Battery cell inspection apparatus

Abstract

A battery cell inspection apparatus according to the present invention may comprise: a frame; an assembly loading member which is mounted on the frame so as to be liftable / lowerable, and on which a cell tray assembly is loaded; a lifting / lowering driving means mounted on the frame so as to lift / lower the assembly loading member; an inspection jig which is disposed above the assembly loading member within the frame, and which comes into contact with a battery cell so as to measure the voltage of the battery cell; and a stopping member which is disposed above the assembly loading member, and which has at least two stopping surfaces formed at different heights. The lifting height of the assembly loading member can be adjusted through selective contact of a portion of the assembly loading member with the stopping surfaces.

Description

Battery cell inspection device

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery cell inspection device, and more specifically, to a battery cell inspection device that inspects electrical performance by measuring the voltage of a battery cell.

[0002] Unlike primary batteries, which cannot be recharged, secondary batteries refer to batteries capable of charging and discharging, and are being applied in various fields, including portable devices as well as electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) powered by electric sources.

[0003] Currently, widely used types of rechargeable batteries include lithium-ion batteries, lithium-polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, and nickel-zinc batteries. The operating voltage of these unit rechargeable battery cells (unit battery cells) is approximately 2.5V to 4.6V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a battery pack can be formed by connecting multiple battery cells in series. Additionally, a battery pack can be formed by connecting multiple battery cells in parallel, depending on the charge / discharge capacity required for the battery pack. The number of battery cells included in the battery pack can be varied depending on the required output voltage or charge / discharge capacity.

[0004] Once the manufacturing process of the battery cell is completed, the electrical performance and defects are inspected. The electrical performance inspection process can be carried out by placing the voltage measuring pins of a voltage test jig in close contact with the leads of different electrodes constituting the battery cell, respectively, and applying current to the voltage pins to measure the voltage.

[0005] Generally, the battery cell inspection process may consist of the process of positioning a cell tray assembly, in which a battery cell is seated on a tray, at an inspection position; the process of lowering a voltage inspection jig equipped with a voltage measuring pin or raising the cell tray assembly to bring the voltage measuring pin into contact with the battery cell; and the process of applying current to the voltage measuring pin to measure the voltage.

[0006] Since battery cells can be manufactured at various heights, adjusting the lowering height of the voltage test jig or the raising height of the cell tray assembly is important to ensure good contact between the voltage measurement pin and the battery cell; the height adjustment process must be smooth to reduce battery cell inspection time and ensure the inspection process proceeds smoothly.

[0007] The present invention was devised to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide a battery cell inspection device capable of smoothly adjusting the lifting height of a cell tray assembly.

[0008] A battery cell inspection device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose may include: a frame; an assembly mounting member mounted on the frame so as to be vertically movable and having a cell tray assembly seated thereon; a lifting driving means mounted on the frame to raise and lower the assembly mounting member; an inspection jig disposed above the assembly mounting member on the frame and contacting a battery cell to measure the voltage of the battery cell; and a stopping member disposed above the assembly mounting member and having at least two stopping surfaces formed at different heights. The height of the assembly mounting member can be adjusted through selective contact between a part of the assembly mounting member and the stopping surfaces.

[0009] The inspection jig may include a voltage measuring pin that measures voltage by contacting the electrode of the battery cell.

[0010] The inspection jig can be fixed on the frame.

[0011] The assembly mounting member may include: an assembly support member that is vertically movable on a frame and has a cell tray assembly mounted on its upper surface and is raised by the driving of a lifting driving means; and a lifting limiting rod that is vertically mounted on the assembly support member and, when raised, has its upper end strike the stopping surface of a stopping member to limit further upward movement.

[0012] The frame may include a vertical frame as a guide member that guides the lifting of the assembly support.

[0013] The stopping member may include a rail horizontally mounted on the upper part of the frame; and a stopper slidably mounted on the rail and having stopping surfaces formed on its lower part.

[0014] The stopping member may include a pair of rails horizontally mounted on the upper left and right sides of the frame, respectively; a pair of stoppers slidably mounted on each rail and having stopping surfaces formed on their lower portions; and a connecting member connecting the pair of stoppers to each other.

[0015] The battery cell inspection device according to the present invention may further include a stopping driving means mounted on a frame to move a stopper back and forth.

[0016] The lifting driving means and the stopping driving means may be pneumatic cylinders.

[0017] The battery cell inspection device according to the present invention may further include a stopping sensor mounted on a frame to detect the sliding position of a stopper.

[0018] The battery cell inspection device according to the present invention may further include a controller that controls a stopping driving means according to the height of the cell tray assembly.

[0019] Height information of the cell tray assembly can be manually entered by an operator through an input unit, or automatically entered through a detection sensor mounted on the frame that detects the height of the cell tray assembly.

[0020] According to the battery cell inspection device of the present invention, the lifting height of the cell tray assembly can be adjusted without replacing the stopping member, thereby reducing the time required for performance inspection of the battery cell. In particular, the lifting height of the battery cell can be automatically adjusted by moving the stopping member back and forth using a stopping driving means, thereby significantly reducing the working time.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a front view of a battery cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a side view of a battery cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a battery cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 is a front view of the voltage measuring section.

[0025] Figure 5 is a side view of the voltage measuring section.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between a measuring frame, an inspection jig, a lifting driving means, a stopping member, and a stopping driving means.

[0027] Figure 7 is a drawing showing a cell tray assembly seated on an assembly seating member.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a drawing showing the stopping member and the stopping driving means connected to each other.

[0029] Figure 9 is a drawing showing two stopping members mounted facing each other.

[0030] Figure 10 shows a rail with a stopper mounted on it.

[0031] Fig. 11 is a side view of the stopper.

[0032] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing how the allowable height of the lifting limit rod changes depending on the position of the stopper.

[0033] Hereinafter, a battery cell inspection device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0034]

[0035] FIG. 1 is a front view of a battery cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a battery cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a top view of a battery cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] As described above, once the battery cell manufacturing process is completed, a battery cell inspection process is conducted to check the electrical performance and defects of the battery cells.

[0037] When battery cells are applied to a vehicle, multiple cells are configured in the form of modules or packs and mounted in the vehicle, and the battery cells continuously perform charging and discharging in the vehicle's driving environment. If charging and discharging are continuously performed while the internal characteristics and internal resistances of the battery cells differ, voltage deviations may occur between the battery cells. If voltage deviations between battery cells accumulate, the battery cells may become overcharged or overdischarged, which can cause fatal damage to the large-capacity battery module or pack.

[0038] Even if individual battery cells are of acceptable quality, there is bound to be some voltage variation. Therefore, in order to minimize performance degradation of the battery module or pack, it is necessary to inspect the voltage of individual battery cells and build the module or pack with battery cells that have similar voltages.

[0039] A battery cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention is for inspecting the voltage of battery cells and may include a main frame (100), an assembly entry part (200), an assembly location part (300), a voltage measurement part (400), and a controller (not shown).

[0040] The main frame (100) forms the frame of the battery cell inspection device according to the present invention and can be manufactured by assembling square metal bars. The bottom surface of the main frame (100) may be provided with casters (500) for movement and floor stoppers (600) for fixing to the floor.

[0041] The main frame (100) can be divided into multiple sections according to the assembly form of the metal bars. Different devices can be arranged separately in each section. For example, the main frame (100) can be divided into upper and lower two sections as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0042] At the upper end, a power meter used to measure the voltage of the battery cell along with a voltage measuring pin to be described later, an air flow meter for controlling the amount of air supplied to the cylinders to be described later, a controller, and a monitor (700) may be arranged.

[0043] At the lower end, an assembly entry part (200) that guides the entry of the cell tray assembly (1) from the outside, an assembly positioning part (300) that positions the cell tray assembly (1) to an inspection position, and a voltage measuring part (400) that applies current to the battery cell to measure the voltage may be arranged. Here, the cell tray assembly (1) refers to a configuration in which a plurality of battery cells are seated in a tray.

[0044] The assembly entry section (200) and the assembly position section (300) may be configured to include a plurality of rollers rotatably provided spaced apart on both sides of the assembly entry path, a connecting member such as a chain connecting the rollers, and a driving motor for rotating the rollers.

[0045] Detection sensors for detecting the movement of the assembly may be provided on one or both sides of the assembly entry section (200) and the assembly position section (300). In the case of monitoring sensors provided close to the assembly entry section (200), they can detect whether the cell tray assembly (1) is entering correctly, and in the case of detection sensors provided close to the assembly position section (300), they can detect whether the cell tray assembly (1) is positioned correctly at the inspection position.

[0046] Meanwhile, a sensing sensor for measuring the total height of the cell tray assembly (1) may be provided at a location close to the assembly entry part (200) or the assembly location part (300). The height measurement of the cell tray assembly (1) detected by the sensing sensor may be transmitted to a real-time controller. In this way, when a sensing sensor for measuring the height of the cell tray assembly (1) is provided, the height of the cell tray assembly (1) can be automatically calculated in real-time by the controller. The height of the cell tray assembly (1) may not only be automatically detected by the sensing sensor, but may also be provided to the controller in the form of a worker manually inputting the change information into the monitor (800) whenever the height of the cell tray assembly (1) changes.

[0047] According to the battery cell inspection device of the present invention, the lifting height of the cell tray assembly (1) can be determined according to the height of the cell tray assembly (1). A detailed explanation thereof will be provided later.

[0048] All sensors constituting the battery cell inspection device according to the present invention are connected to a controller, and the operation of the actuators, namely the cylinders, described below can be automatically controlled by the control of the controller.

[0049]

[0050] FIG. 4 is a front view of the voltage measuring unit, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the voltage measuring unit.

[0051] The voltage measuring unit (400) raises the cell tray assembly (1) located at the assembly position (300), applies current to the battery cells, and measures the voltage of the battery cells, and may include a measuring frame (410), an inspection jig (420), an assembly mounting member (430), a lifting driving means (440), a stopping member (450), and a stopping driving means (460).

[0052] The measuring frame (410) is mounted in the area where the assembly location portion (300) is positioned at the lower end of the main frame (100), and the assembly location portion (300) is positioned inside. The measuring frame (410) may include a lower frame (411) mounted on the main frame (100), four vertical frames (412) vertically installed at the four corners of the lower frame (411), and an upper frame (413) connecting the tops of the vertical frames (412).

[0053] The inspection jig (420) is fixed to the upper frame (413) and is positioned above the assembly position portion (300) and the assembly seating member (430). The inspection jig (420) is equipped with a plurality of voltage measuring pins (421), which will be described later, that contact the electrodes of the battery cells to apply current to the battery cells and measure the voltage.

[0054] The assembly mounting member (430) is mounted so as to be vertically movable on the measuring frame (410), and the cell tray assembly (1) is mounted on the upper part. During the process of the cell tray assembly (1) entering from the assembly entry part (200) to the assembly position part (300), the assembly support (431), which will be described later and constitutes the assembly mounting member (430), is positioned at a lower position than the upper part of the assembly position part (300). When the cell tray assembly (1) is positioned in the assembly position part (300), the assembly mounting member (430) rises and supports the cell tray assembly (1) positioned in the assembly position part (300) while rising together.

[0055] The lifting drive means (440) is mounted on the measuring frame (410) to lift the assembly mounting member (430). A pneumatic cylinder is used, but is not limited thereto, and various known drive means, including hydraulic cylinders, may be used.

[0056] The stopping member (450) is positioned above the assembly seating member (430) on the upper part of the measuring frame (410) to limit the lifting height of the cell tray assembly (1), and the allowable lifting height of the cell tray assembly (1) can be automatically changed according to the specifications (especially, height) of the battery cell. That is, if the height of the cell tray assembly (1) increases due to a change in the type of battery cell, the allowable lifting height of the cell tray assembly (1) can be automatically lowered, and conversely, if the height of the cell tray assembly (1) decreases, the allowable lifting height of the cell tray assembly (1) can be automatically raised.

[0057] The stopping driving means (460) is connected to the stopping member (450) and operates the stopping member (450).

[0058]

[0059] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between a measuring frame, an inspection jig, a lifting driving means, a stopping member, and a stopping driving means.

[0060] As described above, the measuring frame (410) may include a lower frame (411), a vertical frame (412), and an upper frame (413). The vertical frame (412) is provided in the form of a cylinder or a circular pipe and can guide the lifting of the assembly mounting member (430).

[0061] An inspection jig (420) may be mounted on the upper frame (413), and a plurality of voltage measuring pins (421) for measuring voltage may be provided on the lower part of the inspection jig (420). The voltage measuring pins (421) may be connected to the power meter described above. A stopping member (450) and a stopping driving means (460) may be mounted on the outside of the inspection jig (420) on the upper frame (413).

[0062] A lifting drive means (440) may be mounted on the lower frame (411). The lifting drive means (440) may be a pneumatic cylinder, and two may be spaced apart on the lower frame (411). The lifting drive means (440) may be connected to the air flow meter described above. The main frame (100) may be provided with a compressed air supply unit for supplying compressed air to the lifting drive means (440). The compressed air supply unit may be an air compressor, and an air valve for controlling the discharge of compressed air may be connected to the discharge side of the air compressor. The lifting drive means (440) is installed so that the cylinder rod faces upward, and the operation of the cylinder rod may be performed vertically.

[0063]

[0064] Figure 7 is a drawing showing a cell tray assembly seated on an assembly seating member.

[0065] The assembly mounting member (430) may include an assembly base (431) and a lifting limiting rod (432).

[0066] The assembly support (431) supports the cell tray assembly (1) located at the assembly position (300) by placing it on the upper surface. It is connected to the cylinder rod end of the lifting drive means (440) and can be raised or lowered by the operation of the lifting drive means (440). The edges of the assembly support (431) are slidably fitted into the vertical frames (412) constituting the measurement frame (410), so that they can be raised and lowered while being guided in a horizontal state when the lifting drive means (440) is operated. To this end, frame through-holes through which the vertical frames (412) can slide through may be formed at the edges of the assembly support (431).

[0067] The rising limiting rod (432) is mounted vertically on each of the four edges of the assembly base (431) and is mounted at the same height. When the assembly base (431) rises, the upper end strikes the stopping member (450), thereby limiting the further rising of the assembly base (431). That is, when the upper end of the rising limiting rod (432) contacts the lower surface of the stopper (452), which will be described later and constitutes the stopping member (450), the further rising of the rising limiting rod (432) is limited, so the further rising of the assembly base (431) and the cell tray assembly (1) can also be limited.

[0068]

[0069] FIG. 8 is a drawing showing a stopping member and a stopping driving means connected to each other, FIG. 9 is a drawing showing two stopping members mounted facing each other, FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a stopper mounted on a rail, and FIG. 11 is a side view of the stopper.

[0070] Two stopping members (450) may be provided, each facing the front and rear sides of the upper frame (413) that constitutes the measuring frame (410).

[0071] Each stopping member (450) may include two rails (451), two stoppers (452), a connecting member (453), and a stopping sensor (454).

[0072] Two rails (451) are provided and mounted horizontally on the left and right sides of the upper frame (413) in the forward and backward direction to guide the forward and backward sliding of the stopper (452).

[0073] The stopper (452) is slidably inserted and mounted into the groove of the rail (451) at its upper end, and a plurality of stopping surfaces (452a) are formed connectedly on its lower surface. The stopping surfaces (452a) may be formed at different heights. As shown in FIG. 11, the stopping surface (452a) may include first, second, and third stopping surfaces (452b) (452c) (452d), and the first, second, and third stopping surfaces (452b) (452c) (452d) may be formed in a stepped manner, and the position may increase as one moves from the first stopping surface (452b) to the third stopping surface (452d).

[0074] The connecting member (453) is formed in the shape of a straight square bar and connects two stoppers (452) positioned on the left and right sides of the upper frame (413) to each other, thereby allowing the two stoppers (452) to move forward and backward simultaneously. As shown in FIG. 11, the connecting member (453) can be connected to the right side of the stopper (452) in the drawing, and can be detachably connected to the stopper (452) by a bolt fastening method.

[0075] A number of stopping sensors (454) are installed at intervals on the upper frame (413) to detect the position of the connecting member (453) and then transmit the detected data to the controller. The controller, upon receiving the detected data from the stopping sensors (454), determines the position of the stopper (452) according to the detected data and controls the operation of the stopping driving means (460), thereby automatically controlling the position of the stopper (452).

[0076] Meanwhile, the stopping driving means (460) may be a pneumatic cylinder and may be mounted on the upper frame (413) in a form in which the piston rod moves back and forth horizontally. The end of the piston rod may be connected to the center of the connecting member (453). Thus, when the stopping driving means (460) is operated, two stoppers (452) may move back and forth simultaneously. The stopping driving means (460) is not limited to a pneumatic cylinder, but may use various known driving means including a hydraulic cylinder.

[0077]

[0078] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing how the allowable height of the lifting limit rod changes depending on the position of the stopper.

[0079] As described above, when the height of the cell tray assembly (1) changes, the height of the rising limit rod (432) can be changed by sliding the stopper (452) to change the stopping surface (452a) that contacts the rising limit rod (432).

[0080] As described above, the stopping surface (452a) formed on the bottom surface of the stopper (452) may include a first stopping surface (452b), a second stopping surface (452c), and a third stopping surface (452d) that are stepped so that their heights differ from each other. The position of the surface becomes higher as it goes from the first stopping surface (452b) toward the third stopping surface (452d). The number and height of the stopping surfaces (452a) may be varied in many ways.

[0081] The assembly base (431) and the lifting limit rod (432) are raised only in the vertical direction in place by the operation of the lifting drive means (440), and as the stopper (452) having a plurality of stopping surfaces (452a) (452b) (452c) having different heights moves back and forth, the position of the stopping surface (452a) that contacts the top of the lifting limit rod (432) is changed, thereby allowing the lifting height of the lifting limit rod (432) to be adjusted. That is, with respect to (a) of FIG. 12, when the stopper (452) is positioned at position (b), the lifting limit rod (432) can be raised by h1 further, and when the stopper (452) is positioned at position (c), the lifting limit rod (432) can be raised by h2 further (h1 < h2).

[0082] If the lifting height of the lifting limiting rod (432) is changed, the lifting height of the assembly base (431) and the cell tray assembly (1) may also be changed.

[0083] Meanwhile, during the process of positioning the cell tray assembly (1) at the assembly location (300), its height is automatically detected by a detection sensor and the detection signal is transmitted to the controller, and based on the data transmitted from the detection sensor, the controller can determine the change in height of the cell tray assembly (1). Information regarding the change in height of the cell tray assembly (1) may also be transmitted to the controller in the form of manual input by an operator through the monitor (800).

[0084]

[0085] Although a battery cell inspection device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings as above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be implemented in various modified ways within the scope of the claims.

[0086] [Explanation of the symbol]

[0087] 1 : Cell Tray Assembly 100 : Main Frame

[0088] 200: Assembly entry section 300: Assembly location section

[0089] 400: Voltage measuring unit 410: Measurement frame

[0090] 411: Lower frame 412: Vertical frame

[0091] 413: Upper frame 420: Inspection jig

[0092] 421 : Voltage measuring pin 430 : Assembly mounting member

[0093] 431 : Assembly pedestal 432 : Lift limit load

[0094] 440 : Lifting driving means 450 : Stopping member

[0095] 451: Rail 452: Stopper

[0096] 453 : Connecting member 454 : Stopping sensor

[0097] 500: Caster 600: Fixed Stopper

[0098] 700 : Monitor

Claims

1. Frame; An assembly mounting member that is vertically movably mounted on the above frame and has a cell tray assembly seated on its upper portion; A lifting driving means mounted on the above frame to raise and lower the assembly mounting member; An inspection jig positioned above the assembly mounting member in the above frame and contacting the battery cell to measure the voltage of the battery cell; and A stopping member disposed above the assembly seating member and having at least two stopping surfaces formed at different heights; comprising A battery cell inspection device in which the rising height of the assembly mounting member is adjusted through selective contact between a part of the assembly mounting member and the stopping surfaces.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above inspection jig is a battery cell inspection device comprising a voltage measuring pin that contacts the electrode of a battery cell to measure voltage.

3. In Paragraph 2, The above inspection jig is a battery cell inspection device fixed on a frame, 4. In Paragraph 1, The above assembly mounting member is, An assembly support that is vertically movable on the above frame, on which the cell tray assembly is seated on the upper surface, and which is vertically movable by the driving of the above-described lifting driving means; and A battery cell inspection device comprising: a rise limiting rod vertically mounted on the assembly base, wherein when raised, the upper end strikes the stopping surface of the stopping member to limit further rise.

5. In Paragraph 5, A battery cell inspection device comprising a vertical frame as a guide member that guides the lifting and lowering of the assembly base.

6. In Paragraph 4, The stopping member above is, A rail horizontally mounted on the upper part of the above frame; and A battery cell inspection device comprising: a stopper slidably mounted on the above rail and having the stopping surfaces formed on its lower portion.

7. In Paragraph 4, The stopping member above is, A pair of rails horizontally mounted on the upper left and right sides of the frame, respectively; A pair of stoppers slidably mounted on each of the above rails, with the stopping surfaces formed on their lower portions; and A battery cell inspection device comprising: a connecting member connecting the above pair of stoppers to each other.

8. In Paragraph 6 or 7, A battery cell inspection device further comprising a stopping driving means mounted on the above frame to move the stopper back and forth.

9. In Paragraph 8, A battery cell inspection device in which the above-mentioned lifting driving means and stopping driving means are pneumatic cylinders.

10. In Paragraph 8, A battery cell inspection device further comprising a stopping sensor mounted on the above frame to detect the sliding position of the stopper.

11. In Paragraph 8, A battery cell inspection device further comprising a controller that controls the stopping driving means according to the height of the cell tray assembly.

12. In Paragraph 11, A battery cell inspection device in which height information of the cell tray assembly is manually entered by an operator through an input unit or automatically entered through a detection sensor mounted on the frame that detects the height of the cell tray assembly.

Images