EP-4737024-A1 - TAB BENDING MECHANISM AND BATTERY ASSEMBLING SYSTEM

EP4737024A1EP 4737024 A1EP4737024 A1EP 4737024A1EP-4737024-A1

Abstract

The present application provides a tab bending mechanism and a battery assembling system. The tab bending mechanism includes a first driving assembly, a supporting frame, and a tab pressing plate. The first driving assembly is configured to provide a driving force for a reciprocating movement in a first direction; the supporting frame is mounted on the first driving assembly to be driven by the first driving assembly; and the tab pressing plate is mounted on the supporting frame to be driven by the supporting frame to perform a reciprocating movement relative to a tab portion of a battery cell; where the first driving assembly is configured to drive the supporting frame to drive the tab pressing plate to move in the first direction, so that the tab pressing plate can move to be in contact with the tab portion and press the tab portion onto a terminal post of the battery cell. In the above manner, the tab portion of the battery cell is capable of being bent.

Inventors

WANG, Tengteng
PAN, Wensheng
QUE, Tianxiang
FAN, Xiang

Assignees

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240527

Claims (13)

A tab bending mechanism, comprising: a first driving assembly configured to provide a driving force for a reciprocating movement in a first direction; a supporting frame mounted on the first driving assembly so as to be driven by the first driving assembly; a tab pressing plate mounted on the supporting frame so as to be driven by the supporting frame to perform a reciprocating movement relative to a tab portion of a battery cell; wherein the first driving assembly is configured to drive the supporting frame to drive the tab pressing plate to move in the first direction, so that the tab pressing plate is movable to be in contact with the tab portion and presses the tab portion onto a terminal post of the battery cell.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the supporting frame comprises a supporting main body, a first supporting member, and a second supporting member, the supporting main body is mounted on the first driving assembly, the first supporting member is mounted on the supporting main body, the second supporting member is mounted on the first supporting member, and the tab pressing plate is mounted on the second supporting member.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the tab bending mechanism further comprises a dedusting assembly, the dedusting assembly is mounted on the second supporting member and comprises an air extraction channel, and when the tab pressing plate moves to press the tab portion onto the terminal post of the battery cell, the dedusting assembly is driven by the second supporting member and enables the air extraction channel to be in gas communication with a region where the tab portion is located.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the supporting frame further comprises a second driving assembly, and the second driving assembly is connected between the first supporting member and the second supporting member, and is configured to drive the second supporting member to drive the tab pressing plate to perform a reciprocating movement relative to the tab portion of the battery cell in a second direction; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; and the second driving assembly is configured to drive the second supporting member to drive the tab pressing plate to move to be in contact with the tab portion and pre-bend the tab portion.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the first driving assembly is configured to, after the second driving assembly drives the tab pressing plate to pre-bend the tab portion, drive the supporting frame to drive the tab pressing plate to press the tab portion onto the terminal post of the battery cell; or the first driving assembly is configured to, while the second driving assembly drives the tab pressing plate to pre-bend the tab portion, drive the supporting frame to drive the tab pressing plate to press the tab portion onto the terminal post of the battery cell.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 4, wherein a position-limiting member is arranged on the first supporting member, and the position-limiting member is configured to perform position-limiting on the second supporting member when the second supporting member moves away from the tab portion in the second direction.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the dedusting assembly defines a light-transmitting structure in the first direction, and the light-transmitting structure is arranged toward the tab portion.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the tab bending mechanism further comprises a battery cell fixing assembly, and the battery cell fixing assembly is configured to support and fix the battery cell and to arrange the tab portion of the battery cell toward the tab pressing plate.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the tab bending mechanism further comprises a blowing assembly, and the blowing assembly is mounted on the supporting frame, and the blowing assembly has a blowing port; and the blowing port faces a side surface of the tab portion and is configured to pre-bend the tab portion by blowing air to the side surface.
The tab bending mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is a horizontal direction, and the tab pressing plate is configured to bend the tab portion vertically downward to press the tab portion onto a vertical surface of the terminal post.
The tab bending mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the tab pressing plate defines a hollow region, and when the tab pressing plate presses the tab portion onto the terminal post of the battery cell, the hollow region exposes a region to be welded of the tab portion.
A battery assembling system, comprising the tab bending mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
The battery assembling system according to claim 12, wherein the battery cell comprises a case, an end cover, and an electrode assembly; the case has an open end, a terminal post is arranged on a wall of the case opposite to the open end, the terminal post has a through hole, and the case and the end cover are connected to form an accommodating cavity in communication with the through hole; an active substance coating portion of the electrode assembly is arranged in the case, and a tab portion of the electrode assembly penetrates through the through hole and is connected to a side of the terminal post facing away from the accommodating cavity; the battery assembling system comprises a delivery device and an assembling device, the delivery device is configured to deliver a structure to be assembled to each station of the assembling device; the station of the assembling device at least comprises a tab welding apparatus, a case-put-in apparatus, a tab penetrating apparatus, a terminal post welding apparatus, and an end cover welding apparatus; wherein the tab welding apparatus is configured to weld a plurality of tab plates of the electrode assembly to form a tab portion; the case-put-in apparatus is configured to load the electrode assembly into the case from the open end; the tab penetrating apparatus is configured to clamp the tab portion to penetrate through the through hole when the electrode assembly is loaded into the case; the terminal post welding apparatus comprises the tab bending mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and a welding mechanism, the welding mechanism is configured to weld the tab portion penetrating through the through hole and pressed onto the terminal post to the side of the terminal post facing away from the accommodating cavity, and the end cover welding apparatus is configured to weld the end cover to the open end of the case.

Description

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2023232839109, filed on November 30, 2023 and entitled "TAB BENDING MECHANISM AND BATTERY ASSEMBLING SYSTEM", which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to the field of battery processing, in particular to a tab bending mechanism and a battery assembling system. BACKGROUND With the development of battery technologies, battery cells are used in increasingly more fields, and have gradually replaced traditional fossil energy in the field of automotive power. Battery cells can store chemical energy and convert the chemical energy into electrical energy in a controllable manner. In recyclable battery cells, active substances can be activated by charging for reuse after discharge. Battery cells often have different models and structures, and therefore, different battery cells often require corresponding production devices for production. At present, tab portions of most battery cells do not need to be bent, so there is no relatively mature special device that can bend tab portions of battery cells. In addition, the above description is only used to provide background information related to the present application and does not necessarily constitute related technology. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present application provides a tab bending mechanism and a battery assembling system, which are capable of bending a tab of a battery cell. In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a tab bending mechanism, which includes: a first driving assembly, a supporting frame, and a tab pressing plate; the first driving assembly being configured to provide a driving force for a reciprocating movement in a first direction; the supporting frame being mounted on the first driving assembly to be driven by the first driving assembly; and the tab pressing plate being mounted on the supporting frame to be driven by the supporting frame to perform a reciprocating movement relative to a tab portion of a battery cell; where the first driving assembly is configured to drive the supporting frame to drive the tab pressing plate to move in the first direction, so that the tab pressing plate can move to be in contact with the tab portion and press the tab portion onto a terminal post of the battery cell. In the above manner, the tab pressing plate is capable of bending the tab portion in a process of approaching the battery cell. In addition, the tab pressing plate can bend tab portions of battery cells in batches through the reciprocating movement. In some embodiments, the supporting frame includes a supporting main body, a first supporting member, and a second supporting member, the supporting main body is mounted on the first driving assembly, the first supporting member is mounted on the supporting main body, the second supporting member is mounted on the first supporting member, and the tab pressing plate is mounted on the second supporting member. In the above manner, the first driving assembly can drive, through the supporting frame, the tab pressing plate to move relative to the tab portion of the battery cell, so as to bend the tab portion of the battery cell. By configuring the supporting frame to include the supporting main body, the first supporting member, and the second supporting member, a structural design and assembling of the supporting frame can be facilitated. In some embodiments, the tab bending mechanism further includes a dedusting assembly, and the dedusting assembly is mounted on the second supporting member and includes an air extraction channel. When the tab pressing plate moves to press the tab portion onto the terminal post of the battery cell, the dedusting assembly is driven by the second supporting member and enables the air extraction channel to be in gas communication with a region where the tab portion is located. In the above manner, the possibility of welding slag, smoke, and dust entering the interior of the battery cell in the bending process of the tab portion is capable of being reduced. In some embodiments, the supporting frame further includes a second driving assembly, and the second driving assembly is connected between the first supporting member and the second supporting member, and is configured to drive the second supporting member to drive the tab pressing plate to perform a reciprocating movement relative to the tab portion of the battery cell in a second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. The second driving assembly is configured to drive the second supporting member to drive the tab pressing plate to move to be in contact with the tab portion and pre-bend the tab portion. In the above manner, the possibility of wrinkles being generated on the tab portion in the bending process can be reduced by pre-bending. In some embodiments, the first driving assembly is confi