EP-4737054-A1 - TAB WELDING MECHANISM AND BATTERY ASSEMBLY SYSTEM

EP4737054A1EP 4737054 A1EP4737054 A1EP 4737054A1EP-4737054-A1

Abstract

A tab welding mechanism (10) and a battery assembly system (20). The tab welding mechanism (10) comprises a base platform (11), a support base (100), a tab pressing structure (200), and a welding assembly (300). The support base (100) is provided on the base platform (11) and is used for supporting and fixing a cell body (22a) of a battery cell (20a); the tab pressing structure (200) is provided on the base platform (11) and is configured to be capable of moving toward the support base (100), so as to press and gather a plurality of laminated tab pieces (211a) of the battery cell (20a); and the welding assembly (300) is provided on the base platform (11) and is configured to be capable of moving toward the support base (100), so as to weld the plurality of gathered tab pieces (211a) to form a tab portion (21a).

Inventors

WU, KAI
ZHANG, YONGLI
TANG, Wenxiang
PAN, Wensheng
HUANG, Qinkun
ZHANG, ZHIGUO

Assignees

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240613

Claims (17)

A tab welding mechanism, comprising: a base platform; a support base, disposed on the base platform and configured to support and fix a cell body of a cell; a tab pressing structure, disposed on the base platform and configured to be capable of moving toward the support base, so as to press and gather a plurality of stacked tab plates of the cell; and a welding assembly, disposed on the base platform and configured to be capable of moving toward the support base, so as to weld the plurality of gathered tab plates to form a tab part.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the tab pressing structure comprises a first assembly and a second assembly movably disposed on the base platform separately, wherein the first assembly and the second assembly are configured to be capable of moving toward or away from each other, a clamping cavity is formed when the first assembly and the second assembly move toward each other, and the first assembly and the second assembly are configured to clamp the plurality of tab plates in the clamping cavity, so as to press and gather the plurality of tab plates.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the first assembly comprises a first driving unit and a first pressing plate, wherein the first driving unit is mounted on the base platform, the first driving unit is in transmission connection to the first pressing plate, and the first driving unit is configured to drive the first pressing plate to move toward or away from the support base.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the second assembly comprises a second driving unit and a second pressing plate, wherein the second driving unit is mounted on the base platform, the second driving unit is in transmission connection to the second pressing plate, and the second driving unit is configured to drive the second pressing plate to move toward or away from the support base, wherein the first driving unit and the second driving unit are located on both sides of the support base, respectively, such that the first assembly and the second assembly are capable of moving toward or away from each other to form the clamping cavity with an adjustable dimension.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the welding assembly comprises a support frame, a first welding unit, and a second welding unit, wherein the support frame is in transmission connection to the first driving unit, the first welding unit and the second welding unit are mounted on the support frame, and the first welding unit and the second welding unit separately weld the plurality of tab plates from both sides of the plurality of tab plates.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the first welding unit comprises a first welding head and a first driving component, wherein the first driving component is mounted on the support frame, and the first driving component is in transmission connection to the first welding head to drive the first welding head to move toward or away from the support base.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the first pressing plate is provided with a first through hole facing the second pressing plate, and the first driving component is configured to drive an end part of the first welding head to enter the first through hole or move out of the first through hole; and/or the first pressing plate further comprises a blowing structure, and an air outlet of the blowing structure is disposed on a side of the first pressing plate facing the second pressing plate to smooth the tab plates through air blowing.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the second welding unit comprises a second welding head and a second driving component, wherein the second driving component is mounted on the support frame, and the second driving component is in transmission connection to the second welding head to drive the second welding head to move toward or away from the support base.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the second pressing plate is provided with a second through hole facing the first pressing plate, and the second driving component is configured to drive an end part of the second welding head to enter the second through hole or move out of the second through hole.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the welding assembly further comprises a first dust extraction unit and a second dust extraction unit, wherein the first dust extraction unit and the second dust extraction unit are configured to extract dust from a welding region of the first welding unit and a welding region of the second welding unit, respectively.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the first driving unit is configured to drive the first pressing plate in three-dimensional directions.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the first driving unit comprises a first driving assembly, a second driving assembly, and a third driving assembly, wherein the first driving assembly is in transmission connection to the first pressing plate to drive the first pressing plate to move in a first direction; the second driving assembly is in transmission connection to the first driving assembly to drive the first driving assembly to move in a second direction; and the third driving assembly is in transmission connection to the second driving assembly to drive the second driving assembly to move in a third direction, so as to move toward or away from the support base, wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.
The tab welding mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the second pressing plate comprises a first mating surface, a second mating surface, and a third mating surface, wherein the second mating surface and the first mating surface are arranged at an obtuse angle, and the third mating surface is arranged to be bent relative to the second mating surface; and the first mating surface is configured to press against the cell body of the cell, the second mating surface is configured to cover a part of an end surface of the cell provided with the tab plates, and the third mating surface is configured to press the plurality of tab plates against the first pressing plate.
The tab welding mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the support base comprises a conveying track and a cell fixture, wherein the conveying track is disposed on the base platform, the cell fixture is mounted on the conveying track, and the conveying track is configured to convey the cell fixture to the tab pressing structure and convey the cell fixture away from the tab pressing structure; and the cell fixture is configured to support and fix the cell body of the cell.
A battery assembly system, comprising the tab welding mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
The battery assembly system according to claim 15, wherein the battery comprises a housing, a bottom cover, and a cell, wherein the housing is provided with an open end, a post terminal is disposed on a wall of the housing opposite to the open end, the post terminal is provided with a through hole, and the housing and the bottom cover are connected to form an accommodating cavity in communication with the through hole; and an active substance-coated part of the cell is disposed in the housing, and a tab part of the cell passes through the through hole and is connected to a side of the post terminal facing away from the accommodating cavity; and the battery assembly system further comprises a conveying device and an assembly device, wherein the conveying device is configured to convey structures to be assembled to each station of the assembly device, and the stations of the assembly device at least comprise the tab welding mechanism, wherein the tab welding mechanism is configured to weld a plurality of tab plates of the cell to form the tab part.
The battery assembly system according to claim 16, wherein the stations of the assembly device further comprise a housing insertion apparatus, a tab guide apparatus, a post terminal welding apparatus, and a bottom cover welding apparatus, wherein the conveying device is configured to sequentially convey the cell having the tab part formed thereon to the housing insertion apparatus, the tab guide apparatus, the post terminal welding apparatus, and the bottom cover welding apparatus, wherein the housing insertion apparatus is configured to insert the cell into the housing from the open end; the tab guide apparatus is configured to clamp the tab part to pass through the through hole when the cell is inserted into the housing; the post terminal welding mechanism is configured to weld the tab part that passes through the through hole to the side of the post terminal facing away from the accommodating cavity; and the bottom cover welding apparatus is configured to weld the bottom cover to the open end of the housing.

Description

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2023116436946 filed on November 30, 2023 and entitled "TAB WELDING MECHANISM AND BATTERY ASSEMBLY SYSTEM", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to the field of battery technologies, and in particular, to a tab welding mechanism and a battery assembly system. BACKGROUND A battery refers to an apparatus that can convert chemical energy into electric energy, typically housed in a cup, a tank, or other containers, or a part of a composite container that contains an electrolyte solution and metal electrodes to generate a current. Thanks to advances in science and technology, batteries offering advantages such as portability, ease of charging and discharging operations, and stable long-term power supply are widely used in fields such as automobiles, household appliances, and aerospace. In the prior art, during battery assembly, the tab plates, connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode in the cell and led out therefrom, need to be welded and fixed to form a tab part, so as to facilitate the welding between the tab part and the post terminal. However, the tab plate welding process is complex, resulting in high manufacturing difficulty and reduced yield rate of the battery. SUMMARY In view of the above issues, the present application provides a tab welding mechanism and a battery assembly system, which can address the challenges associated with the tab welding process and improve the yield rate of the battery. In a first aspect, the present application provides a tab welding mechanism. The tab welding mechanism includes a base platform, a support base, a tab pressing structure, and a welding assembly. The support base is disposed on the base platform and is configured to support and fix a cell body of a cell; the tab pressing structure is disposed on the base platform and is configured to be capable of moving toward the support base, so as to press and gather a plurality of stacked tab plates of the cell; and the welding assembly is disposed on the base platform and is configured to be capable of moving toward the support base, so as to weld the plurality of gathered tab plates to form a tab part. In the technical solutions of embodiments of the present application, the base platform is provided not only with the welding mechanism, but also with the support base and the tab pressing structure. This design enables the tab welding mechanism not only to weld the tab plates of the cell, but also to press and gather the tab plates by the tab pressing structure before welding. Thus, the spacing between the tab plates is reduced to compact the tab plates and facilitate the welding of the tab plates, thereby reducing the difficulty of welding and improving the yield rate of the cell. The support base can transport the cell to the position corresponding to the tab pressing structure or the welding assembly, thereby facilitating the pressing and welding of the tab plates of the cell, and also facilitating the transport of the cell to other positions after the tab plates are pressed and welded to form the tab part. In some embodiments, the tab pressing structure includes a first assembly and a second assembly movably disposed on the base platform separately. The first assembly and the second assembly are configured to be capable of moving toward or away from each other. A clamping cavity is formed when the first assembly and the second assembly move toward each other, and the first assembly and the second assembly are configured to clamp the plurality of tab plates in the clamping cavity, so as to press and gather the plurality of tab plates. By configuring the first assembly and the second assembly to cooperate with each other to be capable of moving toward or away from each other, the tab pressing structure can conveniently confine the tab plates in the clamping cavity, and press and gather the tab plates to compact the tab plates, thereby facilitating the subsequent welding of the tab plates. In some embodiments, the first assembly includes a first driving unit and a first pressing plate. The first driving unit is mounted on the base platform, the first driving unit is in transmission connection to the first pressing plate, and the first driving unit is configured to drive the first pressing plate to move toward or away from the support base. By configuring the first driving unit to drive the first pressing plate to move toward or away from the support base so as to move toward or away from the cell body of the cell on the support base, it facilitates the pressing and gathering of the tab plates on the cell by the first pressing plate, and it also facilitates the movement of the first pressing plate away from the tab part under the driving of the first driving unit after the tab plates are pressed and gathered, such that the first pressing plate d