JP2023112925A - Charge-discharge inspection facility - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a charge-discharge inspection facility capable of enhancing the reliability of various types of processing such as calibration compared to the prior art.SOLUTION: The charge-discharge inspection facility comprises: a plurality of battery units, each of which has a plurality of secondary batteries to be inspected and is transported to a predetermined position by a transport device 13; a plurality of charge-discharge devices 11, each of which charges/discharges the secondary batteries of the battery units disposed at the predetermined position; and a processing device 12 which is transported by the transport device 13 and is disposed in place of the battery units to perform preset processing. Connection terminals 17 of the charge-discharge devices 11 are divided into charge-discharge terminals 18, 19 which are connected to the respective secondary batteries, and processing terminals 20, 21 which are connected to the processing unit 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to charge/discharge inspection equipment for secondary batteries.

In recent years, rechargeable and dischargeable secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries have been widely used in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and other electrical products.
In the manufacture of this battery, as with conventional charge/discharge batteries, the manufactured battery is subjected to a charge/discharge test to check whether the battery satisfies predetermined performance and characteristics before shipment.
The charge/discharge test can be performed using charge/discharge inspection equipment (charge/discharge inspection system) for secondary batteries. For example, the charge/discharge inspection system described in Patent Document 1 includes a charge/discharge device (battery inspection unit) that accommodates a plurality of secondary batteries and performs charge/discharge inspection, and a charge/discharge device arranged in place of the secondary batteries for calibration. has a calibration device that performs Instead, it has contacts (connection terminals) for connecting to charging/discharging terminals. The calibrating device is transported to the charging/discharging device by the transporting device, and is positioned at the transport position where the contactor can be connected to the charging/discharging terminal.

WO2012/093652

However, since the charging/discharging terminal of the charging/discharging device wears out at the contact portion with the secondary battery due to long-term use, calibration is performed by connecting the worn charging/discharging terminal to the contactor of the calibration device. In such a case, there is a possibility that calibration will be performed while contact failure is occurring, and the reliability of calibration will be impaired. This contact failure occurs not only in the calibrating device but also in the case of connecting various processing devices that perform preset processing to the charging/discharging terminals.
Poor contact can be avoided by detecting the state of wear (deterioration) of the charging/discharging terminals, but this is not easy because the charging/discharging device is provided with a plurality (a large number) of charging/discharging terminals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a charge/discharge inspection facility capable of improving the reliability of various processes such as calibration as compared with the conventional ones.

A charging/discharging inspection facility according to the present invention that meets the above object includes a plurality of battery units each having a plurality of secondary batteries to be inspected and transported to a predetermined position by a transport device;
a plurality of charging/discharging devices that respectively charge and discharge the secondary battery of the battery unit arranged at the predetermined position;
a processing device that is transported by the transport device and arranged in place of the battery unit to perform preset processing;
The connection terminals of the charging/discharging device are divided into charging/discharging terminals connected to the secondary batteries and processing terminals connected to the processing device.

In the charge/discharge inspection equipment according to the present invention, the processing device is a calibration device for calibrating each charging and discharging device, the processing terminal is a calibration terminal, and the calibration device has the calibration terminal preferably connected.
Here, the calibration device is provided with a deterioration diagnosis terminal for connecting to the charge/discharge terminal, and a current is supplied from the charge/discharge device to the load to which the deterioration diagnosis terminal is connected to cause the charge/discharge terminal to flow. It is recommended to measure the degree of deterioration of

In the charging/discharging inspection equipment according to the present invention, the processing device is a diagnostic device that measures the degree of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal, and the diagnostic device is a deterioration diagnostic terminal for connecting to the charging/discharging terminal. and measuring the degree of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal by flowing a current from the charging/discharging device to the load to which the deterioration diagnosis terminal is connected.

In the charge/discharge inspection equipment according to the present invention, it is preferable that an element for measuring the temperature of the deterioration diagnosis terminal is attached and fixed to the deterioration diagnosis terminal.

In the charging/discharging inspection equipment according to the present invention, the connection terminals of the charging/discharging device are divided into charging/discharging terminals connected to each secondary battery and processing terminals connected to a processing device that performs preset processing. Therefore, for example, if the processing equipment is a calibration equipment, the terminals for calibration (processing terminals) can be replaced without contacting the charging/discharging terminals worn by use with the calibration equipment (processing equipment) as in the conventional method. By connecting to the calibration device, calibration (various processes) of the charging/discharging device (charging/discharging power source) can be performed by the calibration device.
Therefore, the reliability of various processes such as calibration can be improved more than before.

Further, in the case where the calibration device is provided with a deterioration diagnosis terminal for connecting to the charging/discharging terminal, after calibrating the charging/discharging device, a current is continuously supplied from the charging/discharging device to the load via the deterioration diagnosis terminal, By measuring the voltage across the charging/discharging terminals and calculating the resistance, it is possible to grasp the state of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminals (the recommended timing for replacement of the charging/discharging terminals can be grasped).
Therefore, when a diagnostic device (device without a calibration function) having a deterioration diagnostic terminal is used as the processing device, reliability can be improved when examining the deterioration state of the charge/discharge terminal.
Here, when an element for measuring the temperature is attached and fixed to the deterioration diagnosis terminal, the deterioration state of the charge/discharge terminal can be grasped by measuring the heat generation temperature of the deterioration diagnosis terminal (charge/discharge terminal (It is possible to know the recommended replacement time for
The state of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal can be grasped by using either one or both of the calculation of the resistance and the measurement of the heat generation temperature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing of the charging/discharging test|inspection equipment which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the use condition of the charging/discharging apparatus and calibration apparatus which are used for the charging/discharging inspection equipment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of usage states of the charging/discharging device and the calibrating device according to Modification 1; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a usage state of a calibration device according to modification 2;

Next, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings for better understanding of the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a charge/discharge inspection (test) facility 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery units (not shown) each having a plurality of secondary batteries to be inspected. , a plurality of charging/discharging devices 11 for charging and discharging the secondary battery of the battery unit, a calibration device (an example of a processing device that performs preset processing) 12 for calibrating each charging/discharging device 11, and a battery It has a transport device 13 for transporting the unit and the calibration device 12 to predetermined positions (positions where charging/discharging or calibration can be performed in an inspection shelf 15, which will be described later). The battery unit has a battery tray and a plurality of secondary batteries arranged (set, mounted) side by side on the battery tray.
A detailed description will be given below.

The charge/discharge inspection equipment 10 includes a plurality of (here, two) inspection racks 14 .
The inspection rack 14 is provided with a plurality of inspection racks 15 capable of accommodating battery units in the vertical (height) direction and the horizontal (width) direction. 15 are arranged to face each other.
Each inspection shelf 15 is provided with a charge/discharge device 11 provided with a plurality of connection terminals 17 connected to a charge/discharge power source (power source) 16, and the connection terminals 17 are connected to a plurality of secondary batteries. It is divided into a pair of charge/discharge terminals 18 and 19 and a plurality of pairs of calibration terminals (an example of processing terminals) 20 and 21 connected to the calibration device 12 . The number of charging/discharging devices 11 is the same as the number of inspection racks 15, and the charging/discharging power supply 16 is for supplying power to the secondary batteries, and has current and voltage measurement functions. 15 and/or can be installed in a location different from the inspection shelf 15.

The charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 form a pair capable of coming into contact with the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery. They are installed corresponding to their positions (overlapping in plan view). The charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 are connected to a plurality of channels of the charging/discharging power supply 16 via wirings 22 and 23 .
The calibration terminals 20 and 21 can be brought into contact with positive and negative pin-shaped contactors 24 and 25 of the calibration device 12 arranged on the inspection shelf 15 in place of the battery unit (battery tray). The calibration terminals 20 and 21 are connected to the wirings 26 and 27 connected to the wirings 22 and 23 described above, and are located above the calibration device 12 separately from the pair of charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 when viewed from above. Installed independently in position. Thus, the pair of calibration terminals 20 and 21 are electrically connected to the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19, respectively.

The calibration device 12 is sized to be accommodated in the inspection shelf 15 .
The plurality of contactors 24 and 25 provided in the calibration device 12 are provided corresponding to the arrangement positions of the plurality of calibration terminals 20 and 21 (so as to overlap each other in plan view when housed in the inspection shelf 15). ing. Since the contacts 24 and 25 are provided in a state of protruding upward from a protruding portion (stepped portion) 29 provided on the upper portion of the casing 28 of the calibrating device 12, the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 are connected to each other. The contacts 24 and 25 of the calibration device 12 can be brought into contact with the terminals 20 and 21 for calibration without contacting the calibration device 12 .
The number of contacts 24 and 25 and the arrangement interval (pitch) of multiple pairs of contacts 24 and 25 are determined by the number of calibration terminals 20 and 21 provided in charge/discharge device 11 and the number of pairs of calibration terminals 20 and 21 provided in charge/discharge device 11. Although it matches the arrangement interval of the terminals 20 and 21, it may be different as follows.

For example, the plurality of contacts provided on the calibration device may be arranged in an arrangement that matches a portion of the arrangement of the plurality of terminals for calibration provided on the charge/discharge device. That is, the number of contacts may be smaller than the number of terminals for calibration.
In this case, the calibration can be completed for all the calibration terminals by changing the connection of the contactor from the calibrated calibration terminal to the uncalibrated calibration terminal.
Also, some of the plurality of contactors may be arranged in an arrangement that conforms to the arrangement of the plurality of calibration terminals. That is, the number of contacts may be greater than the number of terminals for calibration.
In this case, the calibration device may include a large number of contacts arranged at various intervals, and may be configured to be able to correspond to calibration terminals at various arrangement intervals.

A switching circuit (not shown) for switching between power supply to the secondary battery and power supply to the calibration device 12 is provided at the connecting portion of the wirings 22 and 23 and the wirings 26 and 27 described above. For noise countermeasures and insulation protection, a relay circuit may be provided in the connection portion described above to switch between power supply to the secondary battery and power supply to the calibration device 12 .
Further, in the charge/discharge inspection equipment 10, the contactors 24 and 25 of the calibration device 12 are pin-shaped and configured to be able to come into contact with the flat calibration terminals 20 and 21 provided on the charge/discharge device 11. However, like the charging/discharging device 11a and the calibration device (an example of the processing device) 12a shown in FIG. It can also be configured to abut flat contacts 24a, 25a of device 12a.

Further, instead of the calibration device 12, a calibration device (an example of a processing device) 12b shown in FIG. 4 can be used.
The calibration device 12b is provided with deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 for connecting to the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 (a pair of contacts 24 and 25 and a pair of deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 are each provided in a plurality of pairs). have). The deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 are connected to a load (reference load).
As a result, the charge/discharge terminals 18 and 19 and the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 are used to flow the current I from the charge/discharge power supply 16 to the load, thereby increasing the voltage connected to the contactor 24 and the deterioration diagnosis terminal 30 . The voltages (V1, V2) across the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 can be measured by a meter and a voltmeter connected to the contactor 25 and the deterioration diagnosis terminal 31. FIG. By calculating the resistance using this voltage and the current flowing from the charging/discharging power source 16, the deterioration state of the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 can be grasped (the degree of deterioration can be measured (detected)).

Further, the calibrating device 12b has elements 32 and 33 for measuring temperature, and these elements 32 and 33 are attached and fixed to the rear surfaces of the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 (inside the calibrating device 12b), respectively.
As a result, by using the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 and the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 to flow a current from the charging/discharging power supply 16 to the load, the heat generation temperature of the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 can be measured. The state of deterioration of the discharge terminals 18 and 19 can be grasped (the degree of deterioration can be measured (detected)).
The deterioration state of the charging/discharging terminal can be grasped by using one or both of the above-described resistance calculation and heat generation temperature measurement. When the heat generation temperature reaches or exceeds a preset value, it can be determined that the charging/discharging terminal 18 and/or the charging/discharging terminal 19 has deteriorated and can be replaced.

Calibration terminals 20 and 21 provided on charge/discharge device 11 and contactors 24 and 25 provided on calibration device 12 are brought into contact with each other by raising calibration device 12 with respect to calibration terminals 20 and 21. However, the calibration terminals 20 and 21 (charge/discharge device 11) may be lowered with respect to the calibration device 12, or may be raised and lowered together.
Similarly, the contact between the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 provided in the charging/discharging device 11 and the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery is similar to the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19. However, the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 (charging/discharging device 11) may be lowered with respect to the battery unit, or the raising and lowering may be combined. .
Each elevation can be performed by an elevation mechanism (elevating means) attached within the inspection shelf 15 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 13 is installed between two inspection racks 14 facing each other, and transports the calibration device 12 or the battery unit from an external storage place into each inspection shelf 15. Automated transport equipment (eg, stacker cranes) for This transport device is configured to be capable of linearly transporting the calibration device 12 or the battery unit in, for example, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction.
Specifically, the conveying device 13 has a fork portion that supports the calibration device 12 or the battery unit (battery tray) from below. , can be transported to a desired inspection shelf 15 and positioned with respect to the charging/discharging device 11 .

The charging/discharging device 11 (charging/discharging device 11a), the calibration device 12 (calibration devices 12a and 12b), and the conveying device 13 are controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the charge/discharge inspection facility 10 (for example, a management unit). (computer for personal computer), wired and/or wirelessly, so that the operation of each device is controlled by the control unit and performed based on commands from the control unit. This command from the control unit is automatically performed using a preset program input to the control unit, but may be performed manually.
As a result, transportation and positioning of the calibration device 12 and the battery unit, charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery, and calibration of the charge/discharge device 11 can be performed.

Next, regarding the charging/discharging inspection method of the secondary battery using the charging/discharging inspection equipment 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention and the calibration (maintenance) method of the charging/discharging device 11 (charging/discharging power supply 16), FIGS. Description will be made with reference to FIG.
In the charge/discharge inspection of secondary batteries, first, a battery unit in which a plurality of secondary batteries are set in a battery tray is transported from an external storage location to a preset inspection shelf 15 by the transport device 13 . At this time, the battery unit is positioned so that the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 provided on the charging/discharging device 11 in the inspection shelf 15 are located above the plurality of secondary batteries (so that they can be connected). do.
Then, the secondary battery (battery tray) is raised with respect to the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the secondary battery are brought into contact (contact) with the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19. A charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery is performed based on the charge/discharge program.

In addition, since the charge/discharge power supply 16 used for a preset period needs to be calibrated by the calibration device 12, instead of the above-described battery unit (secondary battery), the calibration device 12 is attached to the outside by the carrier device 13. It is transported from the storage place to the preset inspection shelf 15. - 特許庁At this time, calibration terminals 20 and 21 provided on charge/discharge device 11 in inspection shelf 15 are located above contacts 24 and 25 of calibration device 12 (so that they can be connected). Position the device 12 . For example, there is one calibrating device 12, but it may be two or more depending on the scale of the charge/discharge inspection equipment.
Then, after the calibration device 12 is lifted with respect to the calibration terminals 20 and 21 and the contactors 24 and 25 of the calibration device 12 are brought into contact with the calibration terminals 20 and 21, the calibration program is set in advance. to calibrate the charge/discharge power supply 16 (ie, perform the calibration process).

After the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery is completed, the battery unit is lowered so that the charge/discharge terminals 18 and 19 and the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery are brought into a non-contact state. transport to the location of Similarly, after the charge/discharge power source 16 has been calibrated, the calibration device 12 is lowered so that the calibration terminals 20 and 21 and the contactors 24 and 25 of the calibration device 12 are brought into non-contact. state, and transported to a predetermined location by the transport device 13 .
The charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery and the calibration of the charge/discharge power supply 16 are performed in parallel. That is, while the calibration device 12 is performing the calibration process on a certain charge/discharge device, the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery is performed on another charge/discharge device.

In this way, the charge/discharge terminals 18 and 19 for performing the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery are not used for calibration of the charge/discharge power source 16, and are provided separately from the charge/discharge terminals 18 and 19. Since the calibrating terminals 20 and 21 are used, it is possible to prevent the contactors 24 and 25 of the calibrating device 12 from coming into contact with the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 during the calibration process.
Therefore, the wear of the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 is not affected, so that the reliability of the calibration can be improved more than the conventional one.

When calibrating the charging/discharging power source 16 (charging/discharging device) using the calibration device 12b shown in FIG. The internal circuit switches between the calibration circuit and the deterioration diagnosis circuit.
In the calibration device 12b, the contactors 24 and 25 are in contact with the calibration terminals 20 and 21 provided on the charge/discharge device 11, respectively, and the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 are also connected to the charge/discharge terminals of the charge/discharge device 11, respectively. 18 and 19, the charge/discharge power supply 16 supplies a current to the load through the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31, thereby changing the voltages across the charge/discharge terminal 18 and the charge/discharge terminal 19, respectively. You can measure and calculate the resistance. At this time, the heat generation temperature of the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31 can be measured by the elements 32 and 33 attached and fixed to the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30 and 31, respectively.

By using either one or both of the calculation of the resistance and the measurement of the heat generation temperature described above, it is possible to grasp the deterioration state (degree of deterioration) of the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 (recommended timing for replacement of the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19). can be grasped), for example, when the calculated resistance value is equal to or higher than a preset value and/or when the measured heat generation temperature is equal to or higher than a preset value, the charging/discharging terminal 18 and/or Alternatively, it can be determined that the charging/discharging terminal 19 has deteriorated and can be replaced.
Therefore, the reliability of calibration can be improved more than conventionally, and the deterioration state of the charging/discharging terminals 18 and 19 can also be grasped.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments, and the matters described in the claims. It also includes other embodiments and variations that are possible within its scope. For example, the scope of rights of the present invention includes the case where the charging/discharging inspection equipment of the present invention is configured by combining some or all of the respective embodiments and modifications described above.
In the above embodiment, the case of using a calibration device having a calibration terminal (with or without a deterioration diagnosis terminal) as a processing device that performs a preset process has been described. Instead of the calibration device or together with this calibration device, for example, a diagnostic device that measures the degree of deterioration of the charge/discharge terminals (that is, a device that does not have a calibration function) can be used as the processing device. This diagnostic device has a deterioration diagnostic terminal for connecting to a charging/discharging terminal, and measures the degree of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal by flowing a current from the charging/discharging device to the load to which the deterioration diagnostic terminal is connected. is. Here, when the charge/discharge inspection equipment has both a calibration device and a diagnostic device, charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery, calibration of the charge/discharge power source of the charge/discharge device, and measurement of the degree of deterioration of the charge/discharge terminal are performed in parallel. The diagnostic device may be one unit, or two or more units may be used. In the case of a plurality of units, the degree of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminals can be simultaneously measured by a plurality of charging/discharging units.

In the above-described embodiments, the state of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal is grasped by using one or both of the calculation of the resistance and the measurement of the heat generation temperature. It is preferable to measure the heat generation temperature to determine the temperature of the terminal, because the resistance of the terminal is low and measurement is difficult.
In the above embodiment, both the charging/discharging terminal and the calibration terminal provided in the charging/discharging device are arranged facing downward. For example, both the charging/discharging terminal and the calibration terminal may be arranged facing upward, or may be arranged below and above the charging/discharging device. (Specifically, the charging/discharging terminals can be directed downward (or upward), and the calibration terminals can be directed upward (or downward), respectively).
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where two inspection racks are used has been described, but one may be used, or a plurality of three or more may be used. Note that the arrangement of the inspection platform can be changed as appropriate.

10: Charge/discharge inspection equipment, 11, 11a: Charge/discharge device, 12, 12a, 12b: Calibration device (processing device), 13: Transfer device, 14: Inspection rack, 15: Inspection shelf, 16: Charge/discharge power supply, 17 : connection terminals 18, 19: charge/discharge terminals 20, 20a, 21, 21a: calibration terminals (processing terminals) 22, 23: wiring 24, 24a, 25, 25a: contacts 26, 27 : Wiring 28: Casing 29: Protruding portion 30, 31: Terminals for deterioration diagnosis 32, 33: Elements

A charging/discharging inspection facility according to the present invention that meets the above object includes a plurality of battery units each having a plurality of secondary batteries to be inspected and transported to a predetermined position by a transport device;
a plurality of charging/discharging devices that respectively charge and discharge the secondary battery of the battery unit arranged at the predetermined position;
a processing device that is transported by the transport device and arranged in place of the battery unit to perform preset processing;
The connection terminals of the charging/discharging device are divided into charging/discharging terminals connected to the secondary batteries and processing terminals connected to the processing device , and the charging/discharging terminals and the processing terminals are electrically connected. is conducted to

Claims (5)

A plurality of battery units each having a plurality of secondary batteries to be inspected and transported to a predetermined position by a transport device;
a plurality of charging/discharging devices that respectively charge and discharge the secondary battery of the battery unit arranged at the predetermined position;
a processing device that is transported by the transport device and arranged in place of the battery unit to perform preset processing;
A charging/discharging inspection facility, wherein connection terminals of the charging/discharging device are divided into charging/discharging terminals connected to the respective secondary batteries and processing terminals connected to the processing device. 2. The charge/discharge inspection equipment according to claim 1, wherein the processing device is a calibration device for calibrating each of the charge and discharge devices, the processing terminal is a calibration terminal, and the calibration device is connected to the calibration terminal A charge/discharge inspection facility characterized by being connected to. 3. The charge/discharge inspection equipment according to claim 2, wherein the calibration device includes a deterioration diagnosis terminal for connecting to the charge/discharge terminal, and current from the charge/discharge device is applied to a load to which the deterioration diagnosis terminal is connected. A charging/discharging inspection facility characterized by measuring the degree of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal by flowing the charging/discharging terminal. 2. The charging/discharging inspection equipment according to claim 1, wherein the processing device is a diagnostic device for measuring the degree of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal, and the diagnostic device is for diagnosing deterioration for connecting to the charging/discharging terminal. A charging/discharging inspection facility comprising a terminal, and measuring the degree of deterioration of the charging/discharging terminal by flowing a current from the charging/discharging device to a load to which the deterioration diagnosis terminal is connected. 5. The charge/discharge inspection equipment according to claim 3, wherein an element for measuring the temperature of said deterioration diagnosis terminal is attached and fixed to said deterioration diagnosis terminal.

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