JP2022120351A - Electrolyte injection system for open battery and electrolyte injection method for open battery - Google Patents

Abstract

To efficiently inject an electrolyte into a secondary battery having a plurality of cell batteries.SOLUTION: An electrolyte injection system 100 for an open battery includes a plurality of electrolyte injection devices 1 that inject an electrolyte from an open end of a cell battery configured as an open battery whose battery case can be opened, a chamber 10 containing a plurality of cell batteries 82, and a control device 60 that controls the plurality of electrolyte injection devices 1, and injects an electrolyte into each cell battery 82 at the same time, and further includes a hopper 30 and a nozzle that injects an electrolyte, and in a state in which the pressure in the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 is reduced to the same pressure, injection valves 50 corresponding to the respective cell batteries 82 are simultaneously opened to inject the electrolyte into the plurality of cell batteries 82 at the same time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an electrolyte injection system for an open battery and an electrolyte injection method for an open battery. The present invention relates to an open-type battery electrolyte injection system and an open-type battery electrolyte injection method for smoothly injecting a.

In many secondary batteries filled with an electrolyte, a plurality of cell batteries having power generation elements are housed in a battery case, the electrolyte is filled, and the battery case is sealed. In this case, there is also a method of injecting the electrolyte through an electrolyte injection port provided in the lid of the battery case. The vacuum injection system employed in such a secondary battery injection device is such that the injection port provided in a part of the sealed battery case and the discharge port of the hopper are in close contact with each other, and the battery case is injected through the hopper. After removing the inside, the electrolyte is impregnated by injecting and opening to the atmosphere.

Furthermore, in recent years, open-type battery modules, in which electrolyte is injected in an open state before a lid that covers the upper end surface of the battery case is attached, have been adopted in order to improve the efficiency of the injection process.
For example, in the electrolytic solution injection device described in Patent Document 1, the following configuration is proposed. That is, the electrolyte is poured from a storage chamber that stores a predetermined amount of electrolyte into a sealed battery in the manufacturing process, in which an electrode plate group is housed in a battery case having an open end. Here, there is an injection step for forming a liquid film on the electrode plate group by supplying an electrolytic solution to the sealed battery in the manufacturing process, which is in a high-vacuum atmosphere, by driving an electrolytic solution injection pump. It also has a liquid injection impregnation process in which the high-vacuum atmosphere is gradually released to the atmosphere while controlling the supply of the electrolytic solution so that the liquid film is maintained.

With such an electrolyte pouring device, while using an extremely simple and inexpensive configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent the electrolyte from adhering to the sealing portion of the battery case and the leads, thereby allowing the electrolyte to flow into the electrode plate group. It is possible to suitably realize a method of pouring an electrolytic solution for a sealed battery, which can be uniformly distributed over the entire area of the battery, and a method of pouring the electrolyte solution with a high degree of accuracy.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-327161

However, in the method of impregnating the electrolytic solution in a high-vacuum atmosphere as described in Patent Document 1, although the electrolytic solution can be injected into the battery case, the apparatus is complicated, and it is difficult to inject the electrolytic solution into a plurality of cells at the same time. had the problem of inefficiency.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to efficiently inject an electrolytic solution into a secondary battery module battery having a plurality of cell batteries.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the open-type battery electrolyte injection system of the present invention, a plurality of electrolytes are injected from the open end of a cell battery configured as an open-type battery whose battery case can be opened. An electrolyte solution for an open-type battery that includes an electrolyte injection device, a chamber that houses the plurality of cell batteries, and a control device that controls the plurality of electrolyte injection devices, and simultaneously injects electrolyte into each cell battery. In the electrolyte injection system, the electrolyte injection device includes a hopper capable of holding a certain amount of electrolyte under reduced pressure, a nozzle arranged in the chamber for injecting the electrolyte into the cell battery, and from the hopper a liquid injection valve comprising a pneumatic pinch valve that opens or closes the liquid injection line communicating with the nozzle by means of pilot air; a first pressure reducing device that sets the pressure in the chamber; A second pressure reducing device for reducing the pressure of the hopper to a set pressure, and a third pressure reducing device for reducing the pilot air pressure of the liquid injection valve to open the liquid injection valve, wherein the control device controls the chamber and the liquid injection valve. The liquid injection valve corresponding to each of the cell batteries is simultaneously opened to simultaneously inject liquid into a plurality of cell batteries while the hopper and the hopper are decompressed to the same pressure.

When simultaneously opening the liquid injection valves corresponding to the respective cell batteries to simultaneously inject liquid into a plurality of cell batteries, the control device controls the pressure in the chamber and the hopper to be equal to each other. It is desirable to adjust the pressure so that the internal pressure of the hopper is higher than the pressure of the pilot air.

The first decompression device has a chamber pipeline that communicates with the chamber and a chamber valve that opens and closes the chamber pipeline, and the second decompression device has a hopper pipeline that communicates with the hopper, A hopper valve for opening and closing the hopper pipe, wherein the first decompression device and the second decompression device share a common vacuum pump, and by operating the valve controlled by the control device, the The pressure of the hopper and the chamber can be adjusted independently, and the pressures of the hopper and the chamber are equalized by communicating the chamber line and the hopper line with a constant pressure line. can be

The chamber may include a liquid level sensor for sensing the liquid level of the electrolyte injected into the cell battery.
A plurality of electrolyte injection devices for injecting an electrolyte from an open end of a cell battery configured as an open-type battery whose battery case can be opened, a chamber containing the plurality of cell batteries, and the plurality of electrolytes. A control device for controlling an electrolyte injection device, and an electrolyte injection system for an open-type battery that simultaneously injects electrolyte into each cell battery, wherein the electrolyte injection device supplies a constant amount of electrolyte. A hopper that can be held in a decompressed state, a nozzle that is arranged in the chamber and injects the electrolyte into the cell battery, and an injection conduit that communicates with the nozzle from the hopper, the injection conduit is opened by pilot air. Alternatively, an injection valve consisting of a closed pneumatic pinch valve, a first pressure reducing device for setting the chamber to a set pressure, and a second pressure reducing device for setting the hopper to a set pressure,
A third decompression device is provided for decompressing the pilot air of the liquid injection valve to open the liquid injection valve, the chamber has a liquid level sensor for sensing the liquid level of the cell battery, and the control device comprises: The pressure of the hopper and the chamber can be independently adjusted, and the pressure of the chamber and the hopper is reduced to the same pressure by connecting the chamber line and the hopper line with a constant pressure line. In this state, the injection valves corresponding to the respective cell batteries may be simultaneously opened to inject the liquid into a plurality of cell batteries.

Further, in the open-type battery electrolyte injection method of the present invention, in the open-type battery electrolyte injection system, the plurality of cell batteries are accommodated in the chamber, and the plurality of cell batteries are opened. a chamber depressurization step of placing the nozzle and the liquid level sensor at set positions in each cell battery at the open end of the battery case of the open type battery, sealing the chamber and depressurizing it to a target pressure; A hopper depressurization step of filling the hopper of each cell with a certain amount of electrolytic solution and depressurizing the hopper to a target pressure in an airtight state; It is characterized by comprising a step of differential pressure control to make the pressures equal, and a step of opening the injection valves to reduce the pilot air pressure so that the injection valves of the respective cells are opened at the same time.

In the step of opening the liquid injection valve, the control device adjusts the internal pressure of the chamber and the hopper so that the internal pressure of the chamber and the hopper is higher than the pressure of the pilot air, while the chamber and the hopper are pressure-reduced to the same pressure. is desirable.

Further, after the step of opening the injection valve, when the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level of the electrolyte is the set liquid level, the hopper and the chamber are set to the same pressure. A pressurization step of pressurizing by opening to the atmosphere at the set flow rate may be further performed.

Furthermore, after the pressurization step, when the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level of the electrolyte is below a set liquid level, the hopper and the chamber are opened to the atmosphere without speed limitation. A step of opening to the atmosphere may be further performed.

Further, after the step of opening to the atmosphere, a step of suppressing liquid dripping may be further performed in which the pressure in the hopper is reduced while the liquid injection valve is opened and the hopper and the nozzle are in communication.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The open-type battery electrolyte injection system and method of the present invention can efficiently simultaneously inject electrolyte into a plurality of cell batteries.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electrolytic solution injection system; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 for explaining the configuration of the electrolyte pouring device; It is a sectional view of an injection valve. (a) when open, (b) when closed. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of a method for injecting an electrolytic solution into an open-type battery according to the present embodiment; 4 is a time chart showing in chronological order the procedure of the electrolyte injection method for the open-type battery of the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of another example of the electrolyte injection system.

An electrolyte injection system for an open battery and an electrolyte injection method for an open battery according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. will be described with reference to

(Configuration of this embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electrolyte injection device 1 that constitutes an electrolyte injection system 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the AA portion of FIG. 1 for explaining the configuration of the electrolyte injection device 1. As shown in FIG. The configuration of an electrolytic solution injection system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrolyte injection system 100 includes a chamber 10 , six electrolyte injection devices 1 , and a controller 60 . Chamber 10 houses battery module 8 with six cell batteries 82 . The electrolyte injection device 1 injects an electrolyte 84 into each of these cell batteries 82 . The control device 60 controls the six electrolyte injection devices 1 .

<Battery module 8>
The battery module 8 exemplified in this embodiment is configured as a nickel-metal hydride storage battery for vehicles such as hybrid vehicles. As shown in FIG. 2, the battery module 8 includes a battery case 81 in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped having an open end 83 on the upper side. The battery case 81 constitutes an integrated battery case that can be partitioned by partition walls (not shown) to form six cell batteries 82 . Each cell battery 82 accommodates an electrode group, which is a power generation element in which a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator (not shown) are laminated. These cell batteries 82 are connected in series in the direction in which the batteries are arranged, and the power is taken out from positive and negative terminals provided at both ends of the integrated battery case in the battery longitudinal direction (perpendicular to FIG. 1). (not shown).

The battery module 8 exemplified in this embodiment is configured as an open-type battery. The completed battery module 8 has an outer shape formed by a battery case 81 having an open end 83 and a lid body (not shown) that seals the open end 83. The open end 83 of the product battery case 81 is a lid. Closed and sealed by the body. The battery module 8 shown in FIG. 2 is in the middle of the manufacturing process before being sealed with a lid, and the electrode groups inside each of the cell batteries 82 are exposed from the open ends 83 for electrolyte injection. After this electrolyte pouring process is finished, the cover is closed and sealed.

<Chamber 10>
As shown in FIG. 2, the chamber 10 has a room for accommodating the battery module 8 inside. The chamber 10 includes a mounting table 11 on which the battery module 8 is mounted. Moreover, a cubic upper cover 12 with an open bottom is provided to cover and seal the battery module 8 placed here. The upper cover 12 is configured to be openable and closable. The mounting table 11 and the upper cover 12 are kept airtight by the sealing 13 .

On the upper surface of the upper cover 12, nozzles 40 for injecting an electrolytic solution 84 are arranged at predetermined height positions at the positions of the respective cell batteries 82 of the battery module 8 placed inside. .

<Liquid level sensor 14>
Further, on the upper surface of the upper cover 12, a liquid level sensor 14 is provided at a position of a predetermined height at the position of each cell battery 82 of the battery module 8 placed inside. The liquid level sensor 14 detects the position of the liquid level of the injected electrolyte 84 . When the liquid level of the electrolytic solution 84 reaches the liquid level sensor 14, it is turned ON, and when the liquid level of the electrolytic solution 84 leaves the liquid level sensor 14, it is turned OFF. ).

<Control device 60>
The control device 60 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a well-known computer having a CPU, ROM, and RAM. A control program is stored in the storage means of the control device 60 . Control signals are sent from the control device 60 to the driving device 61 based on signals from the chamber pressure sensor 27, the hopper pressure sensor 35, the pilot air pressure sensor 57, and the liquid level sensor 14 (see FIG. 2) according to the control program. . The driving device 61 drives the chamber valve 23, the pressurization adjustment valve 26 for opening to the atmosphere, the hopper valve 33, the injection valve 50, and the adjustment valve 56 for opening the pilot air to the atmosphere based on the control signal transmitted from the control device 60. Send out a signal to drive.

While the pressure in the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 is reduced to the same pressure, the injection valves 50 corresponding to the respective cell batteries 82 are simultaneously opened to simultaneously inject the electrolytic solution 84 into the plurality of cell batteries 82 . The details of the control will be explained in detail in the explanation of the action.

<Electrolyte injection device 1>
As shown in FIG. 2, the electrolyte injection device 1 includes a hopper 30, a nozzle 40, an injection valve 50, a first pressure reducing device 21, a second pressure reducing device 31, and a third pressure reducing device 51. Prepare.

<Hopper 30>
As shown in FIG. 2, a hopper 30 capable of holding a certain amount of electrolytic solution 84 under reduced pressure is provided. The hopper 30 has an openable lid 38 . A fixed amount of the electrolyte solution 84 is filled by the metering pump 36 through the filling nozzle 37 . After the electrolytic solution 84 is filled, the hopper 30 is kept in an airtight state with the lid 38 closed, and the pressure is reduced.

<Nozzle 40>
The nozzle 40 is configured to communicate with the hopper 30 by means of the injection pipe line 41 . Each nozzle 40 injects an electrolytic solution 84 from the injection conduit 41 into each cell battery 82 of the battery module 8 arranged in the chamber 10 . The nozzle 40 is arranged so as to penetrate the upper surface of the upper cover 12 of the chamber 10 and is configured to be airtight. Nozzle 40 can inject liquid while chamber 10 is maintained in a depressurized state.

<Liquid injection valve 50>
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the injection valve 50. As shown in FIG. (a) shows the time of opening, and (b) shows the time of closing. As shown in FIG. 2 , the liquid injection valve 50 is arranged in the liquid injection pipe line 41 communicating with the nozzle 40 from the hopper 30 . The injection valve 50 is configured as a pneumatic pinch valve. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the pilot air is depressurized by degassing the pinch valve case 58 through the pilot air conduit 52, the resilience of the sleeve 59 with high recoil resilience opens the injection conduit 41. do. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the pilot air is released to the atmosphere through the pilot air pipe 52, the atmosphere flows into the pinch valve case 58 and is pressurized. Then, the high recoil resilience sleeve 59 closes the injection conduit 41 with the pressure of the pilot air. The opening and closing of the liquid injection valve 50 depends on the pressure difference between the pressure in the liquid injection pipe line 41 and the pinch valve case 58 . In this embodiment, when the electrolytic solution 84 begins to flow down through the liquid injection conduit 41, the liquid injection conduit 41 is decompressed. Therefore, in order to open the liquid injection valve 50 , the internal pressure in the pinch valve case 58 must be made lower than the internal pressure in the liquid injection pipe line 41 .

Therefore, the pilot air vacuum pump 54 shown in FIG. In order to close the liquid injection valve 50, the internal pressure in the pinch valve case 58 is made higher than the internal pressure of the liquid injection pipe line 41 by adjusting the adjustment valve 56 for opening the pilot air to the atmosphere shown in FIG. , the air is introduced from the air release port 55 for pilot air to pressurize from the decompressed state.

<First decompression device 21>
The first pressure reducing device 21 shown in FIG. 1 adjusts by reducing the pressure in the chamber 10 to a set pressure. The first decompression device 21 includes a chamber pipe 22 , a chamber valve 23 , a degassing vacuum pump 24 , a pressurization air release port 25 , a pressurization air release adjustment valve 26 , and a chamber pressure sensor 27 . The first decompression device 21 is provided with a chamber pipeline 22 whose one end is connected so as to communicate with the chamber 10, and a chamber valve 23 which is provided in the chamber pipeline 22 and opens and closes it. The other end of the chamber pipeline 22 is branched and one end is connected to a degassing vacuum pump 24 so that the pressure inside the chamber 10 can be reduced. The other branch can be pressurized by allowing air to flow in from the pressurization atmosphere release port 25 via the pressurization atmosphere release adjustment valve 26 . Controller 60 monitors the internal pressure in chamber 10 based on chamber pressure sensor 27 . Note that the controller 60 and the chamber pressure sensor 27 are connected by a signal line (not shown). When reducing the internal pressure of the chamber 10 , the controller 60 operates the degassing vacuum pump 24 and opens the chamber valve 23 . By closing the chamber valve 23 when the target internal pressure is reached, the reduced pressure state can be maintained. By adjusting the internal pressure of the chamber 10, the environment of the six cell batteries 82 of the battery module 8 accommodated therein can be adjusted to the same internal pressure at the same time.

<Second decompression device 31>
As shown in FIG. 1, the second decompression device 31 reduces the internal pressure of the hopper 30 to a set pressure. The second pressure reducing device 31 includes a hopper line 32 , a hopper valve 33 and a hopper pressure sensor 35 . The vacuum pump 24 for degassing, the adjustment valve 26 for pressurization release to atmosphere, and the pressurization release port 25 are shared with the first decompression device.

The second decompression device 31 is provided with a hopper pipeline 32, one end of which is connected so as to communicate with the hopper 30, and a hopper valve 33 which is provided in the hopper pipeline 32 and opens and closes it. The other end of the hopper pipeline 32 is branched and one end is connected to the degassing vacuum pump 24 so that the pressure inside the hopper 30 can be reduced. The other branch can be pressurized by allowing air to flow in from the pressurization atmosphere release port 25 via the pressurization atmosphere release adjustment valve 26 . The control device 60 monitors the internal pressure inside the hopper 30 based on the hopper pressure sensor 35 . The controller 60 and the hopper pressure sensor 35 are connected by a signal line (not shown). When the internal pressure of the hopper 30 is to be reduced, the control device 60 operates the deaeration vacuum pump 24, opens the hopper valve 33, and closes the hopper valve 33 when the internal pressure reaches the target. can be maintained.

<Equal pressure line 34>
As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrolyte injection device 1 includes a constant pressure line 34 . In the equal pressure line 34, the line of the chamber valve 23 of the chamber line 22 on the side opposite to the chamber 10 and the line of the hopper valve 33 of the hopper line 32 on the side opposite to the hopper 30 communicate with each other. This is the part that became the pipeline. When the chamber valve 23 and the hopper valve 33 are opened, the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 are communicated, and the internal pressures of the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 become equal. Also, when the hopper valve 33 is closed and the chamber valve 23 is opened, only the internal pressure of the chamber 10 can be adjusted. By closing the chamber valve 23 and opening the hopper valve 33, only the internal pressure of the hopper 30 can be adjusted.

<Third decompression device 51>
As shown in FIG. 1 , the third pressure reducing device 51 reduces the pressure of the pilot air of the injection valve 50 to open the injection valve 50 . The third pressure reducing device 51 includes a pilot air pipe 52 , a pilot air valve 53 , a pilot air vacuum pump 54 , a pilot air release port 55 , a pilot air release adjustment valve 56 and a pilot air pressure sensor 57 . Prepare.

The third pressure reducing device 51 is provided with a pilot air line 52 (see FIG. 3), one end of which is connected so as to communicate with the pinch valve case 58 of each liquid injection valve 50, and the pilot air line 52. A pilot air valve 53 for opening and closing this is provided. The other end of the pilot air pipe 52 is branched and one end is connected to a pilot air vacuum pump 54 to reduce the pressure in the pinch valve case 58 . The other branch can be pressurized by allowing air to flow in from the pilot air atmosphere release port 55 via the pilot air atmosphere release adjustment valve 56 . Controller 60 monitors the internal pressure in pinch valve case 58 based on pilot air pressure sensor 57 . The controller 60 and the pilot air pressure sensor 57 are connected by a signal line (not shown). When reducing the internal pressure of the pinch valve case 58 to open the injection valve 50 , the control device 60 operates the pilot air vacuum pump 54 and opens the pilot air valve 53 . By closing the pilot air valve 53 when the target internal pressure is reached, the open state of the injection valve 50 can be maintained. On the other hand, in order to close the injection valve 50, the internal pressure of the pinch valve case 58 is increased. In this case, the control device 60 pressurizes the reduced internal pressure so as to approach the atmospheric pressure by introducing the atmosphere from the pilot air atmosphere opening port 55 with the pilot air atmosphere opening adjustment valve 56 . In this case, the injection valve 50 remains closed unless the pressure is reduced by the pilot air vacuum pump 54 again.

(Action of this embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the electrolyte injection method for the open-type battery of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing, in chronological order, the procedure of the electrolyte injection method for an open-type battery according to the present embodiment. The procedure of the electrolyte injection method for the open type battery of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

<Hopper injection (S1)>
When the open-type battery electrolyte injection method is started (start), the hopper injection procedure (S1) is performed with the injection valve 50 closed. As shown in FIG. 2, the hopper 30 is filled with a fixed amount of the electrolytic solution 84 by the metering pump 36 through the filling nozzle 37 . After filling with the electrolytic solution 84, the hopper 30 is closed with the lid 38 and is kept in an airtight state. As shown from time t0 to t1 in FIG. 5, the internal pressure of hopper 30 remains at atmospheric pressure at this stage.

<Chamber degassing (S2)>
In parallel with this, the chamber degassing procedure (S2) is performed from time t0 to t1. 2, the battery module 8 is mounted on the mounting table 11 of the chamber 10, covered with the upper cover 12, and sealed with the sealing 13. As shown in FIG. At this time, the open end 83 of the battery case 81 of each cell battery 82 of the battery module 8 is open, and the nozzle 40 and the liquid level sensor 14 provided on the upper cover 12 are connected to each cell battery 82 at a predetermined level. place in position.

Subsequently, the controller 60 operates the deaeration vacuum pump 24 of the first decompression device 21 to open the chamber valve 23 to deaerate the air in the chamber 10 from the chamber conduit 22 to reduce the pressure. The controller 60 monitors the internal pressure of the chamber 10 with the chamber pressure sensor 27 and degasses to the set internal pressure. As a result, the internal pressure of the chamber 10 approaches the vacuum from the atmospheric pressure as shown from time t0 to t1 in FIG.

<Hopper degassing (S3)>
When the internal pressure of the chamber 10 reaches a predetermined level through the chamber degassing procedure (S2), the hopper degassing procedure (S3) is performed. In the hopper degassing procedure (S3), the hopper 30 is degassed to a predetermined internal pressure. In the hopper degassing procedure (S3), the controller 60 opens the hopper valve 33 . At the same time, the deaeration vacuum pump 24 is operated to deaerate the inside of the hopper 30 through the hopper pipe line 32 . Here, as shown from t1 to t2 in FIG. 5, the internal pressure of the hopper 30 drops from the atmospheric pressure.

<Differential pressure control (S4)>
In the differential pressure control (S4), the internal pressure of the chamber 10 and the internal pressure of the hopper 30 are made equal.

The section from t1 to t2 shown in FIG. 5 shows the hopper degassing procedure (S3) and the subsequent differential pressure control (S4). At the stage of time t1, the internal pressure of the chamber 10 has decreased to the target internal pressure. At the timing of time t1, the controller 60 starts deaeration of the hopper 30. As shown in FIG. Then, the internal pressure of the hopper 30 drops rapidly. On the other hand, the internal pressure of the chamber 10 rises once from time t1. This is because the opening of hopper valve 33 for venting of hopper 30 at time t1, coupled with chamber valve 23 already opened during chamber venting (S2), causes chamber 10 and hopper 30 are communicated with each other. That is, since the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 are communicated with each other, the atmospheric pressure air in the hopper 30 flows into the already deaerated chamber 10 . In this way, the internal pressure of the hopper 30 is reduced by the hopper degassing procedure (S3), and the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 are communicated with each other via the pressure equalizing pipe line 34, so that the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 are pressure equalized. differential pressure control (S4) is executed.

In this case, in the liquid injection procedure, when the liquid injection valve 50 is opened, if the internal pressure of the pinch valve case 58 does not have a set differential pressure between the internal pressures of the pilot air chamber 10 and the hopper 30, the liquid injection valve It is difficult to release 50 smoothly. In particular, there is a problem when the capacity of the pilot air vacuum pump 54 is smaller than that of the degassing vacuum pump 24 . In this case, if the degassing vacuum pump 24 is operated to its maximum capacity, the internal pressure of the pinch valve case 58 will be lower than the internal pressure of the pilot air chamber 10 and the hopper 30 no matter how much the pilot air vacuum pump 54 is operated. cannot be lower. Then, it becomes difficult to open the injection valve 50 .

The same applies when the same vacuum pump is used as the pilot air vacuum pump 54 and the degassing vacuum pump 24, or when factory vacuum air outside the apparatus is used. A detailed procedure in this case will be described later in another example.

Here, in order to smoothly open the liquid injection valve 50 in the liquid injection procedure of the present embodiment, the following control is performed. When simultaneously opening the liquid injection valves 50 corresponding to the respective cell batteries 82 to simultaneously inject liquid into a plurality of cell batteries, the pressure in the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 is reduced to the same pressure. Then, the internal pressures of the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 are adjusted to be higher than the internal pressure of the pilot air in the pinch valve case 58 . By setting the differential pressure sufficiently large, the plurality of injection valves 50 can be opened simultaneously with high accuracy. A specific differential pressure depends on a specific configuration of the injection valve 50 . Controller 60 raises the internal pressure of chamber 10 and hopper 30 sufficiently above the internal pressure corresponding to the maximum capacity of pilot air vacuum pump 54 . The controller 60 monitors the chamber pressure sensor 27 and the hopper pressure sensor 35, and if the pressure is higher than the target pressure, operates the degassing vacuum pump 24 to reduce the pressure. The control device 60 monitors the chamber pressure sensor 27 and the hopper pressure sensor 35, and when the pressure is lower than the target pressure, opens the pressurization adjustment valve 26 for release to the atmosphere to pressurize.

<Start injection (S5)>
When the internal pressures of the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 are adjusted to the set pressures by the differential pressure control (S4), liquid injection is started (S5). In the liquid injection, when the control device 60 drives the pilot air vacuum pump 54, as shown in FIG. Then, the injection valve 50 closed by the elasticity of the sleeve 59 with high recoil resilience is opened, and the injection pipe line 41 is opened.

Since the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 have the same pressure by the differential pressure control (S4) at the time of starting liquid injection, there is no pressure difference between the chamber 10 and the hopper 30. FIG. Therefore, when the injection valve 50 is opened, the electrolyte 84 flows down from the nozzle 40 to the cell battery 82 in the chamber 10 depending only on gravity. Therefore, the electrolytic solution 84 quietly flows down from the nozzle 40 and does not spout out. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electrolytic solution 84 from splashing around, splashing due to violent inflow, and bubbling and overflowing of the electrolytic solution 84 .

<Judgment of Liquid Level ≥ Threshold (S6)>
While the liquid injection is in progress, the "procedure for judging whether the liquid level is greater than or equal to the threshold value (S6)" is performed. The control device 60 constantly monitors the signal from the liquid level sensor 14 . As the injection progresses, the electrolyte 84 is stored in the cell battery 82 and the liquid level of the electrolyte 84 rises. When the signal from the liquid level sensor 14 is OFF, the control device 60 determines that the liquid level height is less than the set threshold (S6: NO), and continues monitoring. When the signal from the liquid level sensor 14 is turned ON at time t3 shown in FIG. 5, it is determined that the liquid level height is equal to or higher than the set threshold (S6: YES), and pressurization (S7) is started. do.

<Pressure (S7)>
In the pressurization procedure (S7), the control device 60 permits passage of a constant flow rate of air through the pressurization atmosphere release adjustment valve 26, and causes the atmosphere to gradually flow in from the pressurization atmosphere release port 25 to perform pressurization. pressure. The speed is such that the internal pressure of chamber 10 and hopper 30 gradually increases so that the liquid level of electrolyte 84 in cell battery 82 does not fluctuate. Also, if the atmospheric pressure is abruptly increased, air will enter the gaps between the electrode groups of the cell battery 82 and impede vacuum impregnation of the electrode group with the electrolytic solution. By applying pressure gradually in this manner, impregnation of the electrode group below the liquid surface with the electrolytic solution 84 is effectively performed by applying pressure to the liquid surface.

<Judgment of Liquid Level ≤ Threshold (S8)>
The controller 60 continues to monitor the signal from the liquid level sensor 14 all the time. When the signal from the liquid level sensor 14 is ON, the control device 60 determines that the liquid level height is equal to or higher than the set threshold (S8: NO), and continues to gradually pressurize (S7).

<Completion of injection>
As shown in FIG. 5, the injection is completed at time t4 when the injection reaches a certain amount stored in the hopper 30. As shown in FIG. Completion of this liquid injection is not detected by the control device 60, and it is assumed that the liquid injection is completed at time t4. Immediately after the injection is completed, the signal from the liquid level sensor 14 continues to be ON due to fluctuations and bubbling of the liquid level of the electrolytic solution 84 (S7: NO). When the liquid level of the electrolytic solution 84 stabilizes and the signal from the liquid level sensor 14 becomes OFF, it is determined that the liquid level height has fallen below the threshold (S7: YES), and the procedure for opening to the atmosphere (S9 ).

<Atmospheric release (S9)>
In the atmospheric release procedure (S9), the control device 60 fully opens the pressurizing atmospheric release adjustment valve 26 to allow passage of the maximum flow rate of air, and allows the atmospheric air to flow in at once from the pressurizing atmospheric release port 25 to perform heating. pressure (S9). By pressurizing in this way, the impregnation of the electrode group of the cell battery 82 with the electrolytic solution 84 is promoted by the atmospheric pressure. This completes the injection of the electrolyte into the battery module 8, and completes the electrolyte injection method for the open-type battery of the present embodiment.

<Drip Suppression (S10)>
Here, the electrolyte injection method for the open-type battery of the present embodiment shifts to the next injection of the battery module 8 . Here, in the present embodiment, a drip suppression procedure (S10) is additionally executed. If the electrolyte solution 84 drips from the nozzle 40 until the next battery module 8 is injected, the alkaline solution adheres to the positive electrode terminal, the negative electrode terminal, and the like, and the battery module 8 deteriorates. may cause Therefore, the controller 60 opens the injection valve 50 and closes the chamber valve 23 . On the other hand, the hopper valve 33 is opened and the degassing vacuum pump 24 is operated at a low speed to make the inside of the hopper 30 and the nozzle 40 communicating therewith negative pressure with respect to the atmosphere. By applying a negative pressure, dripping from the nozzle 40 is suppressed. By such a dripping suppression procedure (S10), contamination of the battery module 8 by the electrolytic solution 84 is suppressed.

<Judgment of end of liquid injection (S11)>
After the injection of liquid into one battery module 8 is completed, it is determined whether or not the next battery module 8 is to be injected with liquid while executing the drip suppression procedure (S10). If it does not end (S11: NO), it waits while controlling dripping suppression (S10). It is determined whether or not the next battery module 8 is to be injected. If it is to end (S11: YES), the procedure for suppressing dripping (S10) is ended, and the procedure for the electrolyte injection method for an open type battery is ended (end).

(Effect of this embodiment)
The electrolyte injection system 100 and the electrolyte injection method for an open-type battery according to the present embodiment have the following effects.

(1) The internal pressure difference between the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 is zero by differential pressure control when the electrolyte solution 84 is injected by opening the injection valve 50 . Therefore, injection is performed quietly, relying only on gravity. Therefore, the ejection of the electrolyte 84 from the nozzle 40 can be suppressed, and the scattering of the electrolyte 84 to the surroundings, the generation of droplets, bubbling, and overflow due to fluctuation of the liquid surface can be suppressed.

(2) Fluctuation of the liquid level of the injected electrolytic solution 84 is small, the liquid level can be detected more accurately by the liquid level sensor 14, and the controller 60 performs more accurate control. be able to.

(3) Since the differential pressure control is performed by providing the constant pressure line 34 that communicates the chamber 10 and the hopper 30, it can be performed simply, instantaneously, and accurately.
(4) Since liquid injection is performed by the liquid injection valve 50 which is a pneumatic pinch valve, it can be controlled by pneumatic pressure using pilot air. Therefore, injection into many cell batteries 82 can be performed at the same time. Therefore, the electrolyte injection process can be performed efficiently.

(5) Since the injection valve 50 is a pinch valve, there is no leakage when closed, and there is little flow resistance when opened. In addition, the high recoil elasticity sleeve 59 has a high resistance to a strong alkaline electrolyte.

(6) Since the injection of the electrolytic solution 84 is performed at a low pressure close to a vacuum, the air in the separator is eliminated, and the electrode group is efficiently vacuum-impregnated with the electrolytic solution.
(7) The liquid level of the liquid injection is detected by the liquid level sensor 14, and the injection is performed at low pressure until the electrode group is sufficiently immersed in the electrolytic solution, and after the electrode group is sufficiently immersed in the electrolytic solution, atmospheric pressure is applied. is injected so as to promote impregnation. For this reason, effective impregnation can be performed sequentially from the bottom portion below the liquid surface upwards according to the stage of liquid injection.

(8) The degassing vacuum pump 24 can degas the chamber 10 containing a plurality of cell batteries 82 and the plurality of hoppers 30 with a single unit, so the device can be simplified.
(9) Liquid injection can proceed according to a time chart, so it can be easily incorporated into a factory line with a fixed tact time.

(10) When a plurality of battery modules 8 are continuously injected, the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the like are not soiled by the strong alkaline electrolyte due to the liquid dripping suppression control.
(11) It is also possible to pour the liquid into a cell battery composed of a plurality of single cells or into a plurality of battery modules 8 at the same time.

(12) The amount of electrolyte filled in each cell battery 82 is exactly the same, and high quality battery modules 8 can be produced without contamination by the electrolyte solution 84 .
(Another example of this embodiment)
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and can be implemented as follows.

The batteries to be injected are not limited to the battery module 8 having a plurality of cell batteries 82 as exemplified in the embodiment. good too. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of battery modules 8 are collectively housed in the chamber 10 and injected.

In the present embodiment, the first decompression device 21 and the second decompression device 31 share the degassing vacuum pump 24, the pressurization atmosphere release adjustment valve 26, and the pressurization atmosphere release port 25. The present invention is not limited to this, and dedicated devices may be provided separately.

○ Conversely, the third decompression device 51 can also share the degassing vacuum pump 24 , the pressurization atmosphere release adjustment valve 26 , and the pressurization atmosphere release port 25 .
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of another example of the electrolyte injection system 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the first decompression device 21, the second decompression device 31, and the third decompression device 51 share a degassing vacuum pump 24 as a common vacuum pump, and a common pressurizing means as a pressurizing means. A case in which the atmospheric release adjustment valve 26 and the pressurizing atmospheric release port 25 are shared will be described.

The pilot air vacuum pump 54, the pilot air release port 55, and the pilot air release adjustment valve 56 used in FIG. 2 are not used. The pilot air valve 53 communicates with the equal pressure line 34 .

Assuming such a configuration, the procedure for opening the liquid injection valve 50 will be described. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the chamber valve 23 and the hopper valve 33 are closed, the pilot air valve 53 is opened, and pressurization The atmospheric release adjustment valve 26 is opened, and the atmospheric pressure is introduced into the pinch valve case 58 through the pressurizing atmospheric release port 25 to reach the atmospheric pressure. In this state, the injection valve 50 is closed regardless of the internal pressures of the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 .

Next, the pilot air valve 53 is closed, and the procedures of hopper injection (S1), chamber deaeration (S2), hopper deaeration (S3), and differential pressure control (S4) are carried out. In the procedure of differential pressure control (S4), the chamber valve 23 and the hopper valve 33 are opened and the pressure in the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 is reduced to the same pressure as in the above-described embodiment. When deaeration is performed at the maximum capacity, it becomes impossible to maintain a positive pressure with a sufficient pressure difference with respect to the internal pressure of the pinch valve case 58 of the injection valve 50 . Therefore, the controller 60 monitors the internal pressure with the chamber pressure sensor 27 and the hopper pressure sensor 35, and adjusts the internal pressure to a predetermined level. When the pressure is too low, the adjustment valve 26 for air release for pressurization is opened so that a predetermined amount of air flows in. Conversely, if the pressure is too high, the pressurizing atmosphere release adjustment valve 26 is closed, and the deaeration vacuum pump 24 is operated to deaerate.

At the start of liquid injection (S5) shown at time t2 in FIG. 5, the chamber valve 23 and the hopper valve 33 are closed, the internal pressures of the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 are maintained, and the pilot air valve 53 is opened. In this state, the deaeration vacuum pump 24 is operated to deaerate the pilot air. When the internal pressure of the pinch valve case 58 becomes a negative pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure difference with respect to the internal pressures of the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 which are equally pressure-reduced, the high reaction elasticity sleeve 59 is drawn toward the pinch valve case 58 side. , the injection valve 50 opens. To maintain this state, the pilot air valve 53 is closed again.

At time t3 in FIG. 5, the chamber valve 23 and the hopper valve 33 are opened from this state, and when the adjusting valve 26 for pressurization air release introduces a predetermined amount of air from the pressurization air release port 25, the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 internal pressure is gradually increased. In this case, since the internal pressure of the pinch valve case 58 is maintained at a negative pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure difference with respect to the internal pressures of the chamber 10 and the hopper 30 which are reduced to the same pressure, the injection valve 50 It remains open.

Subsequent control is the same as the control of the embodiment. By performing such procedures, the present invention can be implemented in the same manner as the embodiment.
〇An accumulator, etc. may be provided for rapid pressurization and decompression.

〇 In addition, you may receive a supply of negative pressure vacuum air from the factory facility.
The control in that case is the same procedure as in the case of using the degassing vacuum pump 24 as a common vacuum pump for the first decompression device 21, the second decompression device 31, and the third decompression device 51. can be implemented.

The initial state of the liquid injection valve 50 of the present embodiment is the open state, but a valve whose initial state is the closed state may also be used.
The liquid injection valve 50 is not limited to being pneumatically driven, and may be hydraulically driven. Further, it may be driven by a solenoid.

The liquid injection valve 50 is not limited to a pinch valve, and may be of any type, such as a ball valve, gate valve, needle valve, butterfly valve, globe valve, diaphragm valve, etc., as long as the electrolytic solution can flow down and stop.

o The flow chart shown in FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the present invention, and procedures thereof may be added, deleted, reordered, and modified by those skilled in the art.
In the present embodiment, the battery module 8 of a nickel-metal hydride storage battery for vehicle use has been described as an example, but its application is not limited, and it is used to determine the state of ground-mounted batteries as well as ships and aircraft. be able to.

As for the battery module 8, a nickel-metal hydride storage battery has been described as an example, but the type of battery is not limited, such as a lithium-ion secondary battery, as long as the method of injecting an electrolytic solution can be implemented.
o The aspects described in each embodiment and modification can be replaced with each other as long as there is no contradiction.

○ This embodiment is an example of the present invention, and a person skilled in the art can add, delete, or change the configuration without departing from the scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 electrolytic solution injection device 10 chamber 11 mounting table 12 upper cover 13 sealing 14 liquid level sensor 21 first decompression device 22 chamber pipe line 23 chamber valve 24 degassing vacuum pump 25 Pressurization atmosphere release port 26 Pressurization atmosphere release adjustment valve 27 Chamber pressure sensor 30 Hopper 31 Second decompression device 32 Hopper line 33 Hopper valve 34 Equal pressure line 35 Hopper pressure sensor 36 Constant capacity pump 37 Filling nozzle 38 Lid 40 Nozzle 41 Injection pipeline (communicating from hopper to nozzle) 50 Injection valve 51 Third decompression device 52 Pilot air pipeline 53 Pilot air valve 54 Pilot air vacuum pump 55 Pilot air release port 56 Pilot air release adjustment valve 57 Pilot air pressure sensor 58 Pinch valve case 59 High recoil elasticity sleeve 60 Control device 61 Drive Apparatus 62 Signal line 80 Battery module 81 Battery case 82 Cell battery 83 Open end 84 Electrolyte 100 Electrolyte injection system

Claims (10)

A plurality of electrolyte injection devices for injecting an electrolyte from an open end of a cell battery configured as an open-type battery whose battery case can be opened, a chamber containing the plurality of cell batteries, and the plurality of electrolytes. A control device for controlling the injection device, and an electrolytic solution injection system for an open type battery that simultaneously injects an electrolytic solution into each cell battery,
The electrolyte injection device is
a hopper capable of holding a certain amount of electrolytic solution under reduced pressure;
a nozzle disposed in the chamber for injecting electrolyte into the cell battery;
a liquid injection valve comprising a pneumatic pinch valve that opens or closes the liquid injection pipeline with pilot air in the liquid injection pipeline that communicates with the nozzle from the hopper;
a first pressure reducing device to bring the chamber to a set pressure;
a second depressurizing device that brings the hopper to a set pressure;
A third decompression device for decompressing the pilot air of the liquid injection valve to open the liquid injection valve,
The controller is characterized in that, while the pressure in the chamber and the hopper is reduced to the same pressure, the liquid injection valves corresponding to the respective cell batteries are simultaneously opened to simultaneously inject liquid into the plurality of cell batteries. Electrolyte injection system for type batteries. When simultaneously opening the liquid injection valves corresponding to the respective cell batteries to simultaneously inject liquid into a plurality of cell batteries, the control device controls the pressure in the chamber and the hopper to be equal to each other. 2. The electrolyte injection system for an open type battery according to claim 1, wherein the internal pressure of the hopper is adjusted to be higher than the pressure of the pilot air. The first decompression device has a chamber conduit that communicates with the chamber and a chamber valve that opens and closes the chamber conduit,
The second decompression device has a hopper pipeline that communicates with the hopper and a hopper valve that opens and closes the hopper pipeline,
A common vacuum pump is shared by the first decompression device and the second decompression device,
By operating a valve controlled by the control device, the pressure of the hopper and the chamber can be independently adjusted, and the chamber line and the hopper line are communicated by a constant pressure line. 3. The electrolyte pouring system for an open-type battery according to claim 1, wherein the pressures of the hopper and the chamber are equalized at . 4. The electrolysis of an open-type battery according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is provided with a liquid level sensor for sensing the liquid level of the electrolytic solution injected into the cell battery. Liquid injection system. A plurality of electrolyte injection devices for injecting an electrolyte from an open end of a cell battery configured as an open-type battery whose battery case can be opened, a chamber containing the plurality of cell batteries, and the plurality of electrolytes. A control device for controlling the injection device, and an electrolytic solution injection system for an open type battery that simultaneously injects an electrolytic solution into each cell battery,
The electrolyte injection device is
a hopper capable of holding a certain amount of electrolytic solution under reduced pressure;
a nozzle disposed in the chamber for injecting electrolyte into the cell battery;
a liquid injection valve comprising a pneumatic pinch valve that opens or closes the liquid injection pipeline with pilot air in the liquid injection pipeline that communicates with the nozzle from the hopper;
a first pressure reducing device to bring the chamber to a set pressure;
a second depressurizing device that brings the hopper to a set pressure;
A third decompression device for decompressing the pilot air of the liquid injection valve to open the liquid injection valve,
The chamber has a liquid level sensor that senses the liquid level of the cell battery,
The control device is configured so that the pressures of the hopper and the chamber can be adjusted independently, and the chamber and the hopper are equalized by communicating the chamber conduit and the hopper conduit with a constant pressure conduit. 1. An open-type battery electrolyte injection system, wherein the injection valves corresponding to each of the cell batteries are simultaneously opened to inject the electrolyte into a plurality of cell batteries in a decompressed state. In the open-type battery electrolyte injection system according to claim 5,
The plurality of cell batteries are accommodated in the chamber, and the nozzle and the liquid level sensor are placed at the set positions for each cell battery at the open end of the battery case of an open type battery in which the plurality of cell batteries are opened. a chamber depressurization step of placing and sealing the chamber and depressurizing it to a target pressure;
A hopper depressurization step of filling the hopper of each cell with a certain amount of electrolytic solution and depressurizing the hopper to a target pressure in an airtight state;
a differential pressure control step in which the hopper and the chamber are communicated to equalize the pressures of the hopper and the chamber;
and a step of opening the injection valves to decompress pilot air so that the injection valves of each cell are opened simultaneously. In the step of opening the liquid injection valve, the control device adjusts the internal pressure of the chamber and the hopper so that the internal pressure of the chamber and the hopper is higher than the pressure of the pilot air, while the chamber and the hopper are pressure-reduced to the same pressure. 7. The electrolyte pouring method for an open type battery according to claim 6. After the step of opening the injection valve, the hopper and the chamber are depressurized to equal pressure when the liquid level sensor senses that the liquid level of the electrolyte is at the set liquid level. 8. The method of pouring electrolyte into an open-type battery according to claim 6, further comprising a pressurizing step of pressurizing by opening to the atmosphere at a flow rate. After the pressurization step, when the liquid level sensor senses that the liquid level of the electrolyte is below a set liquid level, the hopper and the chamber are vented to the atmosphere without speed limitation. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising an opening step. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein after the step of opening to the atmosphere, a step of suppressing liquid dripping is further performed to reduce the pressure of the hopper while the liquid injection valve is opened and the hopper and the nozzle are in communication. Electrolyte injection method for open type battery.

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