Material dispensing apparatus, stirring system, and battery production line

Abstract

Provided are a material dispensing apparatus, a stirring system, and a battery production line, which relate to the technical field of material conveying. The material dispensing apparatus is conducive to improving the control accuracy for the weight of materials being conveyed. The material dispensing apparatus comprises: a buffering member (1), a conveying assembly (2), a weight scale (3) and control assemblies (4), wherein the buffering member (1) is used for storing materials; one end of the conveying assembly (2) is connected to the buffering member (1), the conveying assembly (2) has at least two conveying ports (21), each conveying port (21) being configured to connect to a target apparatus; the weight scale (3) is connected to the buffering member (1) and is used for measuring the weight of the materials in the buffering member; each conveying port (21) is provided with a control assembly (4), the control assembly (4) being used for controlling opening and closing of a pipe between the conveying port (21) and the target apparatus; and each control assembly (4) comprises a back pressure valve (41), the back pressure valve (41) being arranged on the conveying port (21) and capable of connecting to the target apparatus. The provided material dispensing apparatus is used for dispensing materials into target apparatuses.

Description

Material filling equipment, mixing system and battery production line

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure is based on the Chinese patent application with application number 202420508865.8, application date March 15, 2024, and invention name “Material filling equipment, mixing system and battery production line”, and claims the priority of the Chinese patent application. The entire content of the Chinese patent application is hereby introduced into the present disclosure as a reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of material transportation, and in particular to material filling equipment, a stirring system and a battery production line. Background Art

[0004] Slurry is a fluid substance typically made by mixing granular, powdered, or fibrous solids with liquids and necessary additives in a specific proportion. It is widely used in industries such as building materials, chemicals, electronics, and metallurgy.

[0005] During the slurry preparation process, various components, such as powders and liquids, are added to a mixing device in varying proportions and stirred to form the desired slurry. In related art, during the slurry preparation process, various materials are typically added to the mixing device using conveying equipment, but the amount of material added to the mixing device cannot be accurately controlled.

[0006] Utility Model Content

[0007] The present disclosure provides a material filling device, a stirring system and a battery production line, which are conducive to improving the control accuracy of the weight of the conveyed materials.

[0008] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a material filling device, which includes: a cache component, a conveying component, a weight meter and a control component; wherein the cache component is used to store materials; one end of the conveying component is connected to the cache component, and the conveying component has at least two conveying ports, which are used to connect to a target device; the weight meter is connected to the cache component and is used to detect the weight of the material in the cache component; each conveying port is provided with a group of control components, which are used to control the on-off of the pipeline between the conveying port and the corresponding target device; the control component includes a back pressure valve, which is provided on the conveying port and can be connected to the target device.

[0009] The material filling device provided by the present disclosure includes a buffer element, which can temporarily store a certain amount of material. Furthermore, by connecting one end of a conveying component to the buffer element, the material in the buffer element can be conveyed to a target device via the conveying component. Furthermore, since the conveying component is provided with at least two conveying ports, at least two target devices can be connected to the corresponding conveying ports, thereby allowing the material filling device to fill the at least two target devices. Furthermore, by connecting a weight meter to the buffer element, the weight of the material stored in the buffer element can be detected by the weight meter, thereby detecting the weight of the material reduced in the buffer element, and thus determining the weight of the material filled into the target device. At the same time, a control component is provided on the delivery port of the conveying component, and the on and off of the delivery port can be controlled by the control component to control the delivery status of the material in the conveying component; and a back pressure valve is provided in the control component, and the back pressure valve is set on the delivery port of the conveying component. The pressure generated by conveying the material in the conveying component can be used to control the opening or closing of the back pressure valve, so that the pipeline between the conveying component and the target equipment can be opened or cut off in time, which is beneficial to improve the control accuracy of the weight of the material filled into the target equipment.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the present disclosure, the control assembly further includes a first detection member installed between the delivery port and the back pressure valve, and configured to detect the amount of material delivered through the back pressure valve.

[0011] In the technical solution disclosed herein, since a first detection component is also provided in the control component, the amount of material delivered to the target device through the back pressure valve can be detected by the first detection component, so that the amount of the delivered material can be detected in at least two ways by using a weight meter and the first detection component, which is conducive to more accurate control of the amount of material delivered to the target device.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the present disclosure, the control assembly further includes a first control component, which is installed between the delivery port and the first detection component and is used to control the on-off of the pipeline between the delivery port and the corresponding back pressure valve according to a control signal sent by the controller.

[0013] In the technical solution disclosed herein, a first control element is provided between the delivery port of the conveying assembly and the first detection element, allowing the first control element to automatically control the opening and closing of the material conveying pipeline. This allows the first control element to promptly open or close the pipeline between the conveying assembly and the back-pressure valve before and after the back-pressure valve is opened and closed, thereby improving the reliability of the on-off control of the pipeline between the conveying assembly and the target device.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the present disclosure, the control assembly further includes a second control member connected between the delivery port and the first control member, and configured to manually control the on / off state of the pipeline between the delivery port and the first control member.

[0015] In the technical solution disclosed herein, a second control member is provided between the delivery port of the delivery assembly and the first control member. This allows the user to manually operate the second control member to connect or disconnect the pipeline between the delivery assembly and the target device, depending on the needs of the material filling equipment. This allows the user to manually close or open the second control member when inspecting or repairing the material filling equipment or when the equipment is not in use for an extended period, thereby improving the reliability of the on-off control of the delivery pipeline.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the present disclosure, the conveying assembly includes an annular pipe, one end of the annular pipe is connected to the discharge port of the cache component, and the other end is connected to the return port of the cache component; at least two conveying ports are distributed in sequence on the annular pipe.

[0017] In the technical solution disclosed herein, the conveying assembly is configured to include an annular pipe structure, with one end of the annular pipe connected to the discharge port of the buffer element and the other end connected to the return port of the buffer element. This allows not only for the material to be conveyed to the target device via the annular pipe, but also, if gas is present in the annular pipe, the gas can flow through the annular pipe until it enters the buffer element through the return port, thereby removing the gas from the annular pipe. This reduces the risk of gas entering the target device through the control assembly and affecting the filling accuracy of the material, while also preventing material waste.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the present disclosure, the conveying assembly also includes a conveying member, which is connected between the discharge port and one end of the annular pipe near the discharge port and is electrically connected to the weight meter. The conveying member is used to push the material stored in the cache member into the annular pipe.

[0019] In the disclosed technical solution, the discharge port of the buffer unit is connected to the end of the annular conduit near the discharge port via a conveyor. This allows the conveyor to push material into the annular conduit, facilitating its delivery to the target device. Furthermore, a weight meter is electrically connected to the conveyor, enabling automatic control of the conveyor based on the weight of material removed from the buffer unit as detected by the weight meter, thereby improving control over material delivery accuracy.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the present disclosure, the conveying assembly further includes a pressure control element, which is connected between the return port and one end of the annular pipe near the return port, and is used to control the magnitude of the force acting on the material in the annular pipe.

[0021] In the technical solution disclosed in the present invention, since a pressure control component is provided between the return port of the buffer element and one end of the annular pipe close to the return port, the pressure exerted on the material in the annular pipe can be controlled by the pressure control component so that the material can be quickly filled into the target equipment, which is beneficial to reducing the risk of the material directly flowing back to the buffer element through the annular pipe, thereby affecting the material filling efficiency.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the present disclosure, a second detection member is provided in the accommodating cavity of the cache member, and the second detection member is used to detect the amount of material in the accommodating cavity. The second detection member can be electrically connected to the material storage system and can send a refill instruction to the material storage system.

[0023] In the technical solution disclosed herein, a second detection member is provided within the storage chamber of the buffer element, allowing detection of the amount of material within the chamber. Furthermore, the second detection member is configured to be electrically connected to a storage system for storing the material. Based on the information about the amount of material within the chamber detected by the second detection member, the storage system can be controlled to promptly replenish the material in the buffer element.

[0024] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a stirring system, which includes: at least two stirring devices and a material filling device provided by any one of the above items; wherein each stirring device is connected to a back pressure valve.

[0025] The mixing system provided by the present disclosure, because it includes the material filling device provided by any of the aforementioned embodiments, facilitates improving the accuracy of controlling the weight of the conveyed material, thereby also improving the accuracy of controlling the weight of the material filled into the mixing device. Furthermore, since at least two mixing devices are provided in the mixing system, a single buffer unit can be used to supply and fill material to the at least two mixing devices, thereby reducing the layout space required for the mixing system and lowering the cost of the mixing system and associated costs.

[0026] The third aspect of the present disclosure provides a battery production line, which includes: a material storage system, a coating device and the above-mentioned stirring system; wherein, the material storage system is used to store materials; the buffer component of the stirring system is connected to the material storage system; and the coating device is used to coat the slurry prepared by the stirring device on the collecting electrode.

[0027] The battery production line provided by the present disclosure, by including the aforementioned stirring system, facilitates improved control over the weight of conveyed materials, thereby improving the weight control over the materials added to the stirring equipment, thereby improving the quality of the active materials in the manufactured batteries. Furthermore, by applying the slurry of active material to the current collector using a coating device, the manufacturing quality and efficiency of the electrode sheets can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] 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 disclosure. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to denote the same components. In the drawings:

[0029] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a material filling device provided by the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG2 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of portion A in FIG1 provided by the present disclosure.

[0031] Description of reference numerals:

[0032] 1- Buffer component; 11- Discharge port; 12- Return port; 13- Replenishing port; 2- Conveying component; 21- Conveying port; 22- Annular pipe; 23- Conveying component; 24- Pressure control component; 3- Weight meter; 4- Control component; 41- Back pressure valve; 42- First detection component; 43- First control component; 44- Second control component; 5- Mixing equipment; 6- Storage system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present disclosure are 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 disclosure and are therefore only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure; the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification of the present disclosure and the above-mentioned drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0035] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, technical terms such as "first," "second," and "third" are used solely to distinguish different objects and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or to implicitly specify the quantity, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the technical features indicated. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, "plurality" means more than two, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0036] 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 disclosure. 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.

[0037] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, 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 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.

[0038] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientations or positional relationships indicated by technical terms such as "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", and "circumferential" are 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 disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, operated or used in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, technical terms such as "installed," "connected," "connect," 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 can refer to internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure based on specific circumstances.

[0040] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the technical term "contact" should be understood in a broad sense, and can be direct contact, contact through an intermediate medium layer, contact with essentially no interaction force between the two contacting parties, or contact with interaction force between the two contacting parties.

[0041] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0042] Batteries are ubiquitous in our daily lives. For example, mobile phones, portable devices, laptops, electric vehicles, electric toys, power tools, vehicles, ships, and even spacecraft all rely on batteries to provide power, enabling the normal operation of these devices. These devices are often equipped with secondary batteries, which are cells that can be recharged to activate the active materials after discharge, allowing for continued use. The production of secondary batteries involves coating the active material onto a current collector, which is then cold-pressed and slit to produce electrode sheets. These electrode sheets then undergo a series of processing steps to create the final battery.

[0043] The active materials in batteries are typically in a slurry state before coating. During the preparation of this slurry, liquid and powder materials are added to a blender or pulper to thoroughly mix the liquid and powder, resulting in a uniform slurry of active material. To obtain high-quality active materials, it is necessary to increase the precision of the amount of liquid and powder added to maintain the desired content of each component within the active material range.

[0044] The present disclosure provides a material filling device that can fill materials into a target device and accurately control the amount of material being filled. To facilitate the description and explanation of the material filling device provided by the present disclosure, the following description uses liquid as an example to illustrate the material filling device provided by the present disclosure, but does not limit the material filling device provided by the present disclosure to only being used for conveying and filling liquids.

[0045] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the material filling device provided by the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of Section A in Figure 1 provided by the present disclosure. The material filling device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a buffer 1, a conveying assembly 2, and a weight meter 3; wherein the buffer 1 is used to store materials; one end of the conveying assembly 2 is connected to the buffer 1, and the conveying assembly 2 has at least two conveying ports 21, which are used to connect to a target device; and the weight meter 3 is connected to the buffer 1 for detecting the weight of the material in the buffer 1.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the cache element 1 can be used to temporarily store materials that need to be added to the target device. The structure type and material of the cache element 1 can be selected according to the type and properties of the stored material. The cache element 1 needs to have a storage cavity that can accommodate the material. For example, if the stored material is a liquid, the cache element 1 can be configured as a tank structure. If the liquid is corrosive, an anti-corrosion layer can be provided on the tank or the tank can be made of corrosion-resistant materials. If the stored material is a solid powder or solid particles, the cache element 1 can be configured as a box structure. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the structure of the cache element 1.

[0047] In the disclosed embodiments, a certain distance is typically provided between the buffer element 1 and the target device. A conveying assembly 2 can be provided within the material filling device to transport the material temporarily stored in the buffer element 1 to the target device via the conveying assembly 2. One end of the conveying assembly 2 can be connected to the discharge port 11 of the buffer element 1, thereby connecting the conveying assembly 2 to the receiving cavity of the buffer element 1 and extending the conveying assembly 2 to the location of the target device. For example, the conveying assembly 2 can be configured to include a pipeline, connecting the buffer element 1 to the target device via the pipeline.

[0048] For example, at least two delivery ports 21 may be provided on the delivery assembly 2 to connect the delivery assembly 2 to the target device via the delivery ports 21. For example, a delivery port 21 corresponding to each target device may be provided on the pipeline in the delivery assembly 2. The delivery port 21 may be a connecting pipe connected to the pipeline. The number of delivery ports 21 may be set according to the number of target devices. For example, two, three, four, or five delivery ports 21 may be provided on the delivery assembly 2.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a weight meter 3 may be provided in the material filling device to detect the weight of the material stored in the buffer 1 through the weight meter 3 .

[0050] For example, the weight meter 3 can be a floor scale, such as a digital floor scale or an analog floor scale, and the scale range can be selected according to the maximum weight of the material contained in the buffer 1. The buffer 1 can be fixed to the floor scale so that the floor scale can detect and provide feedback on the weight of the material in the buffer 1 and the weight of the material removed from the buffer 1.

[0051] As another example, the weight meter 3 may also be a hanging electronic scale, which is fixed on a bracket such as a truss, and the cache element 1 is hung on a hook of the hanging electronic scale.

[0052] The material filling device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a buffer element 1, and a certain amount of material can be temporarily stored through the buffer element 1. And by connecting one end of the conveying component 2 to the buffer element 1, the material in the buffer element 1 can be conveyed to the target device through the conveying component 2; and at least two conveying ports 21 are provided on the conveying component 2, so that at least two target devices can be connected to the corresponding conveying ports 21, so that the material can be filled into the at least two target devices through the material filling device. At the same time, by connecting the weight meter 3 to the buffer element 1, the weight of the material stored in the buffer element 1 can be detected by the weight meter 3, so that the weight of the material reduced in the buffer element 1 can be detected, and the weight of the material filled into the target device can be determined, which is conducive to improving the control accuracy of the weight of the conveyed material.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the material filling equipment further includes a control component 4. Each delivery port 21 is provided with a set of control components 4, and the control components 4 are used to control the on-off of the pipeline between the delivery port 21 and the corresponding target device.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG2 , a control component 4 may be provided in the material filling device to control the on-off of the pipeline for conveying the material through the control component 4 .

[0055] For example, a control assembly 4 can be provided at each delivery port 21 of the conveying assembly 2. For example, the control assembly 4 can utilize valves and / or detection components to control the opening and closing of the pipeline via the valves and detect the volume of material delivered to the corresponding target device via the detection components. Thus, before filling the target device with material, the valve corresponding to the target device can be opened to connect the pipeline between the conveying assembly 2 and the target device; alternatively, while the conveying assembly 2 is operating, the valve corresponding to the target device automatically opens. After the target device is filled with material, the pipeline can be promptly closed.

[0056] In the above embodiment, since the control component 4 is provided on the delivery port 21 of the delivery component 2 , the delivery port 21 can be controlled to be on and off by the control component 4 , so as to control the delivery state of the material in the delivery component 2 .

[0057] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control component 4 includes a back-pressure valve 41 , which is disposed on the delivery port 21 and can be connected to a target device.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a back pressure valve 41 may be provided in the control component 4 , the inlet of the back pressure valve 41 may be connected to the delivery port 21 on the delivery component 2 , and the outlet of the back pressure valve 41 may be connected to the target device.

[0059] Thus, when material is being added to one of the multiple target devices via the conveying assembly 2, when the pressure within the conveying assembly 2 reaches the preset pressure value set for the back-pressure valve 41, the back-pressure valve 41 will automatically open, thereby connecting the pipeline between the conveying assembly 2 and the target device, and the material can be added to the corresponding target device. When the weight meter 3 detects that the weight of the material reduced in the buffer 1 reaches the preset weight of the material to be added, the conveying assembly 2 can be promptly controlled to stop operation, the pressure within the conveying assembly 2 is reduced, and the back-pressure valve 41 automatically closes, thereby cutting off the pipeline between the conveying assembly 2 and the target device.

[0060] In the above embodiment, since a back pressure valve 41 is provided in the control component 4 and the back pressure valve 41 is provided on the delivery port 21 of the conveying component 2, the opening or closing of the back pressure valve 41 can be controlled by utilizing the pressure generated by conveying the material in the conveying component 2, so that the pipeline between the conveying component 2 and the target equipment can be opened or cut off in time, which is beneficial to improving the control accuracy of the weight of the material filled into the target equipment.

[0061] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control component 4 further includes a first detection member 42 , which is installed between the delivery port 21 and the back pressure valve 41 and is used to detect the amount of material delivered through the back pressure valve 41 .

[0062] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a first detection member 42 may also be provided in the control component 4 to detect the weight or volume of the material delivered to the target device through the back pressure valve 41 through the first detection member 42 .

[0063] For example, if the material being conveyed is a liquid, the first detection element 42 can be a mass flow meter to detect the volume or mass of the liquid added to the target device; if the material being conveyed is a powder, the first detection element 42 can be a powder flow meter to detect the volume of the powder added to the target device. The mass flow meter or powder flow meter is installed between the back pressure valve 41 and the delivery port 21 of the delivery assembly 2.

[0064] In another example, the first detection member 42 can be electrically connected to the controller in the conveying component 2. In this way, the conveying component 2 can also be controlled according to the amount of material detected by the first detection member 42, so that the conveying component 2 stops running in time.

[0065] In the above embodiment, since a first detection member 42 is also provided in the control component 4, the amount of material delivered to the target device through the back pressure valve 41 can be detected by the first detection member 42, so that the amount of the delivered material can be detected in at least two ways through the weight meter 3 and the first detection member 42, which is conducive to more accurate control of the amount of material delivered to the target device.

[0066] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control component 4 also includes a first control component 43, which is installed between the delivery port 21 and the first detection component 42, and is used to control the on-off of the pipeline between the delivery port 21 and the corresponding back pressure valve 41 according to the control signal sent by the controller.

[0067] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 2 , a first control component 43 may also be provided in the control assembly 4 , and the first control component 43 may be electrically connected to the controller of the material filling device.

[0068] For example, the first control element 43 may be an electric valve, a pneumatic valve, a hydraulic valve, or other valves capable of automatic control. For example, the first control element 43 may be an electromagnetic valve.

[0069] In another example, all first control components 43 can be electrically connected to the controller of the material filling device, such as by electrically connecting the first control components 43 to the controller via a transmission cable; alternatively, the first control components 43 and the controller can be electrically connected wirelessly. In this way, when it is necessary to fill material into one of the at least two target devices, the controller can send an open signal to the first control component 43 corresponding to the target device. In response to the open signal, the first control component 43 performs an open action to open the pipeline between the corresponding backpressure valve 41 and the conveying assembly 2. After the backpressure valve 41 is closed, that is, after the material conveying process ends, the controller can send a close signal to the first control component 43. In response to the close signal, the first control component 43 performs a close action to cut off the pipeline between the corresponding backpressure valve 41 and the conveying assembly 2.

[0070] In the above embodiment, since the first control member 43 is provided between the delivery port 21 of the conveying assembly 2 and the first detection member 42, the on-off control of the material conveying pipeline can be automatically controlled by the first control member 43. Thus, before the back-pressure valve 41 is opened and after it is closed, the first control member 43 can promptly open or close the pipeline between the conveying assembly 2 and the back-pressure valve 41, thereby improving the reliability of the on-off control of the pipeline between the conveying assembly 2 and the target device.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly 4 further includes a second control member 44 , which is connected between the delivery port 21 and the first control member 43 and is used to manually control the on / off of the pipeline between the delivery port 21 and the first control member 43 .

[0072] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 2 , a second control member 44 may be further provided in the control assembly 4 , and the second control member 44 may be connected between the delivery port 21 of the delivery assembly 2 and the first control member 43 .

[0073] For example, the second control element 44 can be a manual ball valve, with its inlet connected to the delivery port 21 and its outlet connected to the inlet of the first control element 43. This allows the user to manually close or open the second control element 44 to control the flow of the pipeline between the delivery port 21 and the target device. For example, if the material filling device is not used for an extended period, the second control element 44 can be manually closed; or if the material filling device is undergoing maintenance, the second control element 44 can also be manually closed.

[0074] In the above embodiment, since a second control member 44 is provided between the delivery port 21 of the delivery assembly 2 and the first control member 43, the user can manually operate the second control member 44 to connect or disconnect the pipeline between the delivery assembly 2 and the target device, depending on the needs of the material filling equipment. This allows the user to manually close or open the second control member 44 when inspecting or repairing the material filling equipment or when the material filling equipment is not used for an extended period of time, thereby improving the reliability of the on-off control of the delivery pipeline.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the conveying component 2 includes an annular pipe 22, one end of the annular pipe 22 is connected to the discharge port 11 of the cache component 1, and the other end is connected to the return port 12 of the cache component 1; at least two conveying ports 21 are distributed in sequence on the annular pipe 22.

[0076] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1 , an annular pipe 22 for conveying materials may be provided in the conveying assembly 2 , so that the materials are conveyed from the buffer element 1 to the target device through the annular pipe 22 .

[0077] For example, the annular conduit 22 can be a plastic or metal conduit, with one end of the annular conduit 22 connected to the discharge port 11 of the buffer element 1, and the other end of the annular conduit 22 connected to the return port 12 of the buffer element 1. The discharge port 11 of the buffer element 1 is used to discharge material from the storage chamber of the buffer element 1, and the return port 12 of the buffer element 1 is used to return material in the annular conduit 22 that has not entered the target device and gas in the annular conduit 22 to the storage chamber of the buffer element 1.

[0078] In another example, at least two delivery ports 21 can be sequentially arranged on the annular conduit 22 along the extension direction of the annular conduit 22. For example, the delivery port 21 can be a connecting pipe with a smaller diameter that is compatible with the second control member 44. One end of the connecting pipe is connected to the annular conduit 22, and the second control member 44 is connected to the other end of the connecting pipe.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the conveying assembly 2 is configured to include an annular conduit 22, with one end of the annular conduit 22 connected to the discharge port 11 of the buffer element 1, and the other end of the annular conduit 22 connected to the return port 12 of the buffer element 1. Thus, not only can the material be conveyed to the target device via the annular conduit 22, but also, if gas exists in the annular conduit 22, the gas can flow in the annular conduit 22 until it enters the buffer element 1 through the return port 12, thereby removing the gas in the annular conduit 22. This reduces the risk of gas entering the target device through the control assembly 4 and affecting the material filling accuracy, while also preventing material waste.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the conveying assembly 2 also includes a conveying member 23, which is connected between the discharge port 11 and an end of the annular pipe 22 close to the discharge port 11, and is electrically connected to the weight meter 3. The conveying member 23 is used to push the material stored in the cache member 1 into the annular pipe 22.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 1, a conveying member 23 can be set in the conveying component 2, and the discharge port 11 of the cache member 1 and the end of the annular pipe 22 close to the discharge port 11 are connected through the conveying member 23, so that a force is applied to the material through the conveying member 23 to push the material into the annular pipe 22.

[0082] For example, when the material is liquid, the conveying member 23 can be a centrifugal pump, gear pump, diaphragm pump, or plunger pump. When the material is powder, the conveying member 23 can be a screw pump. The inlet of the conveying member 23 can be connected to the discharge port 11 of the buffer 1, and the outlet of the conveying member 23 can be connected to one end of the annular conduit 22, thereby connecting the conveying member 23 between the discharge port 11 and the annular conduit 22.

[0083] In another example, the weight meter 3 in the material filling device can be electrically connected to the conveyor 23. For example, the weight meter 3 and the controller of the conveyor 23 can be connected via a transmission cable, or electrically connected via a wireless connection such as Bluetooth. In this way, the conveying power of the conveyor 23 and whether the conveyor 23 stops operating can be controlled based on the weight of the material removed from the buffer 1 as detected by the weight meter 3, thereby achieving control over the amount of material being filled and automatic adjustment of the conveying power of the conveyor 23.

[0084] In the above embodiment, because the discharge port 11 of the buffer element 1 and the end of the annular conduit 22 near the discharge port 11 are connected by the conveying member 23, the material can be pushed into the annular conduit 22 via the conveying member 23, thereby facilitating the filling of the material into the target device. Furthermore, the weight meter 3 is electrically connected to the conveying member 23, enabling automatic control of the conveying member 23 based on the weight of the material removed from the buffer element 1 as detected by the weight meter 3, thereby improving the control of the material filling accuracy.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the conveying assembly 2 further includes a pressure control component 24, which is connected between the return port 12 and one end of the annular pipe 22 close to the return port 12, and is used to control the magnitude of the force acting on the material in the annular pipe 22.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 , a pressure control member 24 may be further provided in the conveying assembly 2 so that the material in the annular pipeline can be filled into the target device better and faster.

[0087] For example, a pressure control element 24 can be provided between the end of the annular pipeline and the return port 12 of the buffer element 1. That is, the pressure control element 24 is located between the delivery port 21 closest to the return port 12 and the return port 12, and is connected between the annular pipeline 22 and the return port 12. For example, the pressure control element 24 can be a pressure control valve, such as a pressure reducing valve or a sequence valve.

[0088] As another example, the operating pressure of the pressure control element 24 can be set to be greater than the operating pressure of the back-pressure valve 41. Thus, before filling the target device with material, all first control elements 43 can be closed. The conveying element 23 is then activated until the pressure within the annular conduit 22 reaches the operating pressure of the pressure control element 24. The pressure control element 24 then opens, connecting the annular conduit 22 with the return port 12. Material can then pass through the annular conduit 22 and return to the buffer element 1 again, until the weight of the material detected by the weighing meter 3 no longer changes, indicating that there is no longer any gas in the annular conduit 22. At this point, the first control element 43 corresponding to the target device to be filled with material can be opened. The back-pressure valve 41 corresponding to the target device automatically opens, and the pressure within the annular conduit 22 decreases. The pressure control element 24 then automatically closes, allowing the material within the annular conduit 22 to pass through the back-pressure valve 41 and enter the target device.

[0089] In the above embodiment, since a pressure control component 24 is provided between the return port 12 of the buffer element 1 and one end of the annular pipe 22 close to the return port 12, the pressure on the material in the annular pipe 22 can be controlled by the pressure control component 24 so that the material can be quickly filled into the target equipment, which is beneficial to reduce the risk of the material directly flowing back to the buffer element 1 through the annular pipe 22 and affecting the material filling efficiency.

[0090] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a second detection component is provided in the accommodating cavity of the cache component 1. The second detection component is used to detect the amount of material in the accommodating cavity. The second detection component can be electrically connected to the material storage system and can send a refill instruction to the material storage system.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a detection member may be provided in the accommodating cavity of the buffer member 1 so as to detect the amount of material in the accommodating cavity of the buffer member 1 through the detection member.

[0092] For example, when the material is liquid, the second detection element may be a liquid level gauge, which can detect the liquid level in the receiving chamber to determine whether the liquid needs to be added to the receiving chamber of the buffer element 1. When the material to be added is powder, the second detection element may be a material level gauge, which can detect the surface position of the powder to determine whether the powder needs to be added to the receiving chamber of the buffer element 1.

[0093] In another example, the second detection element can be configured to be electrically connected to a material storage system. For example, the second detection element can be electrically connected to a material storage system in a factory building via a transmission cable, such as by electrically connecting the second detection element to a controller of a conveying device in the material storage system. In this way, when the second detection element detects that the amount of material in the buffer element 1 is less than a preset threshold, a refill instruction can be sent to the controller. In response to the refill instruction, the controller controls the conveying device to start and replenish the material in the buffer element 1 until the material in the buffer element 1 reaches the required amount.

[0094] In the above embodiment, a second detection member is provided within the accommodating chamber of the buffer element 1, allowing detection of the amount of material within the accommodating chamber by the second detection member. Furthermore, the second detection member is configured to be electrically connected to a storage system for storing the material. Based on the information about the amount of material within the accommodating chamber detected by the second detection member, the storage system can be controlled to promptly replenish the material within the buffer element 1.

[0095] In addition, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a stirring system, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the stirring system includes: at least two stirring devices 5 and a material filling device provided by any of the above embodiments; wherein each stirring device 5 is connected to a delivery port 21 through a back pressure valve 41.

[0096] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the stirring device 5 can be a device for stirring and mixing materials of at least two components. The stirring device 5 can be selected according to the type and characteristics of the stirred materials. For example, the stirring device 5 can be a paddle stirrer, an anchor stirrer, a worm gear stirrer, or a screw stirrer.

[0097] For example, the number of stirring devices 5 can be selected as needed, and each stirring device 5 can be connected to a delivery port 21 of the conveying assembly 2 in the material filling device. For example, eight delivery ports 21 can be provided on the conveying assembly 2, and a back pressure valve 41 can be installed for each delivery port 21. Correspondingly, eight stirring devices 5 are provided in the stirring system, and the eight stirring devices 5 are connected to the eight back pressure valves 41 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0098] The mixing system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, because it includes the material filling device provided by any of the above-mentioned embodiments, is conducive to improving the control accuracy of the weight of the conveyed material, and thus can improve the control accuracy of the weight of the material filled by the mixing device 5. At the same time, at least two mixing devices 5 are provided in the mixing system, and a single buffer unit 1 can be used to supply and fill materials to at least two mixing devices 5, which is conducive to reducing the layout space required for the mixing system and can reduce the cost of the mixing system and associated costs (such as factory buildings and energy consumption).

[0099] At the same time, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a battery production line, as shown in Figure 1, the battery production line includes: a material storage system 6, a coating device and a stirring system provided in the above embodiment; wherein, the material storage system 6 is used to store materials; the cache component 1 of the stirring system is connected to the material storage system 6; the coating device is used to coat the slurry prepared by the stirring device 5 on the collecting electrode.

[0100] In the disclosed embodiment, the storage system 6 may be a device for storing materials. For example, the storage system 6 may be a tank or box capable of storing a large amount of materials. A conveying device may be provided in the storage system 6 and connected to the refill port 13 of the buffer unit 1 in the material filling device to replenish the buffer unit 1 with materials.

[0101] For example, the material may be a solution for preparing active materials in a battery. The solution and the powder may be stirred evenly by the stirring device 5 to obtain a slurry of active materials.

[0102] In the disclosed embodiments, a coating device is used to coat a slurry of active material onto a current collector. A strip of current collector can be mounted on the coating device, and the slurry of active material can be added to the coating device. During operation, the coating device can evenly coat the slurry of active material onto the surface of the strip of current collector, thereby obtaining a more consistent electrode sheet and improving the quality of the resulting electrode sheet.

[0103] Exemplarily, the positive electrode current collector in the battery has two surfaces opposite to each other in the thickness direction thereof, and the positive electrode active material is provided on either or both of the two opposite surfaces of the positive electrode current collector. The positive electrode current collector may be a metal foil or a composite current collector. For example, as the metal foil, aluminum or stainless steel treated with silver, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, nickel, carbon electrode, carbon, nickel or titanium, etc. may be used. The composite current collector may include a polymer material base layer and a metal layer. The composite current collector may be formed by forming a metal material (aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, silver and silver alloy, etc.) on a polymer material substrate (such as a substrate of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyethylene, etc.).

[0104] As another example, the positive electrode active material may include at least one of the following materials: lithium-containing phosphates, lithium transition metal oxides, and their respective modified compounds. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these materials, and other traditional materials that can be used as positive electrode active materials for batteries may also be used. These positive electrode active materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of lithium-containing phosphates may include, but are not limited to, at least one of lithium iron phosphate (such as LiFePO4 (also referred to as LFP)), a composite material of lithium iron phosphate and carbon, lithium manganese phosphate (such as LiMnPO4), a composite material of lithium manganese phosphate and carbon, lithium iron manganese phosphate, and a composite material of lithium iron manganese phosphate and carbon.

[0105] The battery production line provided by the disclosed embodiments, by including the stirring system provided by the aforementioned embodiments, facilitates improved control over the weight of the conveyed materials, thereby improving the accuracy of weight control over the materials added to the stirring device 5, thereby improving the quality of the active material in the manufactured batteries. Furthermore, by applying the slurry of active material to the current collector using a coating device, the manufacturing quality and efficiency of the electrode sheets can be improved.

[0106] The above embodiments are intended only to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they may modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate from the essence of the corresponding technical solutions within the scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure, and are intended to be encompassed by the specification of the present disclosure. In particular, the various technical features described in the various embodiments may be combined in any manner, as long as there are no structural conflicts.

Claims

1. A material filling device comprising: A cache element, the cache element is used to store materials; a conveying assembly, one end of which is connected to the buffer element, and the conveying assembly has at least two conveying ports, each of which is used to connect to a target device; a weight meter connected to the buffer element and used to detect the weight of the material in the buffer element; A control component is provided on each of the delivery ports, and the control component is used to control the on-off of the pipeline between the delivery port and the corresponding target device; the control component includes a back pressure valve, which is provided on the delivery port and can be connected to the target device.

2. The material filling equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The control assembly further includes a first detecting member installed between the delivery port and the back pressure valve, and configured to detect the amount of the material delivered through the back pressure valve.

3. The material filling equipment according to claim 2, wherein: The control assembly further includes a first control component, which is installed between the delivery port and the first detection component and is used to control the on-off of the pipeline between the delivery port and the corresponding back pressure valve according to a control signal sent by a controller.

4. The material filling equipment according to claim 3, wherein: The control assembly further includes a second control member connected between the delivery port and the first control member, and configured to manually control the on / off state of the pipeline between the delivery port and the first control member.

5. The material filling equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The conveying assembly includes an annular pipe, one end of which is connected to the discharge port of the cache component, and the other end is connected to the return port of the cache component; at least two conveying ports are distributed in sequence on the annular pipe.

6. The material filling equipment according to claim 5, wherein: The conveying assembly also includes a conveying member, which is connected between the discharge port and one end of the annular pipe close to the discharge port and is electrically connected to the weight meter. The conveying member is used to push the material stored in the cache member into the annular pipe.

7. The material filling equipment according to claim 6, wherein: The conveying assembly further includes a pressure control component, which is connected between the return port and one end of the annular pipe close to the return port, and is used to control the magnitude of the force acting on the material in the annular pipe.

8. The material filling equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: A second detecting member is provided in the accommodating cavity of the cache member, and the second detecting member is used to detect the amount of the material in the accommodating cavity. The second detecting member can be electrically connected to the material storage system and can send a material replenishment instruction to the material storage system.

9. A stirring system comprising: The material filling equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8; At least two stirring devices, each of which is connected to one of the back pressure valves.

10. A battery production line comprising: A material storage system, wherein the material storage system is used to store materials; The stirring system according to claim 9, wherein the buffer element is connected to the material storage system; A coating device is used to coat the slurry prepared by the stirring device on a collecting electrode.

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