cell securing assemblies 510 on the upper path and entering the descending path. Similarly, the cell securing assembly 510 can enter the ascending path from the lower path using the same principle.

[0123] Through the above method, the battery cell fixing components 510 can be connected detachably. When connected, the connected battery cell fixing components 510 can move synchronously. After being separated, the battery cell fixing components 510 can enter different paths including the upper path, the descending path, the lower path and the ascending path respectively.

[0124] 14, 15 and 16, in some embodiments, the battery cell conveying assembly 560 includes: a first driving unit 561, a second driving unit 562, a first lifting unit 563 and a second lifting unit 564, the first driving unit 561 is used to drive at least one battery cell fixing assembly 510 located on the upper path to move along the upper path, so that all battery cell fixing assemblies 510 located on the upper path move along the upper path, the first lifting unit 563 is provided at the end of the upper path, and is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly 510 and the battery cell fixing assembly located on the upper path to move along the upper path. The fixed component 510 is separated from the battery cell fixing component 510, enters the descending path, and is connected to the battery cell fixing component 510 located on the lower path. The second driving unit 562 is used to drive at least one battery cell fixing component 510 located on the lower path to move along the lower path, so that all battery cell fixing components 510 located on the lower path move along the lower path; the second lifting unit 564 is arranged at the head end of the upper path, and is used to drive the battery cell fixing component 510 to separate from the battery cell fixing component 510 located on the lower path, enter the ascending path, and be connected to the battery cell fixing component 510 located on the upper path.

[0125] After reaching the end of the upper path, the cell fixing assembly 510 can descend under the action of gravity and the first lifting unit 563. During the descent, it will separate from the other cell fixing assemblies 510 on the upper path, then move to the starting point of the lower path and connect with the other cell fixing assemblies 510 on the lower path. After reaching the end of the lower path, the cell fixing assembly 510 can ascend under the action of the second lifting unit 564. During the ascending process, it will separate from the other cell fixing assemblies 510 on the lower path, then move to the starting point of the upper path and connect with the other cell fixing assemblies 510 on the upper path.

[0126] The first drive unit 561 can be a drive motor. The battery cell conveying assembly 560 can also include a first guide unit 565 located on the upper path. The first drive unit 561 can drive the battery cell fixing assembly 510 located on the upper path to move along the first guide unit 565. The first guide unit 565 can be a guide rail. The battery cell fixing assembly 510 can also include a first limiting area 519. The first drive unit 561 can have a first drive block 566. The first drive block 566 can translate under the action of the first drive unit 561 and can be detachably embedded in the first limiting area 519, thereby driving the battery cell fixing assembly 510 to move.

[0127] The second drive unit 562 can be a conveyor belt that can drive the cell conveying assembly 560 through friction and can also serve as a guide. Of course, the cell conveying assembly 560 can also include a second guide unit 567 located on the lower path. The second drive unit 562 can drive the cell fixing assembly 510 located on the lower path to move along the second guide unit 567. The second guide unit 567 can also be a guide rail.

[0128] The first driving block 566 can be embedded in the first limiting area 519 of one of the battery cell fixing components 510, and synchronously drive the battery cell fixing component 510 and other battery cell fixing components 510 located on the upper path to move synchronously during the movement along the first guide unit 565. After moving to a preset distance, the first driving block 566 can be separated from the battery cell fixing component 510 and reset, and then can be embedded in the first limiting area 519 of other battery cell fixing components 510 located on the upper path again, and drive the battery cell fixing component 510 to move along the first guide unit 565.

[0129] In the above manner, compared with the case where the various paths of the battery cell conveying assembly 560 are arranged on the same horizontal plane, the floor space occupied by the battery cell conveying assembly 560 can be reduced.

[0130] In some embodiments, the battery cell fixing assembly 510 has a first connecting portion 511 located at the head end and a second connecting portion 512 located at the tail end. One of the first connecting portion 511 and the second connecting portion 512 is provided with a limiting slide groove, and the extension direction of the limiting slide groove is perpendicular to the direction pointing from the head end to the tail end. The other is provided with a roller 514 that can be slidably arranged on the limiting slide groove, so that when any two battery cell fixing assemblies 510 are connected, they are relatively locked in the direction pointing from the head end to the tail end, and can slide relatively in the direction along the extension direction of the limiting slide groove.

[0131] In this case, in the direction from the leading end to the trailing end, the roller 514 of the cell securing assembly 510 is restrained by the limiting slide groove of the connected cell securing assembly 510, making it difficult for the two cell securing assemblies 510 to separate in this direction. In a direction parallel to the extending limiting slide groove, the roller 514 of the cell securing assembly 510 can move along the limiting slide groove, causing the two to move relative to each other and gradually separate.

[0132] In this way, the friction during the separation of the cell fixing assembly 510 can be reduced, making it easier to separate the cell fixing assembly 510. In addition, the use of the roller 514 can also reduce the probability of the cell fixing assembly 510 failing to connect when the cell fixing assembly 510 is not aligned during the connection process.

[0133] In some embodiments, the pole welding device 500 also includes a photographing component (not shown), the battery cell conveying component 560 is used to drive the battery cell fixing component 510 to move from the second dust removal component 570 toward the photographing component, and the photographing component includes a 2D camera system and / or a 3D camera system. The 2D camera system is used to take pictures of the pole 104 that has been completed with welding, and the 3D camera system is used to perform 3D contour line scanning on the pole 104 that has been completed with welding.

[0134] Through the above method, defects such as weld marks and weld mark heights of the tab portion 1030 after welding can be identified.

[0135] In some embodiments, the first tab pressure plate 522 is made of tungsten steel.

[0136] Through the above-mentioned method, the strength and heat resistance of the first tab pressing plate 522 can be improved.

[0137] Referring to Figure 17, in some embodiments, the pole welding device 500 also includes a battery cell loading assembly 580 and a battery cell flipping assembly 586; the battery cell loading assembly 580 is used to support the upright battery cells and transport the battery cells toward the battery cell flipping assembly 586; the battery cell flipping assembly 586 is used to clamp the upright battery cells, flip the battery cells to a flat position, and place the flatly arranged battery cells on the battery cell fixing assembly 510.

[0138] The battery cell loading assembly 580 may include a conveying unit 581 and a loading robot 582. The conveying unit 581 may be a conveyor belt or a logistics vehicle. The loading robot 582 may include a battery cell clamp 583, a first transfer motor 584, and a second transfer motor 585. The battery cell clamp 583 may be arranged on the first transfer motor 584. The first transfer motor 584 may be arranged on the second transfer motor 585. The first transfer motor 584 may drive the battery cell clamp 583 to move up and down so as to be able to pick up the battery cell from the conveying unit 581. The second transfer motor 585 may drive the first transfer motor 584 and the battery cell clamp 583 to move horizontally so as to transfer the picked-up battery cell to the battery cell flipping assembly 586.

[0139] The cell flip assembly 586 may include a cell clamp and a flipping robot arm. The flipping robot arm may include at least one rotating motor to drive the cell clamp and the cell clamped in the cell clamp to flip to a flat position.

[0140] Through the above method, the battery cells can be automatically turned over, thereby improving the loading efficiency.

[0141] Referring to Figures 1 and 18 , in some embodiments, the electrode welding apparatus 500 may further include a cell reset assembly 590 and a cell unloading assembly 595 . The cell unloading assembly 595 may include a first unloading unit 596 and a second unloading unit 597 . The first unloading unit 596 can be used to convey qualified cells and may also be referred to as a unloading belt. The second unloading unit 597 can be used to convey unqualified cells and may also be referred to as an "NG" belt. The first unloading unit 596 and the second unloading unit 597 may be conveyor belts or logistics vehicles. The cell reset assembly 590 may include at least one linear motor, at least one rotary motor, and a cell pickup mechanism. The cell pickup mechanism may be used to pick up cells located in the cell fixing assembly 510 . The linear motor may drive the cell pickup mechanism to move between the cell conveyor assembly 560 and the first unloading unit 596 and the second unloading unit 597 . The rotary motor may drive the cell pickup mechanism to rotate, flipping the cells from a horizontal position to a vertical position.

[0142] Referring to Figure 19, an embodiment of the present application also provides a battery assembly system 1, which includes the above-mentioned pole welding device 500. The battery cell 100 may include a shell 101, a bottom cover 102 and an electrode assembly 103. The shell 101 has an open end 101a. A pole 104 is provided on the wall of the shell 101 opposite to the open end 101a. The pole 104 has a through hole 1040. The shell 101 and the bottom cover 102 are connected to form a accommodating cavity connected to the through hole 104. The active material coating portion of the electrode assembly 103 is arranged in the shell 101. The pole ear portion 1030 of the electrode assembly 103 is connected to the side of the pole 104 facing away from the accommodating cavity through the through hole 1040. The battery assembly system 1 also includes a conveying device and an assembly device. The conveying device is used to transport the structure to be assembled to each workstation of the assembly equipment; the workstation of the assembly equipment includes at least a pole welding device; wherein the pole welding device is used to weld the pole ear portion 1030 passing through the through hole 1040 to the side of the pole 104 facing away from the accommodating cavity.

[0143] In some embodiments, the battery assembly system 1 also includes a pole ear forming device 200, a shell insertion device 300, a pole ear piercing device 400 and a bottom cover welding device 600; wherein, the pole ear forming device 200 is used to weld multiple pole ear sheets of the electrode assembly to form a pole ear portion 1030; the shell insertion device 300 is used to load the electrode assembly into the shell from the open end; the pole ear piercing device 400 is used to clamp the pole ear portion 1030 through the through hole 1040 when the electrode assembly is loaded into the shell; the bottom cover welding device 600 is used to weld the bottom cover to the open end of the shell.

[0144] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the conveying equipment includes a conveyor line, which can be a conveying structure formed by a motor-driven conveyor roller and a conveyor belt, or a conveying structure formed by a motor-driven conveyor chain link, or an AGV conveyor cart, which can realize conveying in at least one direction and can support and ensure the stability of the structure to be assembled.

[0145] The purpose of the pole ear forming device 200 is to form the pole ear portion after pre-welding the pole ear sheet, and it can be an ultrasonic welding device, which can ensure that the pole ear portion 1030 is welded in a clamped and stable state. The shell entry device 300 is a pushing mechanism or a clamping mechanism, which can stably move the electrode assembly toward the open end of the shell and enter the accommodating cavity through the open end. Similarly, the pole ear piercing device 400 can adopt a clamping structure or a guiding structure, which can guide the pole ear portion 1030 to smoothly pass through the through hole 1040 without interfering with the shell. The pole column welding device 500 aims to achieve welding of the pole ear portion 1030 and the pole column 104, and it can be a laser welding device. The bottom cover welding device 600 aims to achieve circumferential edge welding of the bottom cover and the open end of the shell, and is also a laser welding device.

[0146] In addition, the assembly equipment is not limited to including the tab forming device 200, the shell insertion device 300, the tab piercing device 400, the pole welding device 500 and the bottom cover welding device 600. For example, when the number of electrode assemblies is multiple, for example, two, the assembly equipment also includes a matching device, which is used to stack multiple electrode assemblies so that the tabs of the two electrode assemblies are roughly opposite to each other, so that the conveying structure can convey the matched electrode assemblies to the tab forming device 200 for welding the tabs to facilitate the formation of the tab portion. For example, in order to ensure the reliability of the battery assembly process, dust removal, NG detection stations, etc. can also be added between any two adjacent stations, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0147] One embodiment of the present application provides a pole welding device 500, which includes: a battery cell loading assembly 580 and a battery cell flipping assembly 586, a battery cell fixing assembly 510, a battery cell conveying assembly 560, a first pole tab pressure plate unit 520a, a second pole tab pressure plate unit 520b, a first pressure changing plate assembly 530a, a second pressure changing plate assembly 530b, a welding assembly 515, a reference assembly 540, a first dust removal assembly 550, a second dust removal assembly 570, a code scanning assembly and a photo taking assembly.

[0148] The cell loading assembly 580 is used to support the upright cell and transport the cell toward the cell flipping assembly 586 ; the cell flipping assembly 586 is used to clamp the upright cell, flip the cell to a flat position, and place the flat cell on the cell fixing assembly 510 .

[0149] The battery cell fixing assembly 510 is used to support and secure the flatly positioned battery cell. The first tab pressure plate unit 520a includes a first drive assembly 521 and a first tab pressure plate 522. The first tab pressure plate 522 is mounted on the first drive assembly 521. The first drive assembly 521 is used to drive the first tab pressure plate 522 to move so that the first tab pressure plate 522 presses the battery cell's tab portion 1030 onto the battery cell's pole 104. The welding assembly 515 is configured to weld the pressed tab portion 1030 to the pole 104. The first tab pressure plate 522 is made of tungsten steel. The first drive assembly 521 is configured to: drive the first tab pressing plate 522 to perform a first movement so that the first tab pressing plate 522 pre-bends the tab; and drive the first tab pressing plate 522 to perform a second movement so that the first tab pressing plate 522 presses the tab portion onto the pole post 104. The welding assembly 515 is configured to: provide welding energy to the tab portion 1030 and the pole post 104 when the tab pressing plate presses the tab portion 1030 onto the pole post 104. The first tab pressing plate 522 defines a hollow region 5220. When the first tab pressing plate 522 presses the tab portion 1030 onto the pole post 104, the hollow region 5220 exposes the area of ​​the tab portion 1030 to be welded. The welding assembly 515 includes a laser for emitting laser light and irradiating the laser light through the hollow region 5220 to the area to be welded.

[0150] The second tab pressure plate unit 520b has the same structure as the first tab pressure plate unit 520a, and the first tab pressure plate unit 520a and the second tab pressure plate unit 520b work alternately; the pole welding device 500 is provided with a welding station, a first pressure plate changing station and a second pressure plate changing station, and the first pressure plate changing station and the second pressure plate changing station are respectively located on both sides of the welding station; the welding assembly 515 is arranged corresponding to the welding station, and the first tab pressure plate unit 520a is arranged to be driven and moved between the welding station and the second pressure plate changing station The second tab pressure plate unit 520b is configured to be driven to switch between the welding station and the first pressure plate replacement station. The first pressure plate replacement assembly 530a is provided at the first pressure plate replacement station for replacing the first tab pressure plate 522 in the second tab pressure plate unit 520b at the first pressure plate replacement station. The second pressure plate replacement assembly 530b is provided at the second pressure plate replacement station for replacing the first tab pressure plate 522 in the first tab pressure plate unit 520a at the second pressure plate replacement station. The first pressure plate replacement assembly 530a includes a first pressure plate storage bin 531 for storing the first tab pressure plate 522 to be replaced and a first pressure plate waste bin 532 for storing the replaced first tab pressure plate 522.

[0151] The reference assembly 540 is provided corresponding to the welding assembly 515 and includes a reference plate unit 541 and a pushing unit 542. The reference plate unit 541 is configured to move between the welding assembly 515 and the cell-fixing assembly 510 when the cell-fixing assembly 510 moves to the corresponding welding assembly 515. The pushing unit 542 is configured to push the cell-fixing assembly 510 and / or the battery cell against the reference plate unit 541 when the reference plate unit 541 moves between the welding assembly 515 and the cell-fixing assembly 510. The code scanning assembly is used to scan the cell-fixing assembly 510 that supports and secures the battery cell and the first tab pressing plate unit 520a that compresses the tab portion of the same battery cell.

[0152] The first dust removal assembly 550 is mounted on the first tab pressure plate unit 520a; when the welding assembly 515 welds the tab portion 1030 and the pole post 104, the first dust removal assembly 550 is in gas communication with the area where the tab portion 1030 is located. The battery cell conveying assembly 560 is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly 510 from the first tab pressure plate unit 520a toward the second dust removal assembly 570, which is used to remove dust from the welding area of ​​the tab portion 1030. The second dust removal assembly 570 includes a dust removal duct 571 and a dust cover 572. The dust removal duct 571 is used to communicate with the exhaust assembly. The dust cover 572 is connected to the dust removal duct 571 and is used to be pressed against the pole post 104 of the battery cell to form an exhaust space between the pole post 104 and the dust cover 572. The second dust removal assembly 570 also includes a moving brush 573, which is arranged in the dust removal cover 572 and is used to contact and move with the welding area of ​​the pole ear portion 1030; and / or the dust removal cover 572 includes a plug 574, which is used to block at least a portion of the through hole 1040 of the pole 104.

[0153] The cell conveying assembly 560 is configured to convey the cell fixing assembly 510 along a circular path, which includes an upper path, a descending path, a lower path, and an ascending path connected in sequence. The cell conveying assembly 560 is configured to: when the cell fixing assembly 510 enters the descending path from the upper path, the cell fixing assembly 510 is driven to move in a translational manner along the descending path toward the lower path; and when the cell fixing assembly 510 enters the ascending path from the lower path, the cell fixing assembly 510 is driven to move in a translational manner along the ascending path toward the upper path. The leading end of the cell fixing assembly 510 is used to connect to the trailing end of an adjacent cell fixing assembly 510, and the cell fixing assemblies 510 are configured to lock with each other in a direction pointing from the leading end to the trailing end and to be relatively movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction pointing from the leading end to the trailing end. The cell conveying assembly 560 includes: a first driving unit 561, a second driving unit 562, a first lifting unit 563 and a second lifting unit 564. The first driving unit 561 is used to drive at least one cell fixing assembly 510 located on the upper path to move along the upper path, so that all cell fixing assemblies 510 located on the upper path move along the upper path. The first lifting unit 563 is provided at the end of the upper path to drive the cell fixing assembly 510 to separate from the cell fixing assembly 510 located on the upper path and enter the upper path. The battery fixing assembly 510 is connected to the lower path. The second driving unit 562 is used to drive at least one battery fixing assembly 510 located in the lower path to move along the lower path, so that all battery fixing assemblies 510 located in the lower path move along the lower path. The second lifting unit 564 is provided at the head end of the upper path, and is used to drive the battery fixing assembly 510 to separate from the battery fixing assembly 510 located in the lower path, enter the ascending path, and connect with the battery fixing assembly 510 located in the upper path. The battery fixing assembly 510 has a first connecting portion 511 at the head end and a second connecting portion 512 at the tail end. One of the first connecting portion 511 and the second connecting portion 512 is provided with a limiting slide, the extending direction of the limiting slide being perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end, and the other is provided with a roller 514 slidably provided in the limiting slide, so that when any two battery fixing assemblies 510 are connected, they are relatively locked in the direction from the head end to the tail end, and can slide relative to each other in the direction along the extending direction of the limiting slide. The battery cell conveying assembly 560 is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly 510 to move from the second dust removal assembly 570 toward the photographing assembly. The photographing assembly includes a 2D camera system and / or a 3D camera system. The 2D camera system is used to take pictures of the welded poles, and the 3D camera system is used to perform 3D contour line scanning on the welded poles.

[0154] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any way. The present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions that fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A pole welding device, characterized in that: include: A battery cell fixing assembly, used to support and fix the battery cells arranged horizontally; A first tab pressing plate unit, comprising a first driving assembly and a first tab pressing plate, wherein the first tab pressing plate is mounted on the first driving assembly, and the first driving assembly is used to drive the first tab pressing plate to move so that the first tab pressing plate presses the tab portion of the battery cell onto the pole of the battery cell; and The welding assembly is configured to weld the pole ear portion and the pole column that are pressed together.

2. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first driving assembly is configured to: drive the first tab pressing plate to perform a first movement so that the first tab pressing plate pre-bends the tab; and drive the first tab pressing plate to perform a second movement so that the first tab pressing plate presses the tab portion onto the pole; The welding assembly is configured to provide welding energy to the pole lug portion and the pole when the first pole lug pressure plate presses the pole lug portion onto the pole.

3. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first pole lug pressing plate defines a hollow area, and when the first pole lug pressing plate presses the pole lug portion onto the pole, the hollow area exposes the to-be-welded area of ​​the pole lug portion; The welding assembly includes a laser, which is used to emit laser light and irradiate the laser light through the hollow area to the area to be welded.

4. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pole welding device further comprises a second pole tab pressing plate unit, the second pole tab pressing plate unit has the same structure as the first pole tab pressing plate unit, and the first pole tab pressing plate unit and the second pole tab pressing plate unit work alternately; The pole welding device is provided with a welding station, a first pressure plate changing station and a second pressure plate changing station, wherein the first pressure plate changing station and the second pressure plate changing station are respectively located on both sides of the welding station; the welding assembly is arranged corresponding to the welding station, the first pole lug pressure plate unit is arranged to be driven to switch between the welding station and the second pressure plate changing station, and the second pole lug pressure plate unit is arranged to be driven to switch between the welding station and the first pressure plate changing station; The pole welding device also includes a first pressure changing plate assembly and a second pressure changing plate assembly; the first pressure changing plate assembly is arranged at the first pressure changing plate station, and is used to replace the first pole lug pressure plate in the second pole lug pressure plate unit at the first pressure changing plate station; the second pressure changing plate assembly is arranged at the second pressure changing plate station, and is used to replace the first pole lug pressure plate in the first pole lug pressure plate unit at the second pressure changing plate station.

5. The pole welding device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first pressure plate replacement assembly includes a first pressure plate storage bin and a first pressure plate waste bin. The first pressure plate storage bin is used to store the first pole lug pressure plate to be replaced, and the first pressure plate waste bin is used to store the replaced first pole lug pressure plate.

6. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pole welding device further comprises a reference assembly, which is arranged corresponding to the welding assembly and comprises a reference plate unit and a pushing unit; The reference plate unit is configured to move to be located between the welding assembly and the battery cell fixing assembly when the battery cell fixing assembly moves to correspond to the welding assembly; The pushing unit is configured to push the cell fixing assembly and / or the cell against the reference plate unit when the reference plate unit moves to be located between the welding assembly and the cell fixing assembly.

7. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pole welding device also includes a code scanning component, which is used to scan the battery cell fixing component that supports and fixes the battery cell and the first pole ear pressing plate that presses the pole ear part of the same battery cell.

8. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pole welding device also includes a first dust removal assembly, which is installed on the first pole ear pressure plate unit; when the welding assembly welds the pole ear part and the pole that are pressed together, the first dust removal assembly is connected to the gas in the area where the pole ear part is located.

9. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pole welding device also includes a battery cell conveying assembly and a second dust removal assembly, wherein the battery cell conveying assembly is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly to move from the first pole lug pressure plate unit toward the second dust removal assembly, and the second dust removal assembly is used to remove dust from the welding area of ​​the pole lug part.

10. The pole welding device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second dust removal component includes a dust removal pipe and a dust removal cover. The dust removal pipe is used to communicate with the exhaust component. The dust removal cover is connected to the dust removal pipe and is used to be pressed onto the pole of the battery cell to form an exhaust space between the pole and the dust removal cover.

11. The pole welding device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The second dust removal assembly further includes a moving brush, which is disposed in the dust removal cover and is used to contact and move with the welding area of ​​the pole ear portion; and / or The dust removal cover comprises a plug, and the plug is used to block at least a part of the through hole of the pole.

12. The pole welding device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The battery cell conveying assembly is configured to convey the battery cell fixing assembly along a circulation path, wherein the circulation path includes an upper path, a descending path, a lower path, and an ascending path connected in sequence; and The battery cell conveying assembly is configured to: when the battery cell fixing assembly enters the descending path from the upper path, drive the battery cell fixing assembly to be conveyed along the descending path toward the lower path in a translational manner; when the battery cell fixing assembly enters the ascending path from the lower path, drive the battery cell fixing assembly to be conveyed along the ascending path toward the upper path in a translational manner.

13. The pole welding device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The head end of the battery cell fixing assembly is used to connect the tail end of the adjacent battery cell fixing assembly, and the battery cell fixing assembly is configured to be locked with each other along the direction from the head end to the tail end, and relatively movable along the direction perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end.

14. The pole welding device according to claim 13, characterized in that: The battery cell conveying assembly includes: a first driving unit, a second driving unit, a first lifting unit and a second lifting unit. The first driving unit is used to drive at least one battery cell fixing component located on the upper path to move along the upper path, so that all battery cell fixing components located on the upper path move along the upper path. The first lifting unit is disposed at the end of the upper path, and is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly to separate from the battery cell fixing assembly located on the upper path, enter the descending path, and connect with the battery cell fixing assembly located on the lower path. The second driving unit is used to drive at least one battery cell fixing component located on the lower layer path to move along the lower layer path, so that all battery cell fixing components located on the lower layer path move along the lower layer path; The second lifting unit is arranged at the head end of the upper path, and is used to drive the battery cell fixing assembly to separate from the battery cell fixing assembly located on the lower path, enter the ascending path, and connect with the battery cell fixing assembly located on the upper path.

15. The pole welding device according to claim 13, characterized in that: The battery cell fixing assembly comprises a first connecting portion located at the head end and a second connecting portion located at the tail end, one of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is provided with a limiting slide groove, the extension direction of the limiting slide groove is perpendicular to the direction from the head end to the tail end, and the other is provided with a roller slidably arranged in the limiting slide groove, so that when any two of the battery cell fixing assemblies are connected, they are relatively locked in the direction from the head end to the tail end, and can slide relatively in the direction along the extension direction of the limiting slide groove.

16. The pole welding device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The pole welding device also includes a photographing component, the battery cell conveying component is used to drive the battery cell fixing component to move from the second dust removal component toward the photographing component, the photographing component includes a 2D camera system and / or a 3D camera system, the 2D camera system is used to take pictures of the poles that have been welded, and the 3D camera system is used to perform 3D contour line scanning on the poles that have been welded.

17. The pole welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first tab pressure plate is made of tungsten steel.

18. The pole welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that: The pole welding device also includes a battery cell loading assembly and a battery cell flipping assembly; the battery cell loading assembly is used to support the battery cell arranged upright and transport the battery cell toward the battery cell flipping assembly; the battery cell flipping assembly is used to clamp the battery cell arranged upright, flip the battery cell to a flat position and place the flatly arranged battery cell on the battery cell fixing assembly.

19. A battery assembly system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a pole welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. The battery assembly system according to claim 19, characterized in that: The battery cell comprises a shell, a bottom cover and an electrode assembly; the shell has an open end, a pole is arranged on a wall of the shell opposite to the open end, the pole has a through hole, the shell and the bottom cover are connected to form a receiving cavity communicated with the through hole; the active material coating part of the electrode assembly is arranged in the shell, and the pole ear part of the electrode assembly passes through the through hole and is connected to a side of the pole away from the receiving cavity; The battery assembly system further comprises a conveying device and an assembly device, wherein the conveying device is used to convey the structure to be assembled to each station of the assembly device; the station of the assembly device at least comprises the pole welding device; Wherein, the pole welding device is used to weld the pole ear passing through the through hole to a side of the pole facing away from the accommodating cavity.

21. The battery assembly system according to claim 20, characterized in that: The battery assembly system also includes a tab forming device, a shell inserting device, a tab piercing device and a bottom cover welding device; The ear forming device is used to weld the multiple ear pieces of the electrode assembly to form the ear part; the shell insertion device is used to load the electrode assembly into the shell from the open end; the ear piercing device is used to clamp the electrode assembly when the electrode assembly is loaded into the shell. The ear passes through the through hole; the bottom cover welding device is used to weld the bottom cover to the open end of the shell.

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