CN221064825U

CN221064825U - Welding equipment and welding system

Info

Publication number: CN221064825U
Application number: CN202420490748.3U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王腾腾; 余兴禄; 阙天祥
Original assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-03-14
Filing date: 2024-03-14
Publication date: 2024-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2034-03-14

Abstract

The application discloses welding equipment and a welding system. The welding equipment is used for welding the transfer piece connected to the bare cell to the top cover, and the welding equipment comprises a welding mechanism, a positioning mechanism and a distance measuring mechanism. The welding mechanism comprises a laser head. The positioning mechanism comprises a first positioning seat for placing the top cover and a second positioning seat for placing the bare cell, and can move close to or far away from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction. The distance measuring mechanism is arranged on one side, far away from the welding mechanism, of the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction, and is used for measuring the distance between the distance measuring mechanism and the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction. According to the welding equipment, the positioning mechanism can be welded after being positioned at the target welding position through the ranging result of the ranging mechanism, so that the displacement of the positioning mechanism is more reliable, the defocusing amount is more stable, and the welding quality is better. The welding system has high welding reliability and good stability.

Description

Welding equipment and welding system

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of battery manufacturing, in particular to welding equipment and a welding system.

Background

New energy batteries are increasingly used in life and industry, for example, new energy automobiles having a battery mounted therein have been widely used, and in addition, batteries are increasingly used in the field of energy storage and the like.

Welding is an important process in the battery production and manufacturing process, particularly in the laser welding process, the distance between a laser head and a part to be welded is particularly important, and if the distance between the laser head and the part to be welded cannot be measured well, the situations of cold welding, poor welding and the like are likely to occur, and the welding quality is seriously affected. Therefore, how to measure the distance between the laser head and the portion to be welded to improve the welding quality is one of the subjects of the industry study.

Disclosure of utility model

In order to solve the technical problems, the application provides welding equipment and a welding system with good welding quality and high reliability.

The application is realized by the following technical scheme.

A first aspect of the present application provides a soldering apparatus for soldering an interposer web connected to a bare cell to a top cap, the soldering apparatus comprising: the welding mechanism comprises a laser head; the positioning mechanism comprises a first positioning seat for placing the top cover and a second positioning seat for placing the bare cell, and can move close to or far from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction; and the distance measuring mechanism is fixedly arranged on one side, away from the welding mechanism, of the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction, and is used for measuring the distance between the distance measuring mechanism and the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction.

Because welding equipment includes range finding mechanism, consequently, after the positioning mechanism is close to welding mechanism along advance and retreat direction and removes the completion, can measure its distance along advancing and retreating direction with positioning mechanism through range finding mechanism, thereby can judge whether positioning mechanism removes in place, namely, judge whether positioning mechanism has removed the distance of predetermineeing, can make the distance between positioning mechanism and the welding mechanism suitable, and then make positioning mechanism's displacement more reliable, defocusing amount is more stable when making welding mechanism weld, the probability that the circumstances such as rosin joint appears when reducing welding mechanism and weld failure take place, reliability and stability of welding equipment have been improved, make welding quality better.

In addition, because the ranging mechanism is fixedly arranged on one side of the positioning mechanism, which is far away from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction, namely, arranged below the positioning mechanism, the space below the positioning mechanism can be effectively utilized, the space utilization rate is improved, interference is not easy to occur between the ranging mechanism and the bare cell placed in the positioning mechanism, the top cover and the welding mechanism above the positioning mechanism, the possibility that the bare cell and the top cover are in play, the possibility that the bad conditions such as abrasion occur can be reduced, and the measuring accuracy of the ranging mechanism and the working stability of the welding mechanism can be improved.

In some embodiments, the ranging mechanism comprises a laser ranging device fixedly arranged on one side of the first positioning seat far away from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction; the first positioning seat is provided with an avoidance hole, and the avoidance hole is used for allowing laser emitted by the laser range finder to pass through and irradiate the pole column of the top cover under the condition that the top cover is placed on the first positioning seat.

The laser range finder has high precision, small error and high measurement speed, so that the range finding mechanism can efficiently and quickly measure, and the accuracy of a measurement result is high. In addition, because the adapter piece welds on the utmost point post of top cap, the position of waiting to weld of adapter piece and the utmost point post of top cap, consequently, first positioning seat has seted up and has been passed and shined the hole of dodging on the utmost point post of top cap that makes laser rangefinder sent out to make laser rangefinder can more accurately measure its own distance to top cap utmost point post (wait to weld the position) between, further improve measuring accuracy, thereby make welding mechanism's defocusing quantity more stable.

In some embodiments, the welding mechanism further comprises a pressing plate for pressing the top cover in the advancing and retreating direction at the time of welding; the welding equipment comprises a jacking device, and the positioning mechanism can be driven by the jacking device to lift to a welding position where the top cover is contacted with the pressing plate or lower from the welding position along the advancing and retreating direction.

Therefore, after the bare cell and the top cover are positioned in the positioning mechanism, the movement of approaching the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction can be realized in a simple mode through the jacking device, the structure is simple, the control mode is easy, and the automation degree is high. In addition, the positioning mechanism can be driven by the jacking device to be lifted to a welding position contacted with the pressing plate, the pressing plate can be pressed on a part to be welded, and the possibility that a workpiece to be welded moves relative to the positioning mechanism or the parts to be welded move relative to each other is reduced, so that the stability of welding can be effectively improved.

In some embodiments, the welding mechanism further comprises a pressing plate for pressing the top cover in the advancing and retreating direction at the time of welding; the welding equipment further comprises an adsorption device for providing negative pressure; the inside dust removal passageway that is formed with of clamp plate, dust removal passageway runs through the clamp plate to be connected with adsorption equipment.

Therefore, impurities such as welding slag generated in the welding process of the welding mechanism can be discharged out of the welding equipment through the dust removing channel inside the pressing plate under the action of the adsorption device, so that dust removal in the welding process is realized, the possibility of splashing of the welding slag is reduced, the cleanliness of the welding environment is improved, and the welding quality is further improved.

In some embodiments, the first positioning seat comprises a plurality of pins, and a plurality of pins are surrounded to form a positioning area, and the positioning area is used for positioning the top cover.

Therefore, the positioning of the top cover can be facilitated, the top cover can be always positioned in a positioning area formed by surrounding the pin in the welding process, and the welding reliability is improved.

In some embodiments, the top end surfaces to side circumferential surfaces of the plurality of pins are chamfered.

Because the chamfer is formed from the top end face to the side circumferential surface of the pin, the chamfer can play a certain guiding role, and therefore the top cover can enter the positioning area more smoothly. In addition, the pin is formed with the chamfer and can also reduce the possibility of damage to the top cover when entering the positioning area, thereby improving the reliability of the positioning mechanism.

In some embodiments, the first positioning seat includes a plurality of limiting edges, and a plurality of limiting edges are arranged to form a positioning area, and the positioning area is used for positioning the top cover; one side of the limiting edge facing the positioning area is provided with a guiding inclined plane.

Therefore, the positioning of the top cover can be facilitated, the top cover can be always positioned in a limiting edge forming positioning area in the welding process, and the welding reliability is improved. And because the limit edge has the direction inclined plane towards the one side of location area, the direction inclined plane can play certain guiding action, from this, make the top cap can get into the location area more smoothly. In addition, the limit edge is provided with the guide inclined plane, so that the possibility of damage of the top cover when the top cover enters the positioning area can be reduced, and the reliability of the positioning mechanism is improved.

In some embodiments, the second positioning seat comprises: a base; the first pushing plate can be arranged on the base in a forward or backward mode along a first direction and is used for pushing the bare cell along the first direction; and two reference plates which are arranged on opposite sides of the first push plate along the first direction with a space for placing the bare cell therebetween, are arranged at intervals along a second direction, are used for blocking the bare cell, and can reciprocate in the second direction before a retreating position and a working position; wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the advancing and retreating direction are perpendicular to each other.

From this, can promote naked electric core to preset position through the bulldozing operation of first push pedal to naked electric core can be good fix between first push pedal and reference plate, thereby realize good location, reduce the possibility that naked electric core takes place to remove in the welding process, improved the reliability of welding. Moreover, the first pushing plate realizes corresponding pushing operation by advancing or retreating along the first direction, so that bare cells with different sizes can be adapted, good compatibility is realized, and flexible production is facilitated.

In addition, because the quantity of datum plate is two to two datum plates can carry out reciprocating motion along the second direction between backoff position and working position, consequently, the datum plate can be when positioning mechanism fixes a position the top cap, along second direction motion to backoff position, thereby be difficult for taking place to interfere with the top cap, reduce the possibility that the top cap damaged, do benefit to the placing of top cap more, the location, and the datum plate can also be when positioning mechanism fixes a position bare cell, move to working position along the second direction, thereby play better limiting displacement for the bare cell, do benefit to the location of bare cell more.

In some embodiments, the two reference plates are respectively arranged on two moving tables, and the two moving tables are arranged on two opposite sides of the positioning mechanism at intervals along the second direction and are connected with the positioning mechanism through a connecting platform; the connecting platform is provided with a movable rack guide rail extending along the second direction, and each movable rack is arranged on the movable rack guide rail in a mode of being capable of moving along the movable rack guide rail.

Thus, the movement of the two reference plates in the second direction between the working position and the retracted position can be easily realized, the structure is simple, and the control mode is easy. Moreover, the movable rack guide rail can reduce friction and shaking of the movable rack when moving along the second direction, so that the movement of the movable rack is smoother and more stable, the movement of the reference plate arranged on the movable rack along the second direction is smoother and more stable, the reliability is better, the energy consumption is less, and the movable rack guide rail is more beneficial to energy conservation and environmental protection.

In some embodiments, the number of the second positioning seats is two, and the two second positioning seats are located on two opposite sides of the first positioning seat along the first direction.

Therefore, the positioning mechanism can simultaneously position and fix the two bare cells, so that the positioning efficiency is improved, and the welding efficiency is improved.

In some embodiments, each of the moving stages is provided with a reference plate guide rail extending in the first direction, and each of the reference plates of each of the second positioning seats is provided on the reference plate guide rail so as to be movable along the reference plate guide rail.

Therefore, the datum plates of the second positioning seats can also reciprocate along the datum plate guide rail along the first direction, so that the interval distance between the two bare cells respectively positioned in the two second positioning seats along the first direction can be limited according to different conditions, and the adaptability of the positioning mechanism is better. Moreover, the reference plate guide rail can reduce friction and shaking of the reference plate when moving along the first direction, so that the movement of the reference plate is smoother and smoother, the reliability is better, the energy consumption is smaller, and the energy conservation and the environmental protection are facilitated.

In some embodiments, the second nest further comprises: a base; the two second pushing plates are oppositely arranged along the second direction and arranged on the base in a mode of being capable of approaching to or separating from each other along the second direction, and the two second pushing plates are used for pushing the bare cell along the second direction.

From this, can carry out the bulldozing operation along the second direction to naked electric core through the action that two second push plates are relatively close each other to realize naked electric core centering, and press from both sides naked electric core between two second push plates, thereby realize the location of naked electric core along the second direction, reduce the possibility that naked electric core takes place to remove in the welding process, improved the reliability of welding. In addition, as the two second pushing plates move close to each other along the second direction to realize the positioning and clamping fixation of the bare cell, the bare cell with different sizes can be adapted, and the two pushing plates have good compatibility and are beneficial to flexible production.

A second aspect of the present application provides a soldering system for soldering a bare cell to a top cap, the soldering system comprising: a top cover conveying line for conveying the top cover; the bare cell conveying line is used for conveying bare cells connected with the switching pieces; a welding apparatus provided according to the first aspect of the present application; and the grabbing and placing device is used for grabbing the top cover on the top cover conveying line and the bare cell on the bare cell conveying line, placing the top cover and the bare cell in a first positioning seat and a second positioning seat of a positioning mechanism of the welding equipment respectively, and welding the switching piece on the bare cell and the top cover together through the welding mechanism of the welding equipment.

Because top cap and naked electric core are carried on top cap transfer chain and naked electric core transfer chain respectively to top cap and naked electric core can snatch and place in welding equipment's positioning mechanism through grabbing the device of putting with automatic mode, consequently, can improve welding system's degree of automation, thereby improve the production efficiency of whole line.

In addition, because the top cover and the bare cell can be respectively positioned in the first positioning seat and the second positioning seat of the positioning mechanism, the top cover and the bare cell are not easy to move in the welding process of the welding equipment, and the welding reliability can be improved. Moreover, because the welding equipment comprises the ranging mechanism, the displacement of the positioning mechanism close to the welding mechanism is more reliable, the defocusing amount is more stable when the welding mechanism is used for welding, the possibility that the conditions such as cold welding and poor welding occur when the welding mechanism is used for welding is reduced, and the reliability and the stability of the welding equipment are improved.

Effects of the utility model

The application provides the welding equipment and the welding system with stable defocusing amount, good welding quality and high reliability.

Drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the application. Also, like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of a welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a partially enlarged construction of a welding apparatus provided in some embodiments of the application;

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of a die and a top cover welded according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a platen according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a laser head and platen according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a plan cross-sectional view of a platen provided by some embodiments of the present application and schematically illustrates an adsorption device;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a welding method provided by some embodiments of the present application;

fig. 10 is another flow chart of a welding method according to some embodiments of the application.

Description of the reference numerals

1-A welding mechanism; 11-laser head; 12-pressing plates; 121-a welding channel; 122-a dust removal channel; 1221-a dust removal port; 2-a positioning mechanism; 21-a first positioning seat; 211-avoiding holes; 212-pins; 22-a second positioning seat; 22 a-a base; 221-a first push plate; 2211—a first push plate slider; 222-a reference plate; 223-a first push plate rail; 23-moving a rack; 231-a carriage slide; 232-a reference plate rail; 24-connecting a platform; 241—a mobile gantry rail; 25-a second push plate; 251-plate-like member; 2511—a first plate body; 2512—a second plate; 252-pushing the block; 3-ranging means; 4-jacking device; 5-an adsorption device; 10-bare cell; 101-a transfer sheet; 20-top cover; 201-pole; 100-welding equipment.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the technical scheme of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following examples are only for more clearly illustrating the technical aspects of the present application, and thus are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application; the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion.

In the description of embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first," "second," "third," etc. are used merely to distinguish between different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated, a particular order or a primary or secondary relationship. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more unless explicitly defined otherwise.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those of skill in the art will explicitly and implicitly appreciate that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "and/or" is merely an association relationship describing an association object, and indicates that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In this context, the character "/" generally indicates that the associated object is an "or" relationship.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the technical terms "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc. are orientation or positional relationship based on the drawings, merely for convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and for simplifying the description, and are not indicative or implying that the apparatus or element to be referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured, operated, or used in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured" and the like should be construed broadly and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; or may be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communicated with the inside of two elements or the interaction relationship of the two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to specific circumstances.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the term "contact" is to be understood in a broad sense as either direct contact or contact across an intermediate layer, as either contact with substantially no interaction force between the two in contact or contact with interaction force between the two in contact.

The present application will be described in detail below.

At present, new energy batteries are increasingly widely applied to life and industry. The new energy battery is not only applied to energy storage power supply systems such as hydraulic power, firepower, wind power and solar power stations, but also widely applied to electric vehicles such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric automobiles, and a plurality of fields such as aerospace. With the continuous expansion of the application field of the power battery, the market demand of the power battery is also continuously expanding.

In the production and manufacturing process of the battery, welding is one of the important processes in the production process of the product, and many workpieces need to be welded, for example, welding a tab and a tab, welding a tab and a post of a top cover, and welding a post and a converging portion. In the welding process, especially in the laser welding process, the distance between the laser head and the part to be welded is particularly important, and if the distance between the laser head and the part to be welded cannot be well measured, the situations of cold welding, poor welding and the like are likely to occur, so that the welding quality is seriously affected.

In the related art, a workpiece to be welded is positioned on a positioning mechanism of a welding device, and after the positioning mechanism is close to the welding mechanism and is displaced, the welding operation is usually directly started, and the displacement of the positioning mechanism close to the welding mechanism may be deviated and not necessarily accurate in place every time, so that poor conditions such as poor welding or cold welding may occur, and the welding quality is seriously affected.

The present application has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the related art, and proposes a soldering apparatus for soldering a interposer web connected to a bare cell to a top cap. The welding equipment comprises a welding mechanism, a positioning mechanism and a distance measuring mechanism. The welding mechanism comprises a laser head. The positioning mechanism comprises a first positioning seat for placing the top cover and a second positioning seat for placing the bare cell, and can move close to or far away from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction. The distance measuring mechanism is fixedly arranged on one side, away from the welding mechanism, of the first positioning seat along the advancing and retreating direction, and is used for measuring the distance between the distance measuring mechanism and the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction.

Because the welding equipment comprises the ranging mechanism, after the positioning mechanism moves along the advancing and retreating direction and approaches the welding mechanism, the distance between the positioning mechanism and the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction can be measured by the ranging mechanism to judge whether the positioning mechanism moves in place, namely, whether the positioning mechanism moves along the advancing and retreating direction by a specified distance or not is judged, so that the distance between the positioning mechanism and the welding mechanism is proper, the displacement of the positioning mechanism is more reliable, the defocusing amount of the welding mechanism during welding is more stable, the possibility that the situations such as cold welding, poor welding and the like occur during welding of the welding mechanism is reduced, the reliability and stability of the welding equipment are improved, and the welding quality is better.

In addition, because the ranging mechanism is fixedly arranged on one side of the positioning mechanism, which is far away from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction, namely, arranged below the positioning mechanism, the space below the positioning mechanism can be effectively utilized, the space utilization rate is improved, interference is not easy to occur between the ranging mechanism and the bare cell placed in the positioning mechanism, the top cover and the welding mechanism above the positioning mechanism, and accordingly, the defects such as movement and abrasion of the bare cell and the top cover can be reduced, and the measuring accuracy of the ranging mechanism and the working stability of the welding mechanism can be improved.

The pressing plate tool provided by the embodiment of the application can be used in the production process of a battery, for example, welding the switching sheet of the bare cell and the pole column of the top cover. Of course, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the welding apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application is not only used for welding the tab of the bare cell and the post of the top cover in the battery production and manufacturing process, but also used for welding other workpieces needing to be welded in other production lines.

In the embodiment of the application, the bare cell can be a battery cell.

The battery cell is a basic unit capable of realizing the mutual conversion of chemical energy and electric energy, and can be used for manufacturing a battery module or a battery pack so as to supply power to an electric device.

The battery cell may be a secondary battery, which means a battery cell that can be continuously used by activating an active material in a charging manner after the battery cell is discharged.

The battery cell may be a lithium ion battery, a sodium lithium ion battery, a lithium metal battery, a sodium metal battery, a lithium sulfur battery, a magnesium ion battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a lead storage battery, etc., which is not limited by the embodiment of the application.

The battery cell generally includes an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator. During the charge and discharge of the battery cell, active ions (e.g., lithium ions) are inserted and extracted back and forth between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The separator is arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, can play a role in preventing the positive electrode and the negative electrode from being short-circuited, and can enable active ions to pass through.

In some embodiments, the battery cell further includes an electrolyte that serves to conduct ions between the positive and negative electrodes. The application is not particularly limited in the kind of electrolyte, and may be selected according to the need. The electrolyte may be liquid, gel or solid.

In some embodiments, the battery cell may include a housing. The case is used to encapsulate the electrode assembly, the electrolyte, and the like. The shell can be a steel shell, an aluminum shell, a plastic shell (such as polypropylene), a composite metal shell (such as a copper-aluminum composite shell), an aluminum-plastic film or the like.

As an example, the battery cell may be a cylindrical battery cell, a prismatic battery cell, a pouch battery cell, or other shaped battery cell, and the prismatic battery cell includes a square-case battery cell, a blade-shaped battery cell, a polygonal-prismatic battery cell, such as a hexagonal-prismatic battery cell, etc., and the present application is not particularly limited.

In some embodiments, the housing includes an end cap and a case, the case being provided with an opening, the end cap closing the opening to form a closed space for accommodating the electrode assembly, electrolyte, and the like. The housing may be provided with one or more openings. One or more end caps may also be provided.

In some embodiments, at least one electrode terminal is provided on the housing, the electrode terminal being electrically connected to the tab. The electrode terminal may be directly connected to the tab, or may be indirectly connected to the tab through the switching piece. The electrode terminal may be provided on the terminal cover or may be provided on the case.

In some embodiments, a pressure relief mechanism is provided on the housing. The pressure release mechanism is used for releasing the internal pressure of the battery monomer.

Some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 10.

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 2 is another perspective view of a welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a partially enlarged structure of a welding apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of a die and a top cover welded according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a platen according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 7 is a schematic plan view of a laser head and platen according to some embodiments of the present application. Fig. 8 is a plan cross-sectional view of a platen provided by some embodiments of the present application and schematically illustrates an adsorption device. Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a welding method according to some embodiments of the application. Fig. 10 is another flow chart of a welding method according to some embodiments of the application.

In some embodiments of the present application, for convenience of explanation, a first direction, a second direction, and a forward and backward direction are set, and the first direction, the second direction, and the forward and backward direction are directions perpendicular to each other. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present application are not limited to the case where the three directions are perpendicular to each other. For convenience of explanation, as shown by the arrows in fig. 1 to 3 and 5 to 8, the direction of the arrow X is a first direction, the direction of the arrow Y is a second direction, and the direction of the arrow Z is a forward and backward direction. The direction in which the arrow Z advances and retreats is sometimes referred to as "upper" and the opposite direction is sometimes referred to as "lower".

As shown in fig. 1 to 3 and 4 to 6, a first aspect of the present application provides a soldering apparatus 100 for soldering a interposer 101 connected to a bare cell 10 to a top cap 20, the soldering apparatus 100 being configured to be mounted on a substrate. The welding apparatus 100 includes a welding mechanism 1, a positioning mechanism 2, and a ranging mechanism 3. The welding mechanism 1 comprises a laser head 11. The positioning mechanism 2 includes a first positioning seat 21 for placing the top cover 20 and a second positioning seat 22 for placing the bare cell 10, and the positioning mechanism 2 is movable in the advancing and retreating direction toward or away from the soldering mechanism 1. The distance measuring mechanism 3 is fixedly arranged on one side of the positioning mechanism 2, which is far away from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction, and is used for measuring the distance between the distance measuring mechanism 3 and the positioning mechanism 2 along the advancing and retreating direction.

In an embodiment of the present application, the welding apparatus 100 is used to weld the adapter piece 101 (also referred to as a connection tab) and the top cover 20. The switching piece 101 has been welded to the tab of the bare cell 10 in advance.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 5, in the production process of the battery, two bare cells 10 are generally symmetrically arranged, and tabs of the two bare cells 10 are welded with a switching piece 101, where the switching piece may include an integral switching piece or a split switching piece, and different types of switching pieces may be selected according to welding types of the tabs and the switching piece 101. The top cover 20 is usually placed between two symmetrically arranged bare cells 10, and the transfer pieces 101 of the two bare cells 10 are welded and fixed with the top cover 20, so that current conduction is formed, after welding is completed, the two bare cells 10 are folded in half, and finally the battery is formed together with the top cover 20.

The welding mechanism 1 is a mechanism for realizing the welding function of the welding apparatus 100, and in the embodiment of the present application, the welding mechanism 1 is a laser welding mechanism including a laser head 11. The laser head 11 is used for emitting a laser beam with high energy density so as to weld the part to be welded by means of heat conduction. The laser welding has high welding speed and high precision.

The positioning mechanism 2 is located below the welding mechanism 1 and is used for positioning the bare cell 10 and the top cover 20, so that the relative position between the bare cell 10 and the top cover 20 cannot deviate in the welding process, and the welding stability is improved. Specifically, the positioning mechanism 2 includes a first positioning seat 21 and a second positioning seat 22, the first positioning seat 21 is used for placing the top cover 20, the second positioning seat 22 is used for placing the bare cell 10, and the top cover 20 and the bare cell 10 are respectively placed in different positioning seats of the positioning mechanism 2, so that the top cover 20 and the bare cell 10 can be respectively and independently positioned, and the positioning precision is higher. The structures of the first positioning seat 21 and the second positioning seat 22 will be described in detail later.

In the embodiment of the application, after the bare cell 10 and the top cover 20 are positioned in the second positioning seat 22 and the first positioning seat 21 respectively, the transfer piece 101 of the bare cell 10 is lapped over the top cover 20 to form a part to be welded, and the positioning mechanism 2 is driven by the jacking device to integrally move along the advancing and retreating direction to approach the welding mechanism 1, so that the part to be welded is contacted with the pressing plate 12 (to be described in detail later) of the welding mechanism 1, and the part to be welded is pressed and compacted, thereby facilitating the subsequent welding operation.

In the laser welding process, it is necessary to make the distance between the portion to be welded and the laser head 11 appropriate, that is, to make the laser welding mechanism have an appropriate defocus amount at the time of welding, in addition to moving the positioning mechanism 2 in the advancing and retreating direction so that the portion to be welded is brought into contact with the platen 12. The defocus amount refers to the distance between the focal point of the laser and the active substance (the site to be welded). In the welding process, the defocusing amount has a great influence on welding quality, when the defocusing amount is too large, the power density acting on the part to be welded is too low, so that the purpose of welding cannot be achieved, when the defocusing amount is too small, the power density acting on the part to be welded is too high, so that laser irradiation points are easily melted, the surface of the part to be welded is damaged, and therefore, before welding, the distance between the part to be welded and the laser head 11 needs to be moderate, so that the defocusing amount is stable.

For example, according to the actual situation, the distance that the positioning mechanism 2 needs to move along the advancing and retreating direction can be set in the upper computer in advance, so that the part to be welded of the workpiece positioned in the positioning mechanism can have a proper distance from the laser head 11 after the displacement is completed, thereby not only enabling the pressing plate 12 to have a good pressing and compacting effect, but also enabling the welding to have a proper defocusing amount. In other words, the distance measuring means 3 measures the distance between the distance measuring means 3 and the positioning means 2 (the portion to be welded) in the advancing and retreating direction, which is essentially a distance between the portion to be welded and the laser head 11 for welding.

However, the displacement of the positioning mechanism 2 in the advancing and retreating direction is not very accurate every time, and there is a possibility that a deviation may occur, and thus, there is a possibility that defects such as poor welding and cold welding may occur, and the welding quality is seriously affected. In the related art, the occurrence of such adverse conditions cannot be avoided in advance, and whether welding is successful or not can be found only after the completion of the waiting for welding, so that the production cost is greatly increased.

Therefore, the welding apparatus 100 of the embodiment of the present application is provided with the distance measuring mechanism 3, and after the positioning mechanism 2 is moved close to the welding mechanism 1 in the advancing and retreating direction, the distance between the positioning mechanism 2 and the distance measuring mechanism 3 in the advancing and retreating direction can be measured in an automated manner, so that it can be judged whether the positioning mechanism 2 is moved in place, that is, whether the positioning mechanism 2 is moved by a preset distance in the advancing and retreating direction. The judgment may be realized by hardware such as a judgment circuit, or may be realized by software. In addition, if the judgment result is that the preset distance is not moved, the distance between the positioning mechanism 2 and the welding mechanism 1 can be adjusted in a manual mode or an automatic mode, so that the displacement of the positioning mechanism 2 is more reliable, the defocusing amount is more stable when the welding mechanism 1 is used for welding, the possibility that the conditions such as cold welding and poor welding occur when the welding mechanism 1 is used for welding is reduced, the reliability and the stability of the welding equipment 100 are improved, the welding quality is better, and the degree of automation is high. Moreover, after the positioning mechanism 2 is found to fail to move a preset distance according to the ranging result of the ranging mechanism 3, the displacement can be timely adjusted or welding failure can be timely judged in advance, so that the possibility of occurrence of a bad situation during welding is reduced in advance, and the production cost is effectively reduced.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the ranging mechanism 3 is fixedly disposed on one side of the positioning mechanism 2 away from the welding mechanism in the advancing and retreating direction, that is, disposed below the positioning mechanism 2, so that the space below the positioning mechanism 2 can be effectively utilized, the space utilization rate is improved, and interference is not easily generated between the ranging mechanism 3 and the bare cell 10, the top cover 20 and the welding mechanism 1 disposed above the positioning mechanism 2, so that a larger operation space can be provided for the placement of the bare cell 10 and the top cover 20 and the welding operation of the welding mechanism 1, the possibility of occurrence of defects such as play and abrasion of the bare cell 10 and the top cover 20 is reduced, and the accuracy of the measurement of the ranging mechanism 3 and the stability of the operation of the welding mechanism can be improved. Moreover, because the part to be welded can be pressed and compacted by the pressing plate 12 during welding, the ranging mechanism 3 is arranged on one side, away from the welding structure, of the positioning mechanism 2 along the advancing and retreating direction, so that the ranging mechanism 3 is not easy to interfere with the pressing plate 12, the pressing plate 12 can better press and compact the part to be welded, the ranging mechanism 3 can measure the distance between the ranging mechanism 3 and the part to be welded under the condition that the work of the pressing plate 12 is not affected, the moving distance of the part to be welded along the advancing and retreating direction is obtained, and whether the distance between the part to be welded and the welding mechanism is proper or not is judged through the moving distance of the part to be welded along the advancing and retreating direction.

For example, the welding mechanism 1, the positioning mechanism 2 and the distance measuring mechanism 3 may each be provided on a frame of the welding apparatus 100.

In some embodiments of the present application, the distance measuring mechanism 3 includes a laser distance measuring device fixedly provided on a side of the first positioning seat 21 remote from the welding mechanism 1 in the advancing and retreating direction. The first positioning seat 21 is provided with an avoidance hole 211, and the avoidance hole 211 is used for allowing laser emitted by the laser range finder to pass through and irradiate the position of the pole 201 of the top cover 20 when the top cover 20 is placed on the first positioning seat 21.

The laser range finder has high precision, small error and high measurement speed, so that the range finding mechanism can efficiently and quickly measure, and the accuracy of a measurement result is high.

Of course, the type of the ranging mechanism 3 is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application, and the ranging mechanism 3 may be any other suitable ranging mechanism such as an infrared range finder.

In addition, since the adapter piece 101 is welded on the pole 201 of the top cover 20, the adapter piece 101 and the pole 201 of the top cover 20 are formed into a portion to be welded, and therefore, the first positioning seat 21 is provided with the avoidance hole 211 which enables the laser emitted by the laser range finder to pass through and irradiate the pole of the top cover, so that the laser range finder can more accurately measure the distance from the laser range finder to the pole (portion to be welded) of the top cover, the measuring accuracy of the range finding mechanism 3 is further improved, and the defocusing amount of the welding mechanism is more stable.

Because a bare cell 10 includes a positive electrode tab and a negative electrode tab, the number of the tabs 101 welded with the tabs is two, and in the same way, the top cover 20 is formed with a positive electrode post and a negative electrode post, which respectively form two positions to be welded with the two tabs 101, so in the embodiment of the application, the number of the ranging mechanisms 3 is two, the two ranging mechanisms 3 are arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the first positioning seat 21 is provided with two avoidance holes 211, which are respectively used for irradiating the laser emitted by the two laser ranging devices on the two posts 201 of the top cover 20, so that the measurement accuracy of the ranging mechanisms 3 is further improved, and the welding stability of each position to be welded is good, thereby guaranteeing the welding quality.

Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the number of the ranging mechanism 3 and the avoidance holes 211 is not specifically limited, and in some other embodiments, when there are one or more (more than two) positions to be welded, the number of the ranging mechanism 3 and the avoidance holes 211 may be only one or more (more than two).

In some embodiments of the present application, the welding mechanism 1 further includes a pressing plate 12, and the pressing plate 12 is used to press the top cover 20 in the advancing and retreating direction at the time of welding. The welding apparatus 100 includes a jacking device 4, and the positioning mechanism 2 is capable of being lifted up in the advancing and retreating direction to or down from a welding position where the top cover 20 is brought into contact with the platen 12 by the jacking device 4.

The welding mechanism 1 further comprises a pressing plate 12, and the pressing plate 12 is arranged below the laser head 11. The pressing plate 12 is used for pressing and compacting the workpieces to be welded during welding operation, so as to reduce the possibility that the welding positions of the workpieces to be welded are moved relative to each other, and therefore the welding quality is affected. In the embodiment of the present application, the pressing plate 12 is used to press the top cover 20 and the adapter piece 101 overlapped on the top cover 20.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6 and 8, the pressing plate 12 is formed with a welding passage 121 penetrating the pressing plate 12 in the advancing and retreating direction, and when the pressing plate 12 presses and compresses the adapter plate 101 and the top cover 20, the laser beam emitted from the laser head 11 can pass through the welding passage 121 to perform the welding operation on the adapter plate 101 and the top cover 20.

In the embodiment of the present application, the shape of the welding channel 121 is generally in a truncated cone shape, that is, the equivalent diameter of the welding channel 121 along the first direction gradually decreases, where the opening at the end with the largest equivalent diameter faces the laser head, so that the laser beam can enter and focus into the welding channel 121 more accurately, and the opening at the end with the smallest equivalent diameter faces the part to be welded of the workpiece, so that the energy of the laser beam entering the welding channel 121 can focus better on the part to be welded of the workpiece, and the possibility of occurrence of poor welding caused by insufficient welding energy is reduced.

Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some other embodiments, the shape of the welding channel 121 may be any other suitable shape, such as a cone, a cylinder, a combination of cylinders and a truncated cone, and embodiments of the present application are not limited in particular to the shape of the welding channel 121.

The lifting device 4 may be fixed, for example, to a frame of the welding apparatus 100.

In the embodiment of the present application, the welding position is a position where the part to be welded can be in contact with the platen 12 and has a suitable distance (i.e., a suitable defocus amount) from the laser head 11.

After the bare cell 10 and the top cover 20 are positioned in the positioning mechanism 2, the movement of approaching the welding mechanism 1 along the advancing and retreating direction can be realized in a simple manner through the jacking device 4, the structure is simple, the control mode is easy, and the automation degree is high.

In addition, the positioning mechanism 2 can be driven by the jacking device 4 to be lifted to a welding position contacting with the pressing plate 12, the pressing plate 12 can be pressed on a part to be welded, and the possibility that a workpiece to be welded moves relative to the positioning mechanism or the parts to be welded move relative to each other is reduced, so that the stability of welding can be effectively improved.

Jacking devices include, but are not limited to, jacking cylinders.

In some embodiments of the present application, the welding mechanism 1 further includes a pressing plate 12, and the pressing plate 12 is used to press the top cover 20 in the advancing and retreating direction at the time of welding. The welding apparatus 100 further comprises suction means 5 for providing a negative pressure. The platen 12 is internally formed with a dust removal passage 122, and the dust removal passage 122 penetrates the platen 12 and is connected with the adsorption device 5.

When the welding mechanism 1 welds the portion to be welded, a large amount of impurities such as dust, particles and slag are generated, and if the impurities adhere to the welding surface between the adapter piece 101 and the top cover 20, the welding surface has welding defects such as explosion points and pinholes, and the welding quality is seriously affected.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 8, the welding apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the application is further provided with the adsorption device 5, and the adsorption device 5 can provide negative pressure, so that impurities such as welding slag generated in the welding process of the welding mechanism 1 can be discharged out of the welding apparatus 100 through the dust removing channel 122 inside the pressing plate 12 under the action of the adsorption device 5, thereby realizing dust removal in the welding process, reducing the possibility of welding slag splashing, improving the cleaning degree of the welding environment, further reducing the possibility of impurities adhering to the welding surface, and improving the welding quality.

The dust removal channel 122 may be provided with a plurality of dust removal openings 1221, the dust removal openings 1221 are communicated with the dust removal channel 122, each dust removal opening 1221 may be correspondingly provided with an adsorption device 5, or each dust removal opening 1221 is respectively provided with a dust removal pipe, and each dust removal pipe is connected with one adsorption device 5 together. The plurality of dust removal openings 1221 can enable more thorough cleaning of impurities and further improve welding quality.

The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the shape of the dust removing passage 122 and the number of dust removing ports 1221.

Illustratively, the dust removing port 1221 may be opened at an end surface of the platen 12 in the second direction.

Also, for example, the dust removing port 1221 may be opened at an end surface of the platen 12 facing away from the positioning mechanism 2 in the advancing and retreating direction.

In some embodiments of the present application, the first positioning seat 21 includes a plurality of pins 212, and the plurality of pins 212 are surrounded to form a positioning area for positioning the top cover 20.

Alternatively, the number of pins 212 is 8, and 8 pins 212 enclose a positioning area for placing the top cover 20, and the positioning area is generally rectangular in shape and corresponds to the shape of the top cover 20.

Therefore, the positioning of the top cover 20 can be facilitated, the top cover 20 can be always positioned in a positioning area formed by surrounding the pins 212 in the welding process, the offset is not easy to occur, and the welding reliability is improved.

Of course, the number of pins 212 is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application, and the number of pins 212 may be 6, 10, 12, etc., and may be specifically set according to the actual size of the top cover 20.

For example, a plurality of through holes into which the pins 212 are inserted may be formed in the base of the first positioning seat 21, and the pins 212 may be detachably inserted into the through holes, so that different numbers of pins 212 may be inserted into different positions of the first positioning seat 21 according to the size and shape of the actual top cover 20, so as to enclose a positioning area matched with the top cover 20, so that the top cover 20 may be adapted to different sizes of the shaped top cover 20, thereby improving the compatibility of the first positioning seat 21 and facilitating flexible production.

Of course, the pin 212 may be fastened to the base of the first positioning seat 21.

Illustratively, the pins 212 may be made of zirconia ceramics, which has high hardness and good wear resistance, which can effectively increase the service life of the pins 212 and reduce maintenance costs.

Of course, pin 212 may be made of any other suitable material.

Specifically, the top end surfaces to the side circumferential surfaces of the plurality of pins 212 are chamfered.

Since the top end surface to the side circumferential surface of the pin 212 is provided with a chamfer, the chamfer can play a certain guiding role, thereby enabling the top cover 20 to enter the positioning area more smoothly.

In addition, the chamfer formed on the pin 212 also reduces the likelihood of damage to the cap 20 when it enters the locating area, thereby improving the reliability of the locating mechanism 2.

In some embodiments of the present application, the first positioning seat 21 includes a plurality of limiting edges, and the plurality of limiting edges are surrounded to form a positioning area, and the positioning area is used for positioning the top cover 20. One side of the limiting edge facing the positioning area is provided with a guiding inclined plane.

Optionally, the number of the limiting edges is 4, and the 4 limiting edges are surrounded to form a positioning area for placing the top cover 20, and the positioning area is generally rectangular and corresponds to the shape of the top cover 20. The 4 limit edges can be integrally formed into an integral structure, or can be formed into a split structure and then assembled together.

Therefore, the positioning of the top cover 20 can be facilitated, the top cover 20 can be always positioned in a limiting edge forming positioning area in the welding process, and the welding reliability is improved.

And because the limit edge has the direction inclined plane towards the one side of location area, the direction inclined plane can play certain guiding action, from this, make the top cap can get into the location area more smoothly.

In addition, the guide inclined surface formed on the limit edge can reduce the possibility of damage of the top cover 20 when entering the positioning area, thereby improving the reliability of the positioning mechanism 2.

For example, the limiting edge may be in a split structure with the base of the first positioning seat 21, and may be detachably disposed on the base of the first positioning seat 21.

Also for example, the limit edge may be formed as an integral structure with the base of the first positioning seat 21.

In some embodiments of the present application, the second nest 22 includes a base 22a, a first pusher plate 221, and two datum plates 222. The first pushing plate 221 is provided on the base 22a so as to be capable of advancing or retreating in the first direction, and is configured to push the bare cell 10 in the first direction. Two reference plates 222 are provided on opposite sides of the first push plate 221 in the first direction with a space for placing the bare cell 10 therebetween, and the two reference plates 222 are arranged at intervals in the second direction, the two reference plates being for blocking the bare cell 10, the reference plates 222 being capable of reciprocating in the second direction before the retracted position and the operating position. Wherein the first direction, the second direction and the advancing and retreating direction are perpendicular to each other.

When the bare cell 10 is grabbed by the grabbing and placing device and placed on the second positioning seat 22, the position of the bare cell 10 may not be at a preset position, where the preset position refers to a position where the adapter piece 101 of the bare cell 10 can be lapped on the post 201 of the top cover 20 after positioning is completed. Therefore, the second positioning seat 22 further includes the first push plate 221, the first push plate 221 is capable of pushing the bare cell 10 in the first direction, and the bare cell 10 is pushed to the preset position by the pushing operation of the first push plate 221.

The shape of the first pusher 221 may be a plate shape that is long in the second direction, or may be a bar shape, a rod shape, or the like that is long in the second direction, and the shape of the first pusher 221 is not particularly limited as long as the bare cell 10 can be pushed. In addition, the length of the first push plate 221 in the second direction is not particularly limited, as long as the second positioning seat 22 can push the bare cell 10 of all sizes compatible.

Moreover, since the first push plate 221 performs the corresponding pushing operation by advancing or retreating along the first direction, the die 10 with different dimensions can be adapted, and the die has good compatibility, thereby being beneficial to flexible production.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the first push plate rail 223 extending along the first direction is formed on the base 22a of the second positioning seat 22, and the first push plate 221 is supported on the first push plate rail 223 and is movable along the first push plate rail 223, so that the pushing and clamping of the bare cell 10 along the first direction can be easily realized.

A first push plate slider 2211 is provided under the first push plate 221, and the first push plate slider 2211 may be formed as a one-piece structure with the first push plate 221, or may be formed as a separate structure with the first push plate 221 and assembled together. The first push plate slide 2211 includes, but is not limited to, a slide plate, a slide block, a slide rod, a slide assembly composed of a plurality of structures, or the like.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first push plate rail 223 is a ridge-like protrusion structure, the first push plate slider 2211 is provided with a groove, and the first push plate 221 can reciprocate along the first push plate rail 223 through the cooperation of the groove and the protrusion structure.

In some other embodiments, the first push plate rail 223 may also be groove-shaped, and the first push plate slider 2211 is provided with a projection, and the first push plate 221 can reciprocate along the first push plate rail 223 by the cooperation of the projection and the groove.

Illustratively, the first push plate slide 2211 may reciprocate along the first push plate rail 223 under the driving of the driving device, thereby driving the first push plate 221 to reciprocate along the first push plate rail 223. The driving means include, but are not limited to, motors, cylinders.

The number of the first push plate rails 223 is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application, and only one first push plate rail 223 may be provided, or two, three or more first push plate rails 223 may be provided, so long as the first push plate 221 can move along the first push plate rail 223.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that when the number of first push plate guides 223 is plural, a plurality of first push plate sliders 2211, which is the same as the number of first push plate guides 223, should be correspondingly provided, or when only one first push plate slider 2211 is provided, the first push plate sliders 2211 should be correspondingly provided with the same mating structures (e.g., grooves or protrusions) as the number of first push plate guides 223, so that one first push plate slider 2211 can move along the plurality of first push plate guides 223.

In some embodiments of the present application, the number of the first push plate rails 223 is two, and the two first push plate rails 223 are disposed at two sides of the base 22a along the second direction at intervals.

Therefore, the first push plate 221 can be supported by the two first push plate guide rails 223, stability is higher, friction during movement of the first push plate 221 is further reduced, so that the first push plate 221 can move along the first direction more smoothly through cooperation with the two first push plate guide rails 223, and reliability and stability during movement of the first push plate 221 along the first direction are improved.

In some other embodiments, a first push plate rail 223 may be disposed on the base 22a of the second positioning seat 22, and the first push plate rail 223 is disposed in a middle region of the base 22 a. Or the base 22a of the second positioning seat 22 may be provided with three first push plate rails 223, and the three first push plate rails 223 are uniformly and alternately arranged along the second direction of the base 22 a.

The second positioning seat 22 further comprises a reference plate 222, the reference plate 222 can limit the position of the bare cell 10 to be finally pushed to the position, and the bare cell 10 can be well fixed between the first push plate 221 and the reference plate 222 after the pushing operation of the first push plate 221 is finished, so that good positioning is realized, the possibility of moving the bare cell 10 in the welding process is reduced, and the welding reliability is improved.

In the embodiment of the present application, after the top cover 20 is placed in the first positioning seat 21 to perform positioning, the bare cell 10 is placed in the second positioning seat 22, and the bare cell 10 is moved towards the first positioning seat 21 through the pushing operation of the first push plate 221, so that the bare cell 10 can be clamped and fixed between the first push plate 221 and the reference plate 222, and the transfer piece 101 of the bare cell 10 can be lapped on the pole 201 of the top cover 20, thereby completing positioning of the bare cell 10.

Accordingly, the reference plate 222 is disposed close to the first positioning seat 21 of the positioning mechanism 2 and higher than the first positioning seat 21 in the advancing and retreating direction, so that the through piece 101 of the bare cell 10 can pass below the reference plate 222 and overlap on the top cover 20.

In the embodiment of the present application, the number of the reference plates 222 is two, the two reference plates 222 are arranged at intervals in the second direction, and the two reference plates 222 can reciprocate between the retracted position and the operating position in the second direction. Therefore, when the first positioning seat 21 positions the top cover 20, the reference plate 222 moves to the retreating position along the second direction, so that interference with the top cover 20 is difficult to occur, the possibility of damage to the top cover 20 is reduced, the top cover 20 is more beneficial to placement and positioning, and when the second positioning seat 22 positions the bare cell 10, the reference plate 222 also moves to the working position along the second direction, thereby playing a better limiting role for the bare cell 10 and being more beneficial to positioning of the bare cell 10.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in fig. 1, 2 and 4, two reference plates 222 are respectively provided on two moving stages 23, and the two moving stages 23 are provided on opposite sides of the positioning mechanism 2 at intervals along the second direction and are connected to the positioning mechanism 2 through a connection platform 24. The connection stage 24 is provided with a movable stage rail 241 extending in the second direction, and each movable stage 23 is provided on the movable stage rail 241 so as to be movable along the movable stage rail 241.

Thus, the movement of the two reference plates 222 in the second direction between the working position and the retracted position can be easily achieved by the moving stage 23, and the structure is simple and the control method is easy.

Moreover, the moving rack guide rail 241 can reduce friction and shake of the moving rack 23 when moving along the second direction, so that the movement of the moving rack 23 is smoother and more stable, the movement of the reference plate 222 arranged on the moving rack 23 along the second direction is smoother and more stable, the reliability is better, the energy consumption is less, and the energy conservation and environmental protection are facilitated.

The moving stage slider 231 is provided below the moving stage 23, and the moving stage slider 231 may be formed as an integral structure with the moving stage 23 or may be formed as a separate structure with the moving stage 23 and assembled together. The moving stage slider 231 includes, but is not limited to, a slide plate, a slide block, a slide bar, a slide assembly composed of a plurality of structures, or the like.

Illustratively, the movable stage slider 231 may reciprocate along the movable stage rail 241 under the driving of the driving device, thereby driving the movable stage 23 to reciprocate along the first push plate rail 223. The drive means includes, but is not limited to, an electric motor.

In the embodiment of the present application, the moving stage rail 241 has a ridge-like protrusion structure, the moving stage slider 231 is provided with a groove, and the moving stage 23 can reciprocate along the second moving stage rail 241 by the cooperation of the groove and the protrusion structure.

In some other embodiments, the moving stage rail 241 may also be in a groove shape, and the moving stage slider 231 is provided with a protrusion, and the moving stage 23 can reciprocate along the moving stage rail 241 by the engagement of the protrusion with the groove.

In some embodiments of the present application, the number of the second positioning seats 22 is two, and the two second positioning seats 22 are located on two opposite sides of the first positioning seat 21 along the first direction.

Therefore, the positioning mechanism 2 can simultaneously position and fix the two bare cells 10, so that the positioning efficiency is improved, and the welding efficiency is improved.

The two second positioning seats 22 have the same structure and are not described in detail herein.

In the embodiment of the application, only one movable rack 23 is arranged on one side of the positioning mechanism 2 along the second direction, and the reference plates 222 of the two second positioning seats 22 on the same side along the second direction can be arranged on the same movable rack 23, so that the number of parts is reduced, and the assembly difficulty is reduced.

Of course, in some other embodiments, only two moving frames 23 are provided on one side of the positioning mechanism 2 along the second direction, and the reference plates 222 on the same side of the two second positioning seats 22 along the second direction may be respectively provided on the two moving frames 23.

In some embodiments of the present application, each of the moving stages 23 is provided with a reference plate rail 232 extending in the first direction, and each of the reference plates 222 of each of the second positioning seats 22 is provided on the reference plate rail 232 in such a manner as to be movable along the reference plate rail 232.

The structure, shape and size of the switching pieces 101 of different die 10 may be different, and thus, the separation distance between the two die 10 may be different when the switching pieces 101 of the two die 10 are welded with the top cover 20.

In the embodiment of the present application, the reference plate 222 of each second positioning seat 22 can also reciprocate along the reference plate rail 232 along the first direction, so that the spacing distance between the two bare cells 10 respectively positioned in the two second positioning seats 22 along the first direction can be defined according to different situations, so that the adaptability of the positioning mechanism 2 is better and the positioning precision is higher.

In addition, the reference plate 222 can be directly or indirectly supported on the reference plate guide rail 232, and can move along the reference plate guide rail 232 under the driving of the driving device, and the reference plate guide rail 232 can reduce friction and shake of the reference plate 222 when moving along the first direction, so that the movement of the reference plate 222 is smoother and smoother, the reliability is better, the energy consumption is less, and the energy conservation and the environmental protection are facilitated.

The driving device comprises, but is not limited to, a motor and an opening and closing cylinder.

In some embodiments of the present application, the second positioning seat 22 further includes a base 22a and two second push plates 25. The two second pushing plates 25 are disposed opposite to each other in the second direction, and are disposed on the base 22a so as to be able to approach or separate from each other in the second direction, and the two second pushing plates 25 are used for pushing the bare cell 10 in the second direction.

When the two second pushing plates 25 are at the initial position, they are disposed at opposite sides of the base 22a along the second direction, and the two second pushing plates 25 can be close to or far from each other along the second direction. Therefore, the bare cell 10 placed on the second positioning seat 22 can be pushed and pressed along the second direction through the action that the two second pushing plates 25 are relatively close to each other, so that the centering of the bare cell 10 is realized, namely, the center line of the bare cell 10 is aligned with the middle position between the two second pushing plates 25, and the adapter piece 101 of the bare cell 10 can be lapped on the pole 201 of the top cover 20, thereby improving the positioning precision. And the bare cell 10 can be clamped between the two second push plates 25, so that the bare cell 10 is positioned along the second direction, the possibility of moving the bare cell 10 in the welding process is reduced, and the welding reliability is improved.

In addition, since the two second pushing plates 25 are moved close to each other along the second direction to realize positioning and clamping fixation of the bare cell 10, the die can be adapted to the bare cells with different sizes, and the die has good compatibility and is beneficial to flexible production.

Illustratively, two second push plates 25 are connected to a screw rod extending in a second direction and rotatably provided to the base 22a, the two second push plates 25 being capable of approaching or moving away from each other along the screw rod in response to rotation of the screw rod. Thereby, the movement of the two second push plates 25 toward each other can be achieved by the rotation of the screw rod, so that the reliable positioning of the bare cell 10 can be easily achieved with a simple structure and in an automated manner.

Also illustratively, the base 22a has a second push plate rail formed thereon that extends in a second direction, with two second push plates 25 movably disposed along the second push plate rail.

The movement manner of the second push plate 25 is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application, as long as the two second push plates 25 can be moved relatively close to or away from each other.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the second push plate 25 includes a plate 251 and a push block 252. The plate member 251 is generally U-shaped, and specifically includes a first plate 2511 extending along a first direction and two second plates 2512 extending along a forward and backward direction, the two second plates 2512 are disposed at opposite ends of the first plate 2511 along the first direction, the number of pushing blocks 252 is two, the two pushing blocks 252 are respectively disposed at one ends of the two second plates 2512 facing away from the first plate 2511 along the forward and backward direction, and the pushing blocks 252 are used for surface contact of the bare cell 10 along the second direction, so as to push the bare cell 10 to achieve positioning along the second direction.

After the positioning mechanism 2 is lifted in place along the advancing and retreating direction, the structure of the second push plate 25 can reserve a larger operation space above the second positioning seat 22, so that interference with other devices and parts of the mechanism above the positioning mechanism 2 is not easy to occur, and the reliability of the welding equipment 100 can be improved.

A second aspect of the present application provides a welding system for welding a bare cell 10 to a top cap 20. The welding system comprises a top cover transfer line, a bare cell transfer line, a welding apparatus 100 provided according to the first aspect of the application, and a pick-and-place device. The cap transfer line is used to transfer caps 20. The bare cell conveyor line is used for conveying the bare cell 10 connected with the transfer chip 101. The grabbing and placing device is used for grabbing the top cover 20 on the top cover conveying line and the bare cell 10 on the bare cell conveying line, placing the top cover 20 and the bare cell 10 in the first positioning seat 21 and the second positioning seat 22 of the positioning mechanism 2 of the welding equipment 100 respectively, and welding the adapter piece 101 on the bare cell 10 and the top cover 20 together through the welding mechanism 1 of the welding equipment 100.

The bare cell transfer line and the top cover transfer line may be conveyor belts, for example, belts, rollers arranged side by side, chains, or the like.

Because the top cover 20 and the bare cell 10 are respectively conveyed on the top cover conveying line and the bare cell conveying line, and the top cover and the bare cell can be grasped and placed in the positioning mechanism 2 of the welding equipment 100 in an automatic mode through the grasping and placing device, the automation degree of the welding system can be improved, and the production efficiency of the whole wire is improved.

Illustratively, the pick-and-place device includes, but is not limited to, a robotic arm.

In addition, since the top cover 20 and the bare cell 10 can be positioned in the first positioning seat 21 and the second positioning seat 22 of the positioning mechanism 2, respectively, the top cover 20 and the bare cell 10 are not easy to move in the welding process of the welding device 100, and the welding reliability can be improved.

Moreover, because the welding device 100 comprises the ranging mechanism 3, the displacement of the positioning mechanism 2 close to the welding mechanism 1 is more reliable, the defocusing amount is more stable when the welding mechanism 1 is used for welding, the possibility that the conditions such as cold welding, poor welding and the like occur when the welding mechanism 1 is used for welding is reduced, and the reliability and the stability of the welding device 100 are improved.

The embodiment of the application also provides a welding method, the welding device 100 is used for welding the adapter piece 101 on the bare cell 10 to the top cover 20, the welding device 100 comprises a welding mechanism 1, a positioning mechanism 2 and a distance measuring mechanism 3, the positioning mechanism 2 comprises a first positioning seat 21 for placing the top cover 20 and a second positioning seat 22 for placing the bare cell 10, and the positioning mechanism 2 can move close to or far from the welding mechanism 1 along the advancing and retreating direction. As shown in fig. 9, the welding method includes the following steps.

S100: and a placing step, namely placing the top cover and the bare cell on the first positioning seat and the second positioning seat respectively.

S200: and a jacking step, wherein the positioning mechanism moves close to the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction.

S300: and a distance measuring step, wherein the distance measuring mechanism measures the distance between the distance measuring mechanism and the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction.

S400: and a welding step, namely enabling the welding mechanism to emit laser to perform welding operation under the condition that the positioning mechanism is lifted in place according to the ranging result.

Therefore, after the positioning mechanism 2 moves close to the welding mechanism 1 along the advancing and retreating direction, the distance between the positioning mechanism 2 and the positioning mechanism 2 along the advancing and retreating direction can be measured through the distance measuring mechanism 3, so that whether the positioning mechanism 2 moves in place or not is judged, namely, whether the positioning mechanism 2 moves by a preset distance or not is judged, so that the distance between the positioning mechanism 2 and the welding mechanism 1 is proper, the displacement of the positioning mechanism 2 is more reliable, the defocusing amount of the welding mechanism 1 during welding is more stable, the probability of occurrence of false welding, poor welding and the like during welding of the welding mechanism 1 is reduced, and the reliability and stability of the welding equipment 100 are improved, so that the welding quality is better.

In some embodiments of the present application, the second positioning seat 22 includes a first push plate 221, two second push plates 25, and a reference plate 222, the reference plate 222 being disposed on opposite sides of the first push plate 221 in a first direction, the first push plate 221 being capable of advancing or retracting in the first direction, the two second push plates 25 being disposed opposite in a second direction and being configured to be capable of approaching or moving away from each other in the second direction.

As shown in fig. 10, in the placing step, the following steps are further included.

S101: and a first positioning step, wherein the first push plate is made to advance along a first direction until the bare cell is abutted between the reference plate and the first push plate.

S102: and a second positioning step of making the two second pushing plates approach each other relatively until the bare cell is pushed to a prescribed position.

Therefore, the bare cell placed in the second positioning seat 22 can be pushed to a specified position through the first positioning step and the second positioning step, so that good positioning is realized, the transfer piece 101 of the bare cell 10 can be lapped on the pole 201 of the top cover 20, subsequent welding operation is convenient, the possibility that the bare cell 10 moves in the welding process can be reduced, and the welding reliability is improved.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in the above-described method of the specific embodiment, the written order of steps is not meant to imply a strict order of execution but rather should be construed according to the function and possibly inherent logic of the steps.

Specific examples of some embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the drawings.

As a specific example, the welding apparatus 100 includes a welding mechanism 1, a welding jig (positioning mechanism 2), and a laser range finder (ranging mechanism 3).

The welding jig includes a top cover positioning groove (first positioning seat 21) and two cell positioning grooves (second positioning seat 22), and the top cover positioning groove is located between the two cell positioning grooves. The top cover 20 and the battery cell (bare battery cell 10) are respectively placed in the top cover positioning groove and the battery cell positioning groove with the assistance of a feeding manipulator (grabbing mechanism). The edge of top cap constant head tank adopts the fixed mode of ceramic pin (pin 212), and the long limit direction and the minor face direction of top cap respectively are equipped with 2 pins, are provided with 8 pins altogether, and the top of pin all adopts the fillet to handle. The cell positioning groove comprises two groups of clamping jaw cylinders (a first push plate 221 and a second push plate 25), and the surface of the cell is pushed by the clamping jaw cylinders, so that the cell is placed in the middle and can be clamped and fixed between the two groups of clamping cylinders. The cell positioning slot also includes two fixed edges (datum plate 222) that can act to fix the spacing and relative position between the two cells.

The below of top cap constant head tank is equipped with laser rangefinder, and laser rangefinder's irradiation position is the utmost point post position department of top cap. During welding, an air cylinder (jacking device 4) below the welding fixture jacks the welding fixture to a protective pressing plate (pressing plate 12) of the upper welding mechanism 1, at the moment, laser ranging and starting work are performed, ranging is performed, and under the condition that the distance of the display position of the ranging structure is proper, a laser head of the welding mechanism is allowed to emit a laser beam to start welding operation.

The inside of the protective pressing plate is provided with the dust removing channel 122 with high wind speed, so that splashed welding slag can be completely pumped away during welding, and the problem of splashing of the welding slag is solved.

The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some or all of the technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the application, and they should be construed as falling within the scope of the present application. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the respective embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict.

Claims

1. A soldering apparatus for soldering a interposer die attached to a bare cell to a cap, the soldering apparatus comprising:

The welding mechanism comprises a laser head;

The positioning mechanism comprises a first positioning seat for placing the top cover and a second positioning seat for placing the bare cell, and can move close to or far from the welding mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction; and

The distance measuring mechanism is fixedly arranged on one side, away from the welding mechanism, of the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction, and is used for measuring the distance between the distance measuring mechanism and the positioning mechanism along the advancing and retreating direction.

2. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein,

The distance measuring mechanism comprises a laser distance measuring instrument which is fixedly arranged on one side, far away from the welding mechanism, of the first positioning seat along the advancing and retreating direction;

The first positioning seat is provided with an avoidance hole, and the avoidance hole is used for allowing laser emitted by the laser range finder to pass through and irradiate the pole column of the top cover under the condition that the top cover is placed on the first positioning seat.

3. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein,

The welding mechanism further comprises a pressing plate, wherein the pressing plate is used for pressing the top cover along the advancing and retreating direction during welding;

The welding equipment comprises a jacking device, and the positioning mechanism can be driven by the jacking device to lift to a welding position where the top cover is contacted with the pressing plate or lower from the welding position along the advancing and retreating direction.

4. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein,

the welding equipment further comprises an adsorption device for providing negative pressure;

The inside dust removal passageway that is formed with of clamp plate, dust removal passageway runs through the clamp plate to be connected with adsorption equipment.

5. The welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

The first positioning seat comprises a plurality of pins, a plurality of pins are arranged in a surrounding mode to form a positioning area, and the positioning area is used for positioning the top cover.

6. The welding apparatus of claim 5 wherein,

The top end surfaces to the side circumferential surfaces of the plurality of pins are provided with chamfers.

7. The welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

The first positioning seat comprises a plurality of limiting edges, a plurality of limiting edges are arranged to form a positioning area, and the positioning area is used for positioning the top cover;

One side of the limiting edge facing the positioning area is provided with a guiding inclined plane.

8. The welding apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second nest comprises:

A base;

The first pushing plate can be arranged on the base in a forward or backward mode along a first direction and is used for pushing the bare cell along the first direction; and

The two reference plates are arranged on opposite sides of the first push plate along the first direction through a space for placing the bare cell, are arranged at intervals along the second direction and are used for blocking the bare cell, and can reciprocate in the second direction before a retreating position and a working position;

Wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the advancing and retreating direction are perpendicular to each other.

9. The welding apparatus of claim 8 wherein,

The two reference plates are respectively arranged on two movable racks, and the two movable racks are arranged on two opposite sides of the positioning mechanism at intervals along the second direction and are connected with the positioning mechanism through a connecting platform;

The connecting platform is provided with a movable rack guide rail extending along the second direction, and each movable rack is arranged on the movable rack guide rail in a mode of being capable of moving along the movable rack guide rail.

10. The welding apparatus of claim 9 wherein,

The number of the second positioning seats is two, and the two second positioning seats are positioned on two opposite sides of the first positioning seat along the first direction.

11. The welding apparatus of claim 10 wherein,

Each of the moving stages is provided with a reference plate guide rail extending in the first direction, and each of the reference plates of each of the second positioning seats is provided on the reference plate guide rail so as to be movable along the reference plate guide rail.

12. The welding apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second nest further comprises:

A base;

The two second pushing plates are oppositely arranged along the second direction and arranged on the base in a mode of being capable of approaching to or separating from each other along the second direction, and the two second pushing plates are used for pushing the bare cell along the second direction.

13. A welding system for welding a bare cell to a cap, the welding system comprising:

a top cover conveying line for conveying the top cover;

The bare cell conveying line is used for conveying the bare cell connected with the switching sheet;

The welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12; and

The grabbing and placing device is used for grabbing the top cover on the top cover conveying line and the bare cell on the bare cell conveying line, placing the top cover and the bare cell in a first positioning seat and a second positioning seat of a positioning mechanism of the welding equipment respectively, and welding the transfer piece on the bare cell and the top cover together through the welding mechanism of the welding equipment.