Tool, apparatus, and method for inserting cylindrical battery into casing

Abstract

A tool (100), apparatus, and method for inserting a cylindrical battery into a casing, the tool (100) comprising: a casing seat (10), a guide die (20), a cup support seat (30), and a first driving assembly (40). The casing seat (10) and the cup support seat (30) are located at two ends in the axial direction of the guide die (20), the casing seat (10) is adapted to placement of a casing (210) thereon, and the cup support seat (30) is adapted to placement of an insulating cover (220) or an electrode assembly (230) thereon. The first driving assembly (40) is located at the end of the cup support seat (30) away from the guide die (20) and is configured to drive the insulating cover (220) or the electrode assembly (230) to move toward the guide die (20).

Description

Cylindrical battery casing fitting, casing device and casing method

[0001]

[0002] Cross-reference of related applications

[0003] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510220822.9, filed on February 26, 2025, entitled "Installation Tooling, Installation Device and Installation Method for Cylindrical Batteries". Technical Field

[0004] This application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a casing tooling, casing device, and casing method for a cylindrical battery. Background Technology

[0005] In the production process of cylindrical batteries, it is necessary to use tab wrapping to achieve insulation protection between the electrode components and the casing. However, tab wrapping is inefficient and does not meet the requirements of production lines and high-speed production. Therefore, an insulating cover was developed to replace tab wrapping.

[0006] However, the insulating cover is relatively thin and needs to be fitted onto the electrode assembly and located between the electrode assembly and the housing. This places high demands on the positioning accuracy of the positioning mechanism on the production line, resulting in a low production line yield. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one objective of this application is to provide a housing insertion tooling that can improve the positioning accuracy of the insulating cover, thereby improving insertion accuracy, processing quality, and yield.

[0008] This application further proposes an insertion device employing the above-mentioned insertion tooling.

[0009] This application also proposes a method for inserting the above-mentioned insertion device into a housing.

[0010] This application provides a casing fitting for a cylindrical battery. The casing fitting includes a casing seat, a guide mold, a cup holder, and a first driving assembly. The casing seat and the cup holder are located at opposite axial ends of the guide mold. The casing seat is suitable for placing the casing, and the cup holder is suitable for placing an insulating cover or an electrode assembly. The first driving assembly is located at the end of the cup holder away from the guide mold and is configured to drive the insulating cover or the electrode assembly to move toward the guide mold. The guide mold has a fixing part for fixing the insulating cover so that when the electrode assembly moves toward the casing, the insulating cover is synchronously inserted into the casing.

[0011] According to the embodiments of this application, the cylindrical battery casing fixture is provided with a guide mold and a first driving component, and the guide mold has a fixing part to fix the insulating cover. On the one hand, the insulating cover and the electrode assembly can be guided and positioned by the same positioning mechanism (i.e., the guide mold) and the casing action can be achieved by the same driving mechanism (i.e., the first driving component), which can simplify the casing fixture structure and reduce costs. On the other hand, during the casing process, the electrode assembly can be assembled with the insulating cover simultaneously, and the two can be installed in the casing at the same time, which can reduce tolerance accumulation and improve assembly accuracy. While achieving high-speed production, it can also improve the yield of cylindrical batteries.

[0012] According to some embodiments of this application, the fixing part includes a limiting step and a first transition section and a second transition section located on both sides of the limiting step in the axial direction. The diameter of the first transition section is larger than the diameter of the second transition section to define the limiting step, and the insulating cover pushes against the limiting step.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this application, the diameter of the first transition section is equal to the outer diameter of the insulating cover.

[0014] According to some embodiments of this application, the diameter of the second transition section is equal to the inner diameter of the shell.

[0015] According to some embodiments of this application, the guide mold further includes: a first guide portion located on the side of the fixing portion facing the cup holder, wherein the opening size of the first guide portion gradually decreases in the direction facing the fixing portion, so as to guide the assembly of the electrode assembly and the insulating cover.

[0016] According to some embodiments of this application, as the first guide portion extends from the first end away from the fixed portion to the second end adjacent to the fixed portion, the opening size gradually decreases, and the inner diameter D1 of the first end and the inner diameter D2 of the second end satisfy the following condition: 1.1D2≤D1≤1.2D2.

[0017] According to some embodiments of this application, the guide mold further includes a shaping portion located between the first guide portion and the fixing portion, the shaping portion being used to press against the insulating cover radially to shape the insulating cover.

[0018] According to some embodiments of this application, the shaping part includes a first shaping section, which is connected to a first guide section. The first shaping section is constructed as a straight section and its diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the guide mold.

[0019] According to some embodiments of this application, the shaping part further includes: a second shaping segment, one end of which is connected to the first shaping segment, and the other end of which is connected to the first transition segment of the fixing part. The second shaping segment is constructed as an arc segment, and the diameter of the second shaping segment gradually increases in the direction away from the first shaping segment.

[0020] According to some embodiments of this application, the housing tooling further includes a second driving assembly located at the end of the housing seat away from the guide mold and configured to drive the housing to move toward the guide mold.

[0021] According to some embodiments of this application, the guide mold further includes: a second guide portion located on the side of the fixing portion facing the second drive assembly, wherein at least part of the opening size of the second guide portion gradually decreases in the direction facing the fixing portion, for assembling and guiding the housing.

[0022] According to some embodiments of this application, the housing fixture further includes: a mounting plate, on which a first driving component, a cup holder, a guide mold, a housing seat, and a second driving component are sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the guide mold.

[0023] According to some embodiments of this application, the first driving component includes: a first slide rail, a first slider, and a first push rod. The first slide rail is disposed on the mounting plate, the first slider is slidably engaged with the first slide rail, and the first push rod is connected to the first slider. The second driving component includes: a second slide rail, a second slider, and a second push rod. The second slide rail is disposed on the mounting plate, the second slider is slidably engaged with the second slide rail, and the second push rod is connected to the second slider.

[0024] This application provides a casing device for a cylindrical battery, including: a fixed plate, a casing fixture, and a turret. The casing fixture is fixed to the fixed plate by a mounting plate. The turret is sleeved on the fixed plate and has a first cam groove and a second cam groove. A first slider is slidably disposed in the first cam groove to drive a first push rod to move, and a second slider is slidably disposed in the second cam groove to drive a second push rod to move.

[0025] According to some embodiments of this application, the cam trajectory of the first cam groove includes a first peak and a second peak, the cam trajectory of the second cam groove includes a first trough, the height of the first peak is consistent with the movement stroke of the insulating cover, and the heights of the first trough and the second peak are consistent with the insertion stroke of the electrode assembly into the housing.

[0026] According to some embodiments of this application, on the cam trajectory of the turret, the first trough is located between the first peak and the second peak.

[0027] This application provides a method for inserting a cylindrical battery into a casing, including:

[0028] Within the first turning angle range of the turret, assemble the insulating cover and the insulating cover carrier to the cup holder;

[0029] Within the second angular range of the turret, the insulating cover carrier is removed, and the electrode assembly and electrode assembly carrier are assembled onto the cup holder; wherein, the first angular range is the angle range corresponding to the end point of the second peak of the turret's cam trajectory to the beginning point of the first peak, and the second angular range is the angle range corresponding to the end point of the first peak of the cam trajectory to the beginning point of the second peak.

[0030] According to some embodiments of this application, the shell insertion method further includes:

[0031] Within the third angular range of the turret, the housing is assembled to the housing seat. The third angular range is the angle range corresponding to the start and end points of the first trough of the cam trajectory.

[0032] According to some embodiments of this application, the shell insertion method further includes:

[0033] Within the fourth turning angle range of the turret, the assembled cylindrical battery is moved out of the cup holder. The fourth turning angle range is the same as the first turning angle range.

[0034] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0035] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the housing tooling according to an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a guide module according to an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an infeed device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a turret according to an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the motion trajectory of the first push rod and the second push rod according to an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a shell insertion method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery according to an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an insulating cover according to an embodiment of this application. Embodiments of the present invention

[0044] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0045] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0046] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0047] A single battery cell can be a rechargeable battery. A rechargeable battery is a battery cell that can be recharged after it has been discharged, allowing the active materials to be activated and the cell to continue to be used.

[0048] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the battery cell in this embodiment is a cylindrical battery 200. The cylindrical battery 200 includes a cylindrical housing 210, an end cap, and an electrode assembly 230. The housing 210 is used to define an accommodating space with an installation opening. The electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220 are both disposed inside the housing 210 and the installation opening is sealed by the end cap.

[0049] For example, the housing 210 is generally cylindrical and open at one axial end to form a receiving space with an installation port. The receiving space can be used to house other functional components such as electrode assembly 230 and insulating cover 220. The end cap is closed on the installation port of the housing 210 to isolate the internal environment of the battery cell from the external environment. The shape of the end cap is adapted to the shape of the housing 210. The end cap can be supported by a material with a certain hardness and strength (such as aluminum alloy or carbon fiber plate). The end cap can effectively protect the safety and reliability of the internal components of the housing 210 when squeezed or impacted.

[0050] In some embodiments, the end cap may also be provided with a pressure relief mechanism for releasing internal pressure when the internal pressure or temperature of the battery cell reaches a threshold. The end cap can also be made of various materials, such as copper, iron, aluminum, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, plastic, etc., and this application embodiment does not impose any special limitations on this.

[0051] In some embodiments, an insulating cover 220 may be provided inside the end cap. The insulating cover 220 can be used to isolate the electrical connection components inside the housing 210 from the end cap to reduce the risk of short circuits. For example, the insulating cover 220 may be made of plastic, rubber, etc., to achieve insulation protection.

[0052] The housing 210 is an assembly used to fit with the end cap to form the internal environment of the battery cell, wherein the formed internal environment can accommodate the electrode assembly 230, electrolyte, and other components. The housing 210 and the end cap can be separate components, and a mounting opening can be provided on the housing 210. The end cap closes the opening at the mounting opening to form the internal environment of the battery cell. The housing 210 can be cylindrical.

[0053] Electrode assembly 230 is the component in a battery cell where electrochemical reactions occur. The housing 210 may contain one or more electrode assemblies 230. The electrode assembly 230 is mainly formed by winding or stacking positive and negative electrode sheets, and typically a separator is provided between the positive and negative electrode sheets. The portions of the positive and negative electrode sheets containing active material constitute the main body of the electrode assembly 230, while the portions of the positive and negative electrode sheets without active material each constitute a tab. The positive and negative tabs may be located together at one end of the main body or separately at both ends of the main body. During the charging and discharging process of the battery cell, the positive and negative active materials react with the electrolyte, and the tabs connect to the electrode terminals to form a current loop.

[0054] In related technologies, the insulating cover 220 can replace the tab coating, that is, the insulating cover 220 can achieve insulation between the tab and the shell 210, improve the safety of the cylindrical battery 200, reduce the probability of short circuit, and improve processing efficiency, so that the cylindrical battery 200 can be produced through the production line.

[0055] However, the insulating cover 220 needs to be fitted onto the electrode assembly 230 and located between the electrode assembly 230 and the housing 210. The insulating cover 220 is relatively thin and has a certain degree of flexibility, which leads to high precision requirements during the insertion process of the insulating cover 220 into the housing, especially high coaxiality requirements. It is necessary to ensure that the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220 are coaxial in order for the insulating cover 220 to have a good insulation protection effect. However, the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 are positioned by different positioning mechanisms, which results in positioning tolerances and a low production yield of the cylindrical battery 200.

[0056] Based on this, this application proposes a casing tooling 100 for a cylindrical battery 200. The insulating cover 220 can be fixed by the guide mold 20, and during the casing insertion process of the electrode assembly 230, the insulating cover 220 located on the guide mold 20 can be driven to be inserted into the casing synchronously. On the one hand, during the assembly process, the probability of the insulating cover 220 tilting or falling off after being fixed is lower, and the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 can be inserted into the casing synchronously through the same guide mold 20, without the accumulation of positioning tolerances, which can improve assembly accuracy and thus improve processing yield. On the other hand, it can simplify the assembly steps, reduce the number of positioning mechanisms, reduce costs, and achieve high-speed production.

[0057] The following description, with reference to Figures 1-8, describes the casing fixture 100, casing device 300, and casing method of a cylindrical battery 200 according to embodiments of this application.

[0058] As shown in Figure 1, this application provides a casing fixture 100 for a cylindrical battery 200. The casing fixture 100 includes: a housing base 10, a guide mold 20, a cup holder 30, and a first drive assembly 40.

[0059] The cylindrical battery 200 includes a housing 210, an electrode assembly 230, and an insulating cover 220. The electrode assembly 230 is disposed inside the housing 210, and the insulating cover 220 is located between the electrode assembly 230 and the housing 210 and is used for insulation protection.

[0060] The housing seat 10 and the cup holder 30 are located at the two axial ends of the guide mold 20. The housing seat 10 is adapted to place the housing 210, and the cup holder 30 is adapted to place the insulating cover 220 or the electrode assembly 230. The first drive assembly 40 is located at the end of the cup holder 30 away from the guide mold 20 and is configured to drive the insulating cover 220 or the electrode assembly 230 to move toward the guide mold 20.

[0061] The housing base 10 is used to place and position the housing 210, while the cup holder 30 can be used to place the insulating cover 220 or the electrode assembly 230, and can be used to position the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230. The first drive assembly 40 can drive the insulating cover 220 to move to the guide mold 20, and can also drive the electrode assembly 230 to move toward the guide mold 20.

[0062] In this way, the insulating cover 220 can be driven into the housing by the first driving component 40, and the electrode assembly 230 can also be driven into the housing by the first driving component 40. The same guide mold 20 can be used to realize the housing insertion action of the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 (that is, the insulating cover 220 is assembled into the housing 210 and the insulating cover 220 is positioned and guided simultaneously, and the electrode assembly 230 is assembled into the housing 210 and the electrode assembly 230 is positioned and guided simultaneously). The housing insertion action of the two components can be realized by the first driving component 40, which can reduce the number of driving mechanisms. The guide mold 20 can realize the positioning of the electrode assembly 230 and the guide mold 20 sequentially, which can also reduce the number of positioning mechanisms. This not only simplifies the structure of the housing insertion tooling 100 and reduces costs, but also reduces the tolerance accumulation during the housing insertion of the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230, which can improve the assembly accuracy and improve the yield of the cylindrical battery 200.

[0063] The housing 210 can be placed on the housing base 10 through the housing carrier, the insulating cover 220 can be placed on the cup holder 30 through the insulating cover carrier, and the electrode assembly 230 can be placed on the cup holder 30 through the electrode assembly carrier. While achieving positioning and assembly, it can also prevent damage to the housing 210, insulating cover 220 or electrode assembly 230 during the housing insertion process.

[0064] The first driving component 40 can drive the insulating cover 220 into the housing, and it can also drive the electrode assembly 230 into the housing. Although the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 can be guided and positioned into the housing by the same guide mold 20, it is difficult to achieve stable and reliable fixation of the insulating cover 220 on the guide mold 20. There is a probability that the insulating cover 220 will fall off. In addition, the insulating cover 220 enters the housing first, and then the electrode assembly 230 enters the housing. There may be assembly misalignment between the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220.

[0065] Based on this, the present application further provides the guide mold 20 with a fixing part 21, which can be used to fix the insulating cover 220 so that when the electrode assembly 230 moves toward the housing 210, the insulating cover 220 is driven to enter the housing synchronously.

[0066] During the assembly process, the insulating cover 220 can be fixed to the fixing part 21 by the first driving component 40. When the first driving component 40 drives the electrode component 230 to perform the insertion action, the electrode component 230 moves into the guide mold 20 first. After completing the assembly with the insulating cover 220, the insulating cover 220 is disengaged from the fixing part 21 under the action of further thrust. After the assembly of the insulating cover 220 and the electrode component 230 is completed, the two are simultaneously driven by the first driving component 40 to perform the insertion action.

[0067] As shown in Figure 8, the insulating cover 220 includes a connecting section 221 and an inner ring 222. The inner ring 222 is located at one axial end of the connecting section 221 and extends radially inward. That is, the insulating cover 220 includes the connecting section 221 and the inner ring 222 located at one end of the connecting section 221. The inner ring 222 extends radially toward the axis for insulation protection, while the connecting section 221 is used for the electrode assembly 230 to be fitted.

[0068] This application firstly utilizes the cooperation between the guide mold 20 and the first driving component 40 to enable the insertion of both the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 into the casing via the first driving component 40. Guiding and positioning during the insertion process can be achieved through the guide mold 20. This simplifies the structure of the insertion tooling 100, reduces its cost, and initially improves the insertion accuracy of the cylindrical battery 200, thus increasing yield. However, the guide mold 20 cannot fix the insulating cover 220. Therefore, the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 need to be inserted into the casing before assembly within the casing 210. This also presents a yield problem in the assembly between the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230. Therefore, this application further provides a fixing part 21 on the guide mold 20 to fix the guide mold 20 in place. During the insertion of the electrode assembly 230 into the casing, the assembly of the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 can be completed first, and the synchronous insertion of the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 into the casing can be further completed, further improving the yield.

[0069] According to the embodiment of this application, the cylindrical battery 200 casing fixture 100 is provided with a guide mold 20 and a first driving component 40, and the guide mold 20 has a fixing part 21 to fix the insulating cover 220. On the one hand, the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 can be guided and positioned by the same positioning mechanism (i.e., the guide mold 20), and the casing action can be realized by the same driving mechanism (i.e., the first driving component 40). This simplifies the structure of the casing fixture 100 and reduces costs. On the other hand, during the casing process, the electrode assembly 230 can be assembled with the insulating cover 220 simultaneously, and the two can be installed simultaneously, which can reduce tolerance accumulation and improve assembly accuracy. While achieving high-speed production, it can also improve the yield of the cylindrical battery 200. The insulating cover 220 is an insulating material with a certain degree of elasticity, such as PP (Polypropylene) or PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate).

[0070] According to some embodiments of this application, the fixing part 21 includes a limiting step 211 and a first transition section 212 and a second transition section 213 located on both sides of the limiting step 211 in the axial direction. The diameter of the first transition section 212 is larger than the diameter of the second transition section 213 to define the limiting step 211, and the insulating cover 220 pushes against the limiting step 211.

[0071] As shown in Figure 2, the limiting step 211 of the fixing part 21 is also provided with a first transition section 212 and a second transition section 213 on both sides. The diameter of the first transition section 212 is larger than the diameter of the second transition section 213. This allows the connecting section 221 to be compressed by the first transition section 212 when the insulating cover 220 passes through the first transition section 212 located on one side of the limiting step 211, so as to achieve the shaping and limiting of the insulating cover 220 and improve the axial position accuracy of the insulating cover 220. When it is pushed to the limiting step 211, the end face of the insulating cover 220 can be pushed against the limiting step 211.

[0072] In this way, by setting the limiting step 211 and the first transition section 212, not only can the axial position accuracy of the insulating cover 220 be improved, thereby improving the coaxiality between the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220, but also the fixing stability and reliability of the insulating cover 220 in the fixing part 21 can be improved, reducing the probability of the insulating cover 220 falling off.

[0073] The outer diameter of the end of the connecting section 221 of the insulating cover 220 adjacent to the inner ring 222 is smaller than the outer diameter of the end of the connecting section 221 away from the inner ring 222. The first transition section 212 can cause at least a portion of the connecting section 221 to undergo elastic deformation, so as to push against the first transition section 212 radially. The end of the insulating cover 220 can push against the limiting step 211 to achieve radial and axial limiting of the insulating cover 220 respectively, thereby improving the fixing stability and reliability of the insulating cover 220 in the area where the limiting step 211 is located. In the embodiment where the insulating cover 220 is placed on the cup holder 30 by the insulating cover carrier, the insulating cover 220 can automatically detach from the insulating cover carrier under the pressure applied by the first transition section 212.

[0074] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, according to some embodiments of this application, the diameter of the first transition section 212 is equal to the outer diameter of the insulating cover 220.

[0075] Therefore, by making the diameter of the first transition section 212 equal to the outer diameter of the insulating cover 220, the radial limit of the insulating cover 220 can be achieved, reducing the radial movement of the insulating cover 220, thereby improving the assembly accuracy between the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230, avoiding the insulating cover 220 from shifting during the process of being fitted onto the electrode assembly 230, and thus improving the product yield.

[0076] According to some embodiments of this application, the diameter of the second transition section 213 is equal to the inner diameter of the housing 210.

[0077] During the process of pressing the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220 into the housing 210, the second transition section 213 is located on the side of the limiting step 211 adjacent to the housing 210, so that the diameter of the second transition section 213 can be equal to the diameter of the housing 210. This allows the outer circumferential surface of the connecting section 221 to be consistent with the inner diameter of the housing 210 under the limiting of the second transition section 213 during the insertion of the insulating cover 220 into the housing. This reduces the difficulty of insertion into the housing, improves assembly efficiency, and reduces the probability of damage to the insulating cover 220 during the insertion process, thereby improving product yield.

[0078] According to some embodiments of this application, the guide mold 20 further includes a first guide portion 22 located on the side of the fixing portion 21 facing the cup holder 30. The opening size of the first guide portion 22 gradually decreases in the direction facing the fixing portion 21, so as to guide the assembly of the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220.

[0079] When the insulating cover 220 enters the guide mold 20 and moves to the area where the limiting step 211 is located, it will pass through the first guide part 22 first during the process of fixing it in the guide mold 20. The radial projection profile of the first guide part 22 is generally frustoconical, so that the opening size of the first guide part 22 gradually decreases, so as to guide the assembly of the insulating cover 220.

[0080] In this way, the opening size of the first end of the first guide portion 22 is larger than the opening size of the second end of the first guide portion 22, so as to reduce the difficulty of entering the insulating cover 220 through the larger opening of the first end. By observing the changing trend of the opening size from the first end to the second end, the insulating cover 220 is guided to be centered, so that the axis of the insulating cover 220 and the axis of the electrode assembly 230 can be more closely aligned, thereby improving coaxiality, improving processing accuracy, and improving yield.

[0081] According to some embodiments of this application, as the first guide portion 22 extends from the first end away from the fixed portion 21 to the second end adjacent to the fixed portion 21, the opening size gradually decreases, and the inner diameter D1 of the first end and the inner diameter D2 of the second end satisfy the following condition: 1.1D2≤D1≤1.2D2.

[0082] The inner diameter of the first end is between 1.1 and 1.2 times that of the inner diameter of the second end.

[0083] For example, the inner diameter of the second end is 10 mm, while the inner diameter of the first end is between 11 mm and 12 mm.

[0084] Therefore, the opening size at the first end can be made more reasonable. On the one hand, it prevents the opening size at the first end from being too large, so that the overall axial dimension of the first guide part 22 can be set shorter, thereby reducing the size of the guide mold 20 and reducing space occupation. On the other hand, it prevents the opening size at the first end from being too small, thereby reducing the difficulty for the insulating cover 220 to enter the first guide part 22 and improving the guiding stability and reliability of the first guide part 22.

[0085] As shown in Figure 2, according to some embodiments of this application, the guide mold 20 further includes a shaping part 23 located between the first guide part 22 and the fixing part 21. The shaping part 23 is used to press against the insulating cover 220 radially to shape the insulating cover 220.

[0086] After passing through the first guide section 22, the insulating cover 220 will further pass through the shaping section 23. The purpose of the shaping section 23 is to shape the insulating cover 220 to the expected shape, so as to reduce the phenomenon of mismatch between the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230, reduce the processing difficulty, and improve production efficiency.

[0087] During the processing of the insulating cover 220, the roundness of the insulating cover 220 may become elliptical. For this type of incoming material, the roundness can be re-corrected by the shaping part 23 so that the roundness of the insulating cover 220 can meet the assembly requirements.

[0088] As shown in Figure 2, according to some embodiments of this application, the shaping part 23 includes a first shaping segment 231, which is connected to the first guide part 22. The first shaping segment 231 is constructed as a straight segment and the diameter of the first shaping segment 231 is smaller than the outer diameter of the guide mold 20.

[0089] The outer diameter of the guide mold 20 refers to the outer diameter of the connecting section 221 of the guide mold 20. The diameter of the end of the connecting section 221 connected to the inner ring 222 is the smallest, and the diameter of the end of the connecting section 221 away from the inner ring 222 is the largest. The limitation that the diameter of the first shaping section 231 is less than the outer diameter of the guide mold 20 means that the diameter of the first shaping section 231 is less than the maximum outer diameter of the connecting section 221, and the diameter of the first shaping section 231 is greater than or equal to the minimum outer diameter of the connecting section 221.

[0090] Therefore, during the process of the insulating cover 220 passing through the first shaping section 231, the first shaping section 231 can press against the connecting section 221 to shape the insulating cover 220, thereby improving the roundness of the insulating cover 220. Furthermore, since the first shaping section 231 is a straight section, the shaping effect can be improved and the springback of the insulating cover 220 can be reduced.

[0091] In the embodiment shown in FIG2, the shaping part 23 further includes a second shaping segment 232, one end of which is connected to the first shaping segment 231, and the other end of which is connected to the first transition segment 212 of the fixing part 21. The second shaping segment 232 is constructed as an arc segment, and the diameter of the second shaping segment 232 gradually increases in the direction away from the first shaping segment 231.

[0092] The second shaping segment 232 is constructed as an arc segment, and the diameter of the end of the second shaping segment 232 adjacent to the first shaping segment 231 is the same as that of the first shaping segment 231. In the direction away from the first shaping segment 231, the diameter of the second shaping segment 232 gradually increases, and the other end of the second shaping segment 232 is the same as the diameter of the first transition segment 212.

[0093] In this way, after the initial shaping by the first shaping section 231, which is constructed as a straight section, the elastic pressure of the inclined section is gradually released by the second shaping section 232, which is constructed as an arc section, so that the pressure can be released evenly in the circumferential direction of the insulating cover 220, thereby further improving the shaping effect. After the shaping is completed, the insulating cover 220 can enter the fixing part 21 for fixing. During the process of the insulating cover 220 moving from the shaping part 23 to the fixing part 21, the flatness of the inner surface of the guide mold 20 is higher, and there are no sharp edges or corners, which can also reduce the probability of damage to the insulating cover 220.

[0094] As shown in Figure 1, according to some embodiments of this application, the housing tooling 100 further includes a second drive assembly 50, which is located at the end of the housing base 10 away from the guide mold 20 and is configured to drive the housing 210 to move toward the guide mold 20.

[0095] The first drive assembly 40 and the second drive assembly 50 are located at the two ends of the guide mold 20 along the axial direction. The first drive assembly 40 and the second drive assembly 50 can move towards each other or away from each other. The first drive assembly 40 moves twice. The first time, it is used to fix the insulating cover 220 to the guide mold 20. During the second movement of the first drive assembly 40, the second drive assembly 50 moves synchronously to press against the housing 210 or drive the housing 210 to move towards the guide mold 20, so as to press the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220 into the housing 210.

[0096] Therefore, by setting up the second drive component 50, the first drive component 40 and the second drive component 50 cooperate to assemble the cylindrical battery 200, which can improve the assembly efficiency of the cylindrical battery 200, further realize rapid production and improve production efficiency.

[0097] According to some embodiments of this application, the guide mold 20 further includes a second guide portion 24, which is located on the side of the fixing portion 21 facing the second drive assembly 50. The second guide portion 24 has at least a portion of its opening size gradually decreasing in the direction facing the fixing portion 21, so as to guide the assembly of the housing 210.

[0098] One end of the second guide portion 24 is formed as an entry end, through which the housing 210 can enter the guide mold 20. The other end of the second guide portion 24 is connected to the second transition section 213 of the fixing portion 21, and at least part of the opening size of the second guide portion 24 can be configured such that the opening size gradually decreases in the direction toward the fixing portion 21.

[0099] In this way, on the one hand, the second guide part 24 can guide the housing 210 during the process of the housing 210 entering the guide mold 20, so that the coaxiality of the housing 210 with the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220 is higher, thereby improving the assembly accuracy. On the other hand, it can make the distance between the housing 210 and the second transition section 213 closer, and the diameter of the second transition section 213 is the same as the inner diameter of the housing 210, so that the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 are easier to enter the housing, and the probability of damage to the insulating cover 220 during the housing process is lower, which can improve assembly efficiency and product yield.

[0100] According to some embodiments of this application, the housing fixture 100 further includes: a mounting plate 60, on which a first driving assembly 40, a cup holder 30, a guide mold 20, a housing seat 10 and a second driving assembly 50 are sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the guide mold 20.

[0101] As shown in Figure 1, the mounting plate 60 is used to fix the first drive assembly 40, the cup holder 30, the guide mold 20, the housing seat 10 and the second drive assembly 50, so as to improve the integrity of the housing fixture 100. The housing fixture 100 can be assembled onto the housing device 300 through the mounting plate 60.

[0102] In the embodiment shown in FIG1, according to some embodiments of this application, the first driving component 40 includes: a first slide rail 41, a first slider 42, and a first push rod 43. The first slide rail 41 is disposed on the mounting plate 60, the first slider 42 is slidably engaged with the first slide rail 41, and the first push rod 43 is connected to the first slider 42. The second driving component 50 includes: a second slide rail 51, a second slider 52, and a second push rod 53. The second slide rail 51 is disposed on the mounting plate 60, the second slider 52 is slidably engaged with the second slide rail 51, and the second push rod 53 is connected to the second slider 52.

[0103] Specifically, the first push rod 43 can move toward or away from the guide mold 20 under the drive of the first slider 42, the first slide rail 41 can guide the movement of the first slider 42, the second push rod 53 can move toward or away from the guide mold 20 under the drive of the second slider 52, and the second slide rail 51 can guide the movement of the first slider 42.

[0104] Therefore, through the sliding engagement of the first slider 42 with the first slide rail 41 and the sliding engagement of the second slider 52 with the second slide rail 51, the smoothness and accuracy of the movement of the first push rod 43 and the second push rod 53 can be improved, thereby improving the housing accuracy of the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230, and thus improving the product yield.

[0105] Multiple first sliders 42 can be driven by the same driving mechanism, and multiple second sliders 52 can be driven by the same driving mechanism. For example, by setting a driving slot, each slider can be driven by the driving slot, which can realize high-speed production and further improve production efficiency.

[0106] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, this application provides a casing device 300 for a cylindrical battery 200, including: a fixed disk 310, a casing fixture 100 as described in the above embodiment, and a turret 320. The casing fixture 100 is fixed to the fixed disk 310 by a mounting plate 60. The turret 320 is sleeved on the fixed disk 310 and has a first cam groove 321 and a second cam groove 322. A first slider 42 is slidably disposed in the first cam groove 321 to drive a first push rod 43 to move, and a second slider 52 is slidably disposed in the second cam groove 322 to drive a second push rod 53 to move.

[0107] A cam groove refers to a groove with multiple groove segments. One or more of these groove segments have a positional difference from the other groove segments in the direction of slider movement, so that the slider can be located at different positions when passing through different groove segments, thereby driving the first push rod 43 or the second push rod 53 to slide between different positions.

[0108] The fixed disk 310 may have multiple safety parts arranged at intervals along the circumference. Each mounting part may be provided with a mounting plate 60 to integrate multiple housing tooling 100s on the same fixed disk 310. A turret 320 is sleeved on the outside of the fixed disk 310. The first cam groove 321 on the turret 320 is slidably engaged with the first slider 42, and the second cam groove 322 is slidably engaged with the second slider 52, so that the first push rod 43 can move according to the motion trajectory defined by the first cam groove 321, and the second push rod 53 can move according to the motion trajectory defined by the second cam groove 322 (see Figures 4 and 5 for details).

[0109] Therefore, by setting up a fixed disk 310 and a turret 320, and further through the cam turret 320 structure, multiple housing insertion operations of housing tool 100 can be realized simultaneously, enabling high-speed production and improving processing efficiency.

[0110] Referring to Figures 4 and 5, according to some embodiments of this application, the cam trajectory of the first cam groove 321 includes a first peak a and a second peak b, and the cam trajectory of the second cam groove 322 includes a first trough c. The height of the first peak a is consistent with the movement stroke of the insulating cover 220, and the heights of the first trough c and the second peak b are consistent with the insertion stroke of the electrode assembly 230.

[0111] Specifically, when the first slider 42 moves to the position of the first peak a, it can drive the insulating cover 220 to move into the guide mold 20. When it moves downward from the first peak a, it can fix the insulating cover 220 to the fixing part 21 and disengage the insulating cover carrier from the insulating cover 220. Then, the insulating cover carrier is moved out of the cup holder 30, and the electrode assembly 230 and the electrode assembly carrier are placed into the cup holder 30. When the first slider 42 moves to the position of the second peak b, the second slider 52 is also at the position of the first trough c (that is, on the cam trajectory of the turret 320, the first trough c is located between the first peak a and the second peak b). The sum of the distance the first slider 42 moves to the second peak b and the distance the second slider 52 moves to the first trough c is the insertion stroke of the electrode assembly 230. At this time, the housing 210, the electrode assembly 230 and the insulating cover 220 are completed in the housing assembly.

[0112] Therefore, by setting the first cam groove 321 and the second cam groove 322, the multiple housing inserts 100 arranged around the fixed disk 310 can complete the housing inserting action in sequence, which improves assembly efficiency and also increases assembly accuracy and product yield.

[0113] As shown in Figure 6, this application provides a method for inserting a cylindrical battery 200 into a casing, including:

[0114] Within the first turning angle range of the turret 320, the insulating cover 220 and the insulating cover carrier are assembled to the cup holder 30;

[0115] Within the second turning radius of turret 320, the insulating cover carrier is removed, and the electrode assembly 230 and the electrode assembly carrier are assembled into the cup holder 30.

[0116] As shown in Figure 5, the first turning angle range is the angle range corresponding to the end point of the second peak b of the cam trajectory of the turret 320 to the starting point of the first peak, and the second turning angle range is the angle range corresponding to the end point of the first peak to the starting point of the second peak b of the cam trajectory.

[0117] According to the method for inserting a cylindrical battery 200 into the casing according to the embodiments of this application, an insulating cover 220 is placed within a first turning angle range, and moved to the first wave peak a to fix the insulating cover 220 on the guide mold 20. Within a second turning angle range, after the insulating cover carrier is removed, the electrode assembly 230 is placed, and moved to the second wave peak b to insert the electrode assembly 230 and the guide mold 20 into the casing. The placement of the insulating cover 220 and the electrode assembly 230 can be completed within a specific turning angle range, which can reduce the processing difficulty and improve the processing efficiency.

[0118] Further referring to Figures 5 and 6, according to some embodiments of this application, the housing insertion method further includes: within the third angular range of the turret 320, assembling the housing 210 onto the housing base 10, the third angular range being the angle range corresponding to the starting point of the first trough of the cam trajectory to the ending point of the first trough; within the fourth angular range of the turret 320, removing the assembled cylindrical battery 200 from the cup holder 30, the fourth angular range being the same as the first angular range.

[0119] Therefore, the housing 210 can be placed into the cup holder 30 within a characteristic angle range, and the electrode assembly carrier and the processed cylindrical battery 200 can be removed within a specific angle range, reducing the probability of interference between components at different stages during processing, thereby reducing the probability of the cam turret 320 stopping, and further improving processing efficiency.

[0120] Other configurations and operations of the housing insertion tool 100 and housing insertion device 300 according to the embodiments of this application are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0121] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0122] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A casing fixture for a cylindrical battery, the cylindrical battery comprising: A housing (210), an electrode assembly (230) disposed within the housing (210), and an insulating cover (220) located between the electrode assembly (230) and the housing (210), wherein the housing fitting includes: The housing (10), guide mold (20), and cup holder (30) are located at the axial ends of the guide mold (20), and the housing (210) is adapted to be placed on the housing (10), and the insulating cover (220) or the electrode assembly (230) is adapted to be placed on the cup holder (30). A first driving assembly (40) is located at one end of the cup holder (30) away from the guide mold (20) and is configured to drive the insulating cover (220) or the electrode assembly (230) toward the guide mold (20); wherein The guide mold (20) has a fixing part (21) for fixing the insulating cover (220) so that when the electrode assembly (230) moves toward the housing (210), the insulating cover (220) is driven to enter the housing synchronously.

2. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 1, wherein, The fixing part (21) includes a limiting step (211) and a first transition section (212) and a second transition section (213) located on both sides of the limiting step (211) in the axial direction. The diameter of the first transition section (212) is larger than the diameter of the second transition section (213) to define the limiting step (211). The insulating cover (220) pushes against the limiting step (211).

3. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 2, wherein, The diameter of the first transition section (212) is equal to the outer diameter of the insulating cover (220).

4. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The diameter of the second transition section (213) is equal to the inner diameter of the housing (210).

5. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The guide mold (20) further includes a first guide portion (22) located on the side of the fixing portion (21) facing the cup holder (30), wherein the opening size of the first guide portion (22) gradually decreases in the direction facing the fixing portion (21) for assembling and guiding the electrode assembly (230) and the insulating cover (220).

6. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 5, wherein, As the first guide portion (22) extends from the first end away from the fixed portion (21) to the second end adjacent to the fixed portion (21), the opening size gradually decreases, and the inner diameter D1 of the first end and the inner diameter D2 of the second end satisfy: 1.1D2≤D1≤1.2D2.

7. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 5 or 6, wherein, The guide mold (20) further includes a shaping part (23) located between the first guide part (22) and the fixing part (21), the shaping part (23) being used to press against the insulating cover (220) radially to shape the insulating cover (220).

8. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 7, wherein, The shaping part (23) includes a first shaping section (231), which is connected to the first guide part (22). The first shaping section (231) is constructed as a straight section and the diameter of the first shaping section (231) is smaller than the outer diameter of the guide mold (20).

9. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 8, wherein, The shaping part (23) further includes: a second shaping segment (232), one end of which is connected to the first shaping segment (231), and the other end of which is connected to the first transition segment (212) of the fixing part (21). The second shaping segment (232) is constructed as an arc segment, and the diameter of the second shaping segment (232) gradually increases in the direction away from the first shaping segment (231).

10. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein, The housing fitting further includes a second drive assembly (50), which is located at one end of the housing base (10) away from the guide mold (20) and is configured to drive the housing (210) to move toward the guide mold (20).

11. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 10, wherein, The guide mold (20) further includes a second guide portion (24), which is located on the side of the fixing portion (21) facing the second drive assembly (50). The second guide portion (24) has at least a portion of its opening size gradually decreasing in the direction facing the fixing portion (21) for assembling and guiding the housing (210).

12. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The housing fixture further includes: a mounting plate (60), on which the first driving assembly (40), the cup holder (30), the guide mold (20), the housing seat (10) and the second driving assembly (50) are arranged sequentially along the axial direction of the guide mold (20).

13. The casing fixture for a cylindrical battery according to claim 12, wherein, The first drive assembly (40) includes: a first slide rail (41), a first slider (42) and a first push rod (43). The first slide rail (41) is disposed on the mounting plate (60). The first slider (42) is slidably engaged with the first slide rail (41). The first push rod (43) is connected to the first slider (42). The second drive assembly (50) includes: a second slide rail (51), a second slider (52) and a second push rod (53). The second slide rail (51) is disposed on the mounting plate (60). The second slider (52) is slidably engaged with the second slide rail (51). The second push rod (53) is connected to the second slider (52).

14. A casing device for a cylindrical battery, wherein, include: Fixed plate (310); The housing inserting fixture according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the housing inserting fixture is fixed to the fixing plate (310) by means of the mounting plate (60). A turret (320) is fitted onto a fixed plate (310). The turret (320) has a first cam groove (321) and a second cam groove (322). A first slider (42) is slidably disposed in the first cam groove (321) to drive the first push rod (43) to move. A second slider (52) is slidably disposed in the second cam groove (322) to drive the second push rod (53) to move.

15. The casing device for a cylindrical battery according to claim 14, wherein, The cam trajectory of the first cam groove (321) includes a first peak (a) and a second peak (b), and the cam trajectory of the second cam groove (322) includes a first trough (c). The height of the first peak (a) is consistent with the movement stroke of the insulating cover (220), and the heights of the first trough (c) and the second peak (b) are consistent with the insertion stroke of the electrode assembly (230).

16. The casing device for a cylindrical battery according to claim 15, wherein, On the cam trajectory of the turret (320), the first trough (c) is located between the first peak (a) and the second peak (b).

17. A method for inserting a cylindrical battery into a casing, the method being applicable to the casing insertion device according to claims 14-16, wherein, include: Within the first turning angle range of the turret (320), the insulating cover (220) and the insulating cover carrier are assembled to the cup holder (30). Within the second angular range of the turret (320), the insulating cover carrier is removed, and the electrode assembly (230) and the electrode assembly carrier are assembled to the cup holder (30); wherein, the first angular range is the angle range corresponding to the end point of the second peak of the cam trajectory of the turret (320) to the beginning point of the first peak, and the second angular range is the angle range corresponding to the end point of the first peak of the cam trajectory to the beginning point of the second peak.

18. The method for inserting a cylindrical battery into a casing according to claim 17, wherein, Also includes: Within the third angular range of the turret (320), the housing (210) is assembled to the housing seat (10), the third angular range being the angle range corresponding to the starting point of the first trough of the cam trajectory to the ending point of the first trough.

19. The method for inserting a cylindrical battery into a casing according to claim 17, wherein, Also includes: Within the fourth angular range of the turret (320), the assembled cylindrical battery is moved out of the cup holder (30), and the fourth angular range is the same as the first angular range.

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