KR101779948B1 - Pressure Device for Battery Cell Comprising Joint Part and Rotation Fixing Part - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pressurizing apparatus for performing a predetermined continuous operation on a plurality of battery cells in a battery cell moving apparatus including a carrier jig and a die, wherein the carrier jig has a rectangular- Wherein a plurality of battery cells are formed on the inner surface of the battery case so that the plurality of battery cells can be mounted upright at regular intervals while the electrode terminals are exposed upwardly, An elastic pressing member for elastically pressing the opposing face of the outer surface of the carrier jig on which the groove is formed; and an elastic pressing member having a series of coupling grooves formed on the surface corresponding to the groove so that the groove of the carrier jig can be elastically engaged And the pressing device is detachably mounted on the outer surface of the carrier jig , The carrier jig is pressed in the advancing direction in a state in which the carrier jig is mounted between the elastic pressing member of the die and the elastic engaging member so that the carrier jig is moved stepwise along the elastic engaging member at the interval of forming the grooves, A first engaging portion which is in close contact with a first surface of the outer surface of the carrier jig and a second surface adjacent to the first surface so as to continuously perform a predetermined operation on the battery cells, And a rotation fixing part for rotating the second engaging part in a state in which the first engaging part is in tight contact with the first surface and the second surface and bringing the second engaging part into close contact with the third surface To a pressurizing device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a battery cell pressurizing device,

The present invention relates to a battery cell pressurizing apparatus, a battery pack manufacturing apparatus including the same, and a battery pack manufactured using the same.

Lithium rechargeable batteries, which have recently increased in use, contain various combustible materials and have a drawback in safety due to the risk of overheating, explosion, etc. due to overcharging, overcurrent, and other physical external impacts. Accordingly, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element, a protection circuit module (PCM), or the like is connected to the battery cell as a safety element that can effectively control an abnormal state such as overcharging or overcurrent in a battery pack of a lithium secondary battery As shown in FIG.

Generally, the PCM and the like are connected to the battery cell through a conductive nickel plate as a welding method. That is, a PCM is connected to a battery cell by welding a nickel plate to an electrode tab of a PCM, and then connecting the nickel plate to an electrode terminal of the battery cell.

Such safety devices, including PCM, should maintain electrical connection with the electrode terminals while at the same time maintaining electrical isolation from other parts of the battery cell. In order to implement this type of connection, a plurality of insulating mounting members or a plurality of parts are required.

On the other hand, the operation of coupling the components such as the protective circuit member such as the PCM to the upper end of the battery cell is performed in the welding line. The construction of such a welding line may be varied according to need, but generally includes mounting and welding of clad metal, mounting and welding of insulating mounting members, mounting of a protective circuit module, and mounting of an insulating upper cap.

However, since a large number of the above processes are manually operated, a large number of workers are required, which increases the manufacturing cost of the battery. Conventionally, a worker mounts an insulating mounting member on battery cells individually, places one unit of battery cells on a welding apparatus, and then operates a welding machine so that electrode terminals of the battery cells and welding work of metal plates Respectively.

As a more advanced method, a method has been developed in which a plurality of battery cells are mounted on a predetermined apparatus, and then the battery cells are moved to a welding apparatus to perform a welding operation.

Particularly, Korean Patent No. 1188628 discloses a method for manufacturing a battery, which uses a die including an elastic pressing member for elastically pressing a predetermined device equipped with a plurality of battery cells and an elastic engagement member having a series of grooves, Thereby enabling a continuous welding work to be facilitated.

However, even if the above-described technique is used, a large amount of cost is required for a fully automated process. Therefore, in an actual process, it is general that a worker manually presses and sequentially moves battery cells. In this case, Which is a cause of lowering the efficiency of the battery pack manufacturing process.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a technique for improving the efficiency of the battery pack manufacturing process by relieving the fatigue of the workers who perform the welding work without much cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and the technical problems required from the past.

The inventors of the present application have conducted intensive research and various experiments and have developed a pressing device having predetermined engaging portions and rotation fixing portions and can solve the conventional problems fundamentally when such a pressing device is used And have completed the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a pressing device for performing a predetermined continuous operation on a plurality of battery cells in a battery cell moving device including a carrier jig and a die,

The carrier jig is formed in a rectangular shape having an open upper portion. A mounting groove is formed on the inner surface of the carrier jig so that a plurality of battery cells can be erected upright at regular intervals with the electrode terminals exposed upward. Grooves are formed on one outer surface at an installation interval,

The die includes an elastic pressing member for elastically pressing the opposing face of the outer surface of the carrier jig on which the groove is formed, and a series of coupling grooves on the surface corresponding to the groove so that the groove of the carrier jig can be elastically engaged And an elastic coupling member formed thereon,

Wherein the pressing device is detachably mounted on the outer surface of the carrier jig and presses the carrier jig in the advancing direction in a state where the carrier jig is mounted between the elastic pressing member of the die and the elastic engaging member, In order to continuously perform a predetermined operation on the battery cells mounted on the carrier jig by moving the stepping member along the elastic coupling member,

A first engaging portion which is in close contact with a first surface of the outer surface of the carrier jig and a second surface adjacent to the first surface, a second engaging portion which is brought into close contact with a third surface which is an opposed surface of the second surface, And a rotation fixing part for tightly attaching the second engaging part to the third surface in a state of being in close contact with the first surface and the second surface.

Such a pressurizing device can move the carrier jig while holding the pressing device with one hand, instead of moving the carrier jig directly with both hands at the time of performing continuous operation with respect to the battery cells, It is possible to reduce the fatigue of the hand by providing a sense of stability, and it is easy to attach and detach to and from the carrier jig. As a result, manufacturing efficiency and process efficiency of the battery pack can be remarkably improved.

In one specific example, the carrier jig has a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and one of both sides of the long side of the four sides may be the first side, the short side may be the second side, and the front side may be the third side.

The first engagement portion includes, for example, a "? &Quot; -shaped main body of a structure that is in close contact with at least a portion of the first surface and at least a portion of the second surface in a plane, and a rotation connection portion extending outwardly from the main body Lt; / RTI >

The second engagement portion includes, for example, a " B " -shaped body of a structure that is flatly in contact with at least a portion of the first surface and at least a portion of the third surface, and a rotational connection extending outward from the body Lt; / RTI >

The rotation fixing unit may include a rotation shaft that rotatably couples the rotation connection portion of the first engagement portion and the rotation connection portion of the second engagement portion, and a rotation shaft that extends from the rotation connection portion of the second engagement portion, 2 engaging portion is rotated.

Specifically, the second engaging portion is rotatably supported by the pressing handle so that the second engaging portion is brought into close contact with the third surface in a state where the first engaging portion is in close contact with the first surface and the second surface of the carrier jig, , An edge may be formed such that one end of the second engaging portion main body is pressed against the first surface.

More specifically, a distance between an end portion of the rotation connection portion extending from the main body of the first engagement portion, which is in close contact with the first surface, and the rotation axis is set between the edge and the rotation axis As shown in FIG.

In particular, when the first surface and the second engaging portion are in close contact with each other, it is preferable that the edge and the rotation axis are positioned so that the edge can be closely fixed to the first surface.

In this case, when the first surface and the second engaging portion are pressed in close contact with each other, a pressure higher than a predetermined level, for example, a pressure greater than a frictional force acting between the edge and the first surface is applied to rotate the second engaging portion. The fixed pressurizing device may be maintained in the state of being mounted on the carrier jig before releasing the engagement between the second engaging portion and the first surface by applying a pressure equal to or higher than the frictional force in the opposite direction.

In one specific example, the pressing handle may be a structure in which the rear surface is formed in a circular arc shape in a plan view.

The pressing handle is a portion held by the hand when the operator moves the carrier jig using the pressurizing device. In the case where the rear surface is made of an arc-shaped curve, the grip feeling of the operator is improved and the fatigue of the hand can be further reduced.

The battery cell is not particularly limited as long as the battery cell has a structure in which the electrode terminal is exposed upward. For example, the battery cell may be a prismatic secondary battery having a cathode terminal and a cathode terminal formed on the upper surface.

On the other hand, the continuous operation is not particularly limited as long as the operation is performed on the battery cell, and may be performed by various kinds of operations, and may be one of various operations for coupling the components to the upper part of the battery cell. In the above operation, the coupling may be performed by various methods such as fitting, fastening, welding, and the like.

For example, the continuous operation may include a welding operation for attaching the clad metal to the upper surface of the battery cell, a welding operation for connecting the insulating mounting member to the electrode terminal of the battery cell, An operation of coupling the insulative mounting member with the protection circuit module while the insulative mounting member and the protection circuit module are coupled to the upper end of the battery cell, have.

In one specific example, an upper cover may be further mounted on the carrier jig, the upper cover having a plurality of through holes through which a portion for continuous operation is exposed.

The upper cover may be selected from the group consisting of, for example, a cover for mounting a clad metal, a cover for mounting an insulating mounting member, a cover for mounting a protection circuit module, and a cover for insulating upper cap.

When such upper covers are used, various components such as a clad metal, an insulating mounting member, a protective circuit module, and an insulating upper cap can be accurately and quickly coupled to the upper part of the battery cell during manufacture of the battery pack.

Preferably, the magnetic force member is provided at a portion where the upper cover is mounted, so that it is easy to mount and fix the upper cover in a fixed position, and the upper cover of the carrier jig can be replaced quickly and easily.

The present invention also provides a battery pack manufacturing apparatus including the pressure device, the carrier jig, and the die.

The carrier jig and die are the same as described above.

The present invention also provides a battery pack manufactured using the battery pack manufacturing apparatus and a device including such a battery pack as a power source.

The types of such devices may be, for example, mobile phones, portable computers, smart phones, smart pads, tablet PCs, netbooks, wearable electronic devices, electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug- , But is not limited thereto.

As described above, in the case of using the pressurizing device according to the present invention, when the continuous operation is performed on the battery cells, instead of moving the carrier jig directly with both hands, It is possible to move the carrier jig and provide the operator with a sense of stability of the grip, thereby reducing the fatigue of the hand, facilitating the detachment and attachment of the carrier jig, and significantly improving work efficiency and process efficiency for manufacturing the battery pack have.

1 is a schematic view showing a structure of a battery pack manufacturing apparatus;
2 is a schematic view showing a die portion of the battery pack manufacturing apparatus of Fig. 1;
3 is a plan view schematically illustrating a pressure device according to one embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of a rotation fixing portion of a pressurizing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic views illustrating a process of mounting a pressurizing device to a carrier jig according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a battery pack manufacturing apparatus, and Fig. 2 schematically shows a plan view of a die portion of the battery pack manufacturing apparatus of Fig.

1, a carrier jig 200 is positioned on a die 110 of a battery pack manufacturing apparatus 100. When the carrier jig 200 moves one step at a time in the direction of the arrow, the carrier jig 200 And the welding operation is performed by moving the welding rod 120 spaced apart from the welding rod 120. The welding operation is repeatedly performed to perform the continuous operation.

2, the die 110 is composed of a carrier jig 200, an elastic pressing member 400, and an elastic coupling member 300. As shown in Fig.

The carrier jig 200 has a rectangular shape with an open upper portion. The carrier jig 200 has mounting grooves 220 and 222 for mounting the battery cells (not shown) upright at regular intervals on the inner surface thereof. And a detachable member 260 detachably attached to one side of the carrier jig main body 250 which is opened.

A groove 210 is formed on one outer surface of the carrier jig 200 with a battery cell attachment interval d and is elastically pressed between the elastic pressing member 400 and the elastic coupling member 300.

The elastic pressing member 400 is provided with three compression springs 410. The compression springs 410 elastically press the opposing surface 212 of the carrier jig 200 where the grooves 210 are formed And pressurized.

A series of coupling grooves 310 are formed on the surface of the elastic jam member 300 corresponding to the grooves 210 of the carrier jig 200 with the battery cell mounting interval d so that the grooves of the carrier jig 200 210, respectively.

Therefore, when the carrier jig 200 is pressed in the advancing direction, the carrier jig 200 is elastically pressed by the compression spring 410 of the elastic pressing member 400, (Not shown) mounted on the carrier jig 200 by moving one step at a time along the battery pack 300 in a predetermined direction.

Such a continuous operation may be varied as needed, for example, a welding operation for attaching the clad metal to the upper surface of the battery cell, a welding operation for connecting the insulating mounting member to the electrode terminal of the battery cell, An operation of coupling the insulating mounting member and the protection circuit module in a state where the mounting member is coupled to the battery cell electrode terminal, the operation of inserting the insulating upper cap into the upper part of the battery cell Lt; / RTI >

FIG. 3 schematically shows a plan view of a pressurizing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of a rotation fixing unit of a pressurizing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3, the pressurizing device 500 rotates the second engaging portion 520 with respect to the first engaging portion 510, the second engaging portion 520, and the first engaging portion 510 And a rotation fixing part 530 which fixes the toner image to a fixed position.

3 and 4, the first coupling portion 510 includes a main body 512 having a structure of being in tight contact with a carrier jig (not shown) And includes an elongated rotation connection 514.

The second engaging portion 520 includes a main body 522 of a "B" shape having a structure to be brought into close contact with the carrier jig and a rotation connecting portion 524 extending outward from the main body 522.

The rotation fixing part 530 includes a rotation shaft 532 for rotatably coupling the rotation connection part 514 of the first engagement part 510 and the rotation connection part 524 of the second engagement part 520, And a pressing handle 534 which extends from the rotation connecting portion 524 of the unit 520 and rotates the second engaging portion 520 with respect to the rotating shaft 532.

The rotation coupling portion 514 of the first coupling portion 510 which is brought into close contact with the first surface (not shown) of the carrier jig 514 is rotated so that the second coupling portion 520 can be rotated and fixed in position by the rotation fixing portion 530 Is shorter than the distance D2 between the edge 526 of the second engagement portion 520 and the rotation axis 532. The distance D2 between the end portion 516 of the second engagement portion 520 and the rotation axis 532 is shorter than the distance D2 between the edge 526 of the second engagement portion 520 and the rotation axis 532. [ For example, the distance D1 may be 80% to 99% of the distance D2.

5 and 6 are schematic views sequentially illustrating the process of mounting the pressurizing device to the carrier jig according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, the carrier jig 200 has a rectangular parallelepiped structure and includes a first surface 201, a second surface 202 and a third surface 203, which are short sides, .

5, the first engaging portion 510 of the pressurizing device 500 is in close contact with the first surface 201 and the second surface 202 of the carrier jig 200, and the second engaging portion 510 520 are placed in close contact with the first surface 201 and the third surface 203 to be mounted.

5 and 6, when the second engagement portion 520 is rotated clockwise about the rotation axis 532 by applying pressure to the pressure handle 534, the main body of the second engagement portion 520 522 are brought into close contact with the first surface 201 and the third surface 203 of the carrier jig 200.

The position of the edge 526 and the rotation axis 532 is adjusted so that the edge 526 and the first surface 201 can be closely contacted and fixed when the first surface 201 and the second engagement portion 520 are in close contact with each other. At this time, the second engaging portion 520 must be rotated in the clockwise direction by applying a pressure greater than the frictional force acting between the edge 526 and the first surface 201, 500 may be held in a state of being mounted on the carrier jig 200 before releasing the engagement between the second engaging portion 520 and the first surface 201 by applying a pressure equal to or higher than the frictional force in the counterclockwise direction.

The carrier jig 200 can be moved in the advancing direction by applying pressure in the horizontal direction while holding the pressure handle 534 in a state where the pressure device 500 is mounted on the carrier jig 200. At this time, It is possible to increase the work efficiency and the process efficiency by reducing the fatigue of the hand. Particularly, since the back surface of the pressure handle 534 is formed in an arc shape, the grip feeling of the operator can be improved and the fatigue of the hand can be further reduced.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

Claims (18)

A pressurizing device for performing a predetermined continuous operation on a plurality of battery cells in a battery cell moving device including a carrier jig and a die,
The carrier jig is formed in a rectangular shape having an open upper portion. A mounting groove is formed on the inner surface of the carrier jig so that a plurality of battery cells can be erected upright at regular intervals with the electrode terminals exposed upward. Grooves are formed on one outer surface at an installation interval,
The die includes an elastic pressing member for elastically pressing the opposing face of the outer surface of the carrier jig on which the groove is formed, and a series of coupling grooves on the surface corresponding to the groove so that the groove of the carrier jig can be elastically engaged And an elastic coupling member formed thereon,
Wherein the pressing device is detachably mounted on the outer surface of the carrier jig and presses the carrier jig in the advancing direction in a state where the carrier jig is mounted between the elastic pressing member of the die and the elastic engaging member, In order to perform a predetermined operation continuously on the battery cells mounted on the carrier jig by moving the step by step along the elastic coupling member,
A first engaging portion which is in close contact with a first surface of the outer surface of the carrier jig and a second surface adjacent to the first surface, a second engaging portion which is brought into close contact with a third surface which is an opposed surface of the second surface, And a rotation fixing part which is in close contact with the first and second surfaces to closely contact the third surface while rotating the second coupling part,
Wherein the first engagement portion includes a "a" -shaped body of a structure that is in planar contact with at least a portion of the first surface and at least a portion of the second surface, and a rotational connection extending outwardly from the body;
Said second engagement portion includes a "B" -shaped body of a structure that is flatly in close contact with at least a portion of the first surface and at least a portion of the third surface, and a rotational connection extending outwardly from the body;
The rotation fixing unit may include a rotation shaft that rotatably couples the rotation connection portion of the first engagement portion and the rotation connection portion of the second engagement portion, and a rotation shaft that extends from the rotation connection portion of the second engagement portion, Wherein the pressing member includes a pressing handle. The biasing device according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a prismatic secondary battery. The pressurizing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper cover is further mounted on the carrier jig, the upper cover having a plurality of through holes through which a portion for continuous operation is exposed. The pressing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the upper cover is selected from the group consisting of a cover for mounting a metal clad, a cover for mounting an insulating mounting member, a cover for mounting a protection circuit module, and a cover for insulating upper cap. The pressurizing device according to claim 3, wherein a magnetic force member is provided at a portion where the upper cover is mounted. The pressurizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous operation is a welding operation for attaching a clad metal to an upper surface of the battery cell. The pressurizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous operation is a welding operation for connecting an insulating mounting member to an electrode terminal of the battery cell. The pressurizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous operation is an operation of coupling the insulating mounting member and the protection circuit module in a state where the insulating mounting member is coupled to the battery cell electrode terminal at the upper end of the battery cell. The pressurizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous operation is an operation of coupling the protection circuit module and the insulating upper cap in a state where the protection circuit module is coupled to the insulating mounting member at the upper end of the battery cell. The carrier jig of claim 1, wherein the carrier jig has a rectangular parallelepiped structure, wherein one of both sides of the long side of the four sides is a first side, a rear side that is a short side is a second side, Lt; / RTI > delete [2] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body of the second engaging portion is provided with a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion which are engaged with the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion, respectively, Wherein an edge is formed such that one end of the second engaging portion main body is pressed and brought into close contact with the first surface when the engaging portion is rotated. 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein a distance between an end of a rotation connection portion extending from a main body of the first engagement portion in close contact with the first surface and the rotation axis for press- Is shorter than the distance between the first and second plates. The pressurizing device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing handle is formed in a planar shape and an arcuate shape on the back. A battery pack manufacturing apparatus comprising a pressurizing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and 12 to 14, a carrier jig, and a die. delete delete delete

Images