KR20130102707A - Battery cell charge-discharge device with novel structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A battery cell charge and discharge device with a novel structure is provided to improve the safety and efficiency of a charge or discharge operation for a plurality of battery cells. CONSTITUTION: A battery cell charge and discharge device (700) comprises battery cell receiving portions (100), gripper portions (200), driving units (300), sensing units (400), pneumatic units (500), and bodies (600). The battery cell receiving portion is formed with a structure that two or more battery cells are arranged and received in the horizontal direction. The gripper portion comprises two or more grippers with a jaw structure for fixation of electrode taps of the battery cell. The driving unit is mounted on both ends of the gripper portion to provide a driving force for operation of the grippers. The sensing unit is mounted on one end of the driving unit to detect the operating state of the grippers or the temperature of the electrode taps of the battery cell. The pneumatic unit is connected to the driving unit and a pneumatic tube to provide air pressure to the driving unit. The battery cell receiving portion, the gripper portion, the driving unit, and the sensing unit are mounted on the body.

Description

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

The present invention relates to an apparatus for charging / discharging or testing the performance of the battery cells in a state in which two or more battery cells are accommodated and fixed, the battery cell containing unit having a structure in which two or more battery cells are arranged and stored in a horizontal direction; A gripper portion including at least two grippers of a jaw structure for holding and fixing the electrode tab of the battery cell; A driving unit mounted at both ends of the gripper unit and providing a driving force for the operation of the grippers; A sensing unit mounted at one end of the driving unit and sensing the operation state of the grippers and the temperature of the battery cell electrode tab; A pneumatic part connected to the driving part by a pneumatic tube and providing pneumatic pressure to the driving part; And a main body to which the battery cell housing part, the gripper part, the driving part, and the sensing part are mounted.

As technology development and demand for mobile devices are increasing, the demand for batteries as energy sources is rapidly increasing, and accordingly, a lot of researches on batteries capable of meeting various demands have been conducted.

Representatively, there is a high demand for rectangular secondary batteries and pouch secondary batteries, which can be applied to products such as mobile phones with a thin thickness in terms of shape of batteries, and lithium ion batteries with high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability in terms of materials. There is a high demand for lithium secondary batteries such as lithium ion polymer batteries.

However, as the energy density of the secondary battery increases and the capacity of the secondary battery increases, the amount of heat generated during the repeated charging and discharging increases. This causes excessive temperature rise and malfunction of the resulting device, Which causes a shortening of the life span remarkably.

Therefore, many tests are performed on the product in order to ensure the optimal operating condition and safety for the battery. During such tests, the electrical operation state of the test specimen such as the voltage and the current, and the physical operation state such as the temperature and the pressure, And measuring using the device.

The process of charging or discharging the battery using such a charge-discharge device is generally performed by mounting a plurality of batteries in the charge-discharge device.

However, since a plurality of cells are charged or discharged at one time, a large amount of heat is generated due to this process. In addition, the heat generated in such a manner causes a thermal shock to be applied to the battery during charging or discharging, resulting in defective products.

In addition, since a portion where the battery and the charge / discharge device are electrically connected to each other and connected to each other is required to secure electrical safety from the outside, various fixing devices or protecting devices are required for this purpose. Therefore, the device becomes very complicated, There is a falling problem.

Accordingly, there is a great need for a technique capable of achieving a desired level of efficiency of charging and discharging operations of a battery cell while solving the above problems.

The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art and the technical problems that have been requested from the past.

The inventors of the present application have constructed a structure in which the battery cell housing part, the gripper part, the driving part, the sensing part, the pneumatic part, and the main body are mounted through in-depth research and various experiments, To improve safety and efficiency, and to improve the overall process efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery cell charging and discharging apparatus having a specific structure capable of improving the safety and efficiency of charging and discharging operations for a plurality of battery cells.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an apparatus for charging / discharging a plurality of battery cells,

A battery cell housing part having a structure in which two or more battery cells are arranged and stored in a horizontal direction;

A gripper portion including at least two grippers of a jaw structure for holding and fixing the electrode tab of the battery cell;

A driving unit mounted at both ends of the gripper unit and providing a driving force for the operation of the grippers;

A sensing unit mounted at one end of the driving unit and sensing the operation state of the grippers and the temperature of the battery cell electrode tab;

A pneumatic part connected to the driving part by a pneumatic tube and providing pneumatic pressure to the driving part; And

A main body having the gripper portion, the driving portion, and the sensing portion;

As shown in FIG.

Therefore, the battery cell charging and discharging apparatus according to the present invention includes a battery cell housing part capable of storing and mounting a plurality of battery cells, and two or more grippers having a juxtaposition structure for holding and fixing the electrode taps, Charging or discharging can be performed at one time, and at the same time, safety can be ensured. In addition, it includes grippers of a specific structure, so that the marks remaining on the electrode tabs can be unified in one direction.

Since the battery cell charging and discharging apparatus according to the present invention unifies the marks remaining in the electrode tabs in one direction as described above, the equipment necessary for the etching process, which is a subsequent process, is required only in one direction in which the marks remain on the electrode tabs. It is possible to reduce maintenance and management costs and achieve cost reduction.

Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described in detail.

First, the battery cell according to the present invention may be a plate-shaped battery cell structure in which electrode tabs are formed at one end portion.

The plate-shaped battery cell may preferably be a pouch-shaped battery cell in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch-shaped case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer, but is not limited thereto.

In one preferred example, the gripper portion comprises:

Grippers mounted on one side of the gripper fixing member to grip and fix the battery cell electrode tab by engaging with the following support plate;

A gripper fixing member mounted and fixed to one side of the gripper and connected to the driving unit with both side ends extended;

Support plates arranged between each of the grippers and juxtaposed to support the battery cell electrode tabs by engaging with the grippers; And

A support plate fixing member mounted and fixed to one side surface of the support plate and connected to the driving unit with both side ends extended;

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Specifically, the grippers may have a structure in which the grippers are fixed to the gripper fixing member by bolts, and the support plates may also be bolted and fixed to the support plate fixing member.

The battery cell electrode tab is caught and fixed by the pressing of the gripper of the jaw structure and the support plate of the jaw structure engaged therewith.

Also, since the grippers and the support plates are arranged at predetermined intervals on the gripper fixing member and the support plate fixing member, a plurality of battery cell tabs accommodated in the battery cell compartment can be simultaneously held and fixed.

Therefore, unlike the conventional charging and discharging method performed by only one charging and discharging device, it is possible to design a plurality of battery cell receiving parts, grippers, and support plates by increasing or decreasing the number of the battery cell receiving parts, The charge and discharge operation can be completed, and the efficiency of charging and discharging operations can be improved.

The gripper may include a concavo-convex portion for forming a groove having a depth of 0.3 to 1.5 mm on the surface of the electrode tab when the electrode tab is held, for example, and the concavo-convex portion may be an electrode terminal for charging and discharging.

The gripper including such concave and convex portions can exhibit the effect of more firmly and securely holding and fixing the battery cell electrode tab. Further, the gripper including the concave-convex portion can further facilitate electrical contact with the charging / discharging device.

Specifically, the concave-convex portion may have a serrated concavo-convex shape and may be arranged in two rows or three rows, but may be arranged in two rows, preferably.

It is a matter of course that such an uneven shape can further improve the effect of the gripper including the uneven portion described above.

In another preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned peripheries and the support plates may be structured so as to face in the same one direction. This structure makes it possible to unify the mark formed on the surface of the battery cell electrode tab by the gripper including the concave-convex portion in one direction.

The gripper of the jaw structure presses and holds the electrode tabs of the battery cell at a predetermined pressure or more for stable contact and fixing, thereby causing marks on the surface of the electrode tabs of the battery cells to be left by the grippers, And affects the appearance of the finished product and finished product.

Specifically, as the trailing step, an etching operation for removing an insulating film that interrupts electrical connection with the outside by applying an acidic substance to the surface of the electrode tab of the battery cell is performed. This etching operation is performed on the surface where the mark is left by the gripper And it is necessary to provide an etching facility on the front side and the back side of the battery cell in correspondence with the region where the mark is left due to the gripper. The reason why the etching equipment is located on both the front and rear sides of the battery cell is that the mark left on the electrode tab of the battery cell is determined by the direction of the jaw portion of the charge / discharge device grippers.

On the other hand, the marks left on the electrode tabs can be unified in one direction by the specific structure of the above-described dehumidifiers and the support plates as described above. By thus unifying the marks left on the electrode tabs in one direction, The equipment required for the etching work process is required only in one direction in which the mark remains on the electrode tab.

That is, it is possible to reduce the etching equipment required for the etching process of the battery cell electrode terminal, which is a subsequent process, thereby improving the efficiency of the etching process of the battery cell electrode terminal and reducing the maintenance cost associated therewith, do.

In addition, by unifying the directions of the marks formed on the surface of the battery cell electrode terminals in one direction, it is possible to achieve uniformity between the finished products, thereby achieving the beauty due to the consistent appearance of all the products.

In addition, due to the above-described beauty of appearance, the purchaser who purchases and uses the product exhibits a synergy effect of satisfaction with the product.

In one preferred example, the gripper fixing member and the support plate fixing member are not particularly limited as long as the gripper and the support plate can be fastened and fixed at regular intervals, but preferably, Shaped structure.

Therefore, the gripper fixing member and the support plate fixing member can stably fix the grippers and the support plates, so that the plurality of battery cell electrode tabs accommodated in the battery cell compartment can be stably held and fixed .

In another preferred embodiment,

A driving force transmitting member for fixing both end portions of the gripper fixing member and the support plate and transmitting the driving force of the following cylinder rod to the gripper fixing member and the support plate;

One or more cylinder rods fastened and fixed to the driving force transmitting member to transmit driving force;

A cylinder fixing bracket mounted on both side ends of the cylinder rod and fastened to the body; And

A pneumatic pressure receiving part which is fastened to one side surface of the fixing bracket and receives pneumatic pressure from the pneumatic part;

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The cylinder rod may be, for example, a structure operated by air pressure.

Specifically, the pneumatic pressure receiving portion may include a pneumatic pressure introducing portion connected to the pneumatic tube externally to receive the pneumatic pressure, and a pneumatic pressure discharging portion connected to the pneumatic tube externally and discharging the pneumatic pressure.

In one preferred example, the sensing unit comprises:

A sensor bracket mounted on one side of the driving unit and fixing the sensor;

At least one motion detection sensor fixed to the sensor bracket and sensing a state in which the gripper holds or holds the electrode tab of the battery cell; And

At least one temperature measuring sensor mounted on the sensor bracket and sensing the temperature of the battery cell electrode tab;

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Specifically, the motion detection sensor is not particularly limited as long as it is a sensor capable of sensing a state in which the electrode tab of the battery cell of the gripper is held or released, and may be an optical sensor.

Also, the temperature measuring sensor is not limited as long as it is a temperature measuring sensor capable of sensing the temperature of the battery cell electrode tab, and may be a temperature measuring sensor using a laser.

The temperature measuring sensor using the laser according to the present invention measures and measures an electrode tab of a battery cell in which heat is intensively generated according to charging and discharging, and includes a reference temperature value.

Specifically, when the heat of the battery cell electrode tab during charging and discharging exceeds the reference temperature value stored in the temperature measuring sensor, the sensing unit stops the charging or discharging operation of the charging and discharging device.

In addition, the temperature measuring sensor can monitor the temperature of each of the plurality of battery cells in charge / discharge operation.

Therefore, the battery cell charge / discharge device according to the present invention can prevent the battery cell from being defective due to thermal shock that may occur during charge / discharge operations.

In another preferred embodiment, the pneumatic portion may be a structure that is fastened to one end of the main body and generates a pneumatic pressure within a certain pressure range.

Specifically, the pneumatic portion may include an air suction portion and a pneumatic discharge portion, and the pneumatic pressure may range from 1 kPa to 1 Mpa, and preferably from 500 kPa to 700 kPa.

The present invention also provides a battery pack which is charged / discharged or tested by using a battery cell charge / discharge device.

The present invention also provides a device having a structure including the battery pack, the device being, for example, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, a power storage device, and the like.

Since the structure of the battery pack and the device such as an electric vehicle and the manufacturing method thereof are known in the art, detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the battery cell charging and discharging apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that the battery cell receiving portion, the gripper portion, the driving portion, the sensing portion, the pneumatic portion, and the body are mounted, The safety and efficiency of the discharge operation can be improved.

In addition, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the battery cell lead etching process, which is a subsequent process, to reduce the cost of equipment maintenance and maintenance related to the process, and to achieve cost reduction, and to achieve a beautiful appearance to the final product.

1 is a perspective view of a plate-shaped battery cell having electrode tabs formed at one end thereof;
2 is a front view of a battery cell charge / discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a front view showing a state in which a battery cell is mounted on the battery cell charge / discharge device of FIG. 2;
4 is a front view showing a state where a battery cell is attached to the battery cell charge / discharge device of FIG. 2;
5 is a plan view showing grippers according to an embodiment of the present invention mounted and fixed to a gripper fixing member;
6 is a plan view showing a state in which support plates according to one embodiment of the present invention are mounted and fixed to a support plate fixing member;
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a battery cell electrode tab held and fixed by a gripper and a support plate according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
8 is a plan view showing a state in which the gripper unit is driven by a driving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 is a perspective view of a plate-shaped battery cell in which electrode tabs are formed at one end portion.

Referring to FIG. 1, a battery cell 10 is a plate-shaped battery cell 10 having electrode taps 11 and 12 formed at one end thereof. Specifically, the plate-shaped battery cell 10 has a structure in which an electrode assembly (not shown) is embedded in a pouch-shaped case 13 of a laminate sheet including a metal layer (not shown) and a resin layer , And is commonly referred to as a pouch-shaped battery cell 10.

2 is a front view of a battery cell charge / discharge apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3 to 4 show a front view showing a state in which the battery cells are mounted on the battery cell charge / discharge device of FIG. 2 and a state in which the battery cells are mounted.

Referring to these drawings, a battery cell charge / discharge apparatus 700 includes a battery cell housing unit 100, a gripper unit 200, a driving unit 600, a sensing unit 400, a pneumatic unit 500, .

More specifically, the battery cell housing part 100 has a structure in which two or more battery cells 10 are horizontally arranged and housed, and the gripper part 200 has a structure in which the electrode tabs 11 and 12 of the battery cell 10, A gripper 210 and a supporting plate 220 for holding and fixing the gripping structure.

The sensing unit 400 is mounted on one side of the main body 600 and includes a motion sensing optical sensor 410 for sensing a state in which the grippers 210 hold the electrode tabs 11 and 12 of the battery cell 10 And a laser temperature measurement sensor 420 for sensing the temperature of the electrode tabs 11 and 12 of the battery cell 10.

The pneumatic part 500 is fastened to one end of the main body 600 and generates a pneumatic pressure within a range of 1 kPa to 1 Mpa. The pneumatic part 500 is composed of an air suction part 510 and an air discharge part 520.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which grippers according to an embodiment of the present invention are mounted and fixed to a gripper fixing member, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which support plates according to an embodiment of the present invention, As shown in Fig.

2, the gripper unit 200 includes grippers 210, a gripper fixing member 230, support plates 220, and a support plate fixing member 240. As shown in FIG.

Specifically, the gripper 210 of the jaw structure for holding and fixing the electrode tabs 11, 12 of the battery cell 10 by engaging with the one side surface 222 of the support plate 220, And the protrusions 212 are formed on the surface of the battery cell 10 which contacts the electrode tabs 11 and 12. [

The support plate 220 having the jaw structure for holding and fixing the electrode tabs 11 and 12 of the battery cell 10 by engaging with the one side surface 212 of the gripper 210 is formed in the support plate fixing member 240 (Not shown).

On the other hand, the gripper fixing member 230 for mounting and fixing the gripper 210 is connected to the driving unit 300 in a state where both end portions are extended.

The support plate fixing member 240 for mounting and fixing the support plate 220 is also connected to the driving unit 300 with both end portions extended.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a state where a battery cell electrode tab is held and fixed by a gripper and a support plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross- A plan view showing a state in which the gripper unit is driven.

2, the driving unit 300 includes driving force transmitting members 310 and 320, cylinder rods 331, 332 and 333, a cylinder fixing bracket 340 and a pneumatic pressure receiving unit 350 have.

The driving force transmitting members 310 and 320 fix the side ends of the gripper fixing member 230 and the support plate fixing member 240 at the both ends 231 and 241 and move the driving force of the cylinder rods 331, (230) and the support plate fixing member (240).

The driving force transmitting member 310 of the gripper fixing member 230 is fastened and fixed to the first cylinder rod 331 and the third cylinder rod 333.

On the other hand, the driving force transmitting member 320 of the support plate fixing member 320 is fastened and fixed to the second cylinder rod 332.

The cylinder fixing bracket 340 is mounted at both side ends of the cylinder rods 331, 332, 333 and fastened to the body 600.

The pneumatic pressure receiving portion 350 mounted on one side of the cylinder fixing bracket 340 includes a pneumatic pressure introducing portion 351 connected to the pneumatic tube 530 externally and receiving pneumatic pressure; And a pneumatic discharging portion 352 connected to the outside of the pneumatic tube 540 and discharging the pneumatic pressure.

The pneumatic pressure generated from the pneumatic part 500 is received in the pneumatic pressure receiving part 350 of the driving part 300 through the pneumatic tubes 530 and 540. The cylinder rods 331, 332 and 333 of the driving unit 300 are driven by the accommodated pneumatic pressure and these driving forces are transmitted to the gripper fixing member 230 and the support plate fixing member 240 by the driving force transmitting members 310 and 320 .

The grippers 210 mounted on the gripper fixing member 230 are moved together with the movements 251 and 261 of the gripper fixing member 230 The plates 220 are also moved along with the movements 251 and 261 of the support plate fixing member 240 (250 and 260).

Specifically, in order to hold and fix the electrode tabs 11 and 12 of the battery cell 10, the first cylinder rod 331 and the third cylinder rod 333 are formed in the one direction 261 in the pneumatic part 500 The air pressure is supplied to the air pressure introducing portion 351 of the air pressure receiving portion 350 so as to move. The first cylinder rod 331 and the third cylinder rod 333 move in the one direction 261 while the second cylinder rod 332 moves the first cylinder rod 331 and the third cylinder rod 333 in the second direction, And moves in the opposite direction 262 of the pin 333.

The gripper 210 moves in one direction 261 by the movement of the first cylinder rod 331 and the third cylinder rod 333 in one direction 261 and moves in the opposite direction of the second cylinder rod 332 The support plate 210 is also moved in the opposite direction 262 by the movement of the electrode tabs 262 to complete the operation 260 for holding and fixing the electrode tabs 11 and 12 of the battery cell 10.

Conversely, the operation of placing the electrode tabs 11, 12 of the battery cell 10 can also be achieved by oppositely adjusting the direction of the pneumatic pressure of the pneumatic part 500 in the above-described holding and fixing operation 260. [

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 (19)

An apparatus for performing charging and discharging or testing the performance of the battery cells in a state where two or more battery cells are stored and fixed,
A battery cell housing part having a structure in which two or more battery cells are arranged and stored in a horizontal direction;
A gripper portion including at least two grippers of a jaw structure for holding and fixing the electrode tab of the battery cell;
A driving unit mounted at both ends of the gripper unit and providing a driving force for the operation of the grippers;
A sensing unit mounted at one end of the driving unit and sensing the operation state of the grippers and the temperature of the battery cell electrode tab;
A pneumatic part connected to the driving part by a pneumatic tube and providing pneumatic pressure to the driving part; And
A main body having the battery cell receiving portion, the gripper portion, the driving portion, and the sensing portion;
The battery cell charging / discharging apparatus comprising: The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a plate-shaped battery cell having electrode tabs formed at one end thereof. The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the plate-shaped battery cell is a pouch-shaped battery cell in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch-shaped case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer. The method of claim 1, wherein the gripper portion,
Grippers mounted on one side of the gripper fixing member to grip and fix the battery cell electrode tab by engaging with the following support plate;
A gripper fixing member mounted and fixed to one side of the gripper and connected to the driving unit with both side ends extended;
Support plates arranged between each of the grippers and juxtaposed to support the battery cell electrode tabs by engaging with the grippers; And
A support plate fixing member mounted and fixed to one side surface of the support plate and connected to the driving unit with both side ends extended;
The battery cell charging / discharging apparatus comprising: The method of claim 4, wherein the gripper includes a concave-convex portion for forming a groove of 0.3 to 1.5 mm depth on the surface of the electrode tab when holding the electrode tab, wherein the concave-convex portion is an electrode terminal for charging and discharging Discharge device. The battery cell charging and discharging device according to claim 4, wherein the grippers and the support plates are mounted to face the same one direction. The battery cell charging and discharging device according to claim 4, wherein the gripper fixing member and the support plate fixing member have a rectangular pillar shape having a rectangular structure in a vertical cross section. The driving apparatus according to claim 1,
A driving force transmitting member for fixing both end portions of the gripper fixing member and the support plate fixing member and transmitting the driving force of the following cylinder rod to the gripper fixing member and the support plate fixing member;
One or more cylinder rods fastened and fixed to the driving force transmitting member to transmit driving force;
A cylinder fixing bracket mounted on both side ends of the cylinder rod and fastened to the body; And
A pneumatic pressure receiving part which is fastened to one side surface of the fixing bracket and receives pneumatic pressure from the pneumatic part;
The battery cell charging / discharging apparatus comprising: 9. The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 8, wherein the cylinder rod is operated by pneumatic pressure. 9. The air conditioner according to claim 8,
A pneumatic introduction part connected to the outside with a pneumatic tube and accommodating the pneumatic pressure; And
A pneumatic discharge unit connected to the outside with a pneumatic tube and discharging pneumatic pressure;
The battery cell charging / discharging apparatus comprising: The apparatus according to claim 1,
At least one motion detection sensor mounted on one side of the main body and sensing the state in which the gripper holds or holds the electrode tab of the battery cell; And
At least one temperature measurement sensor mounted on one side of the body and sensing the temperature of the battery cell electrode tab;
The battery cell charging / discharging apparatus comprising: 12. The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 11, wherein the motion detection sensor is an optical sensor. 12. The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 11, wherein the temperature measuring sensor is a temperature measuring sensor using a laser. The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic part is fastened to one end of the main body and generates a pneumatic pressure within a predetermined pressure range. 15. The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 14, wherein the pneumatic portion includes an air suction portion and an air discharge portion. 15. The battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 14, wherein the pneumatic pressure ranges from 1 kPa to 1 Mpa. A battery pack characterized by charging / discharging or testing using the battery cell charge / discharge device according to claim 1. A device comprising a battery pack according to claim 17. 19. The device of claim 18, wherein the device is an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a power storage device.

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