KR20180099011A - Device for Welding Battery Pack Comprising Unit Welding Device Capable of Being Assembled and Separated - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack welding apparatus, which comprises: a transporting unit continuously transported in one direction while the battery pack including at least two battery cells is mounted on the upper surface of the transporting unit; and at least one or two unit welding apparatuses for connecting two battery cells of the battery cells by allowing the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the two battery cells to be welded with conductive connecting members. Moreover, the unit welding apparatuses can be coupled to or separated from each other so as to be continuously disposed in the transporting direction of the battery pack.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery pack welding device including a unit welding device capable of assembling and separating a battery pack,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery pack welding apparatus including a unit welding apparatus that can be combined and separated.

In recent years, the demand for environmentally friendly alternative energy sources has become an indispensable factor for the future, as the increase in the price of energy sources due to depletion of fossil fuels and the interest in environmental pollution are amplified. Various researches on power generation technologies such as nuclear power, solar power, wind power, and tidal power have been continuing, and electric power storage devices for more efficient use of such generated energy have also been attracting much attention.

Particularly, 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 that can meet various demands have been conducted.

Typically, in terms of the shape of a battery, there is a high demand for a prismatic secondary battery and a pouch-type secondary battery which can be applied to products such as mobile phones with a small thickness, and has advantages such as high energy density, discharge voltage, There is a high demand for lithium secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries and lithium ion polymer batteries.

Also, the secondary battery is classified according to the structure of the electrode assembly having the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Typically, the long battery- A stacked (stacked) electrode assembly in which a plurality of positive electrodes and negative electrodes cut in a predetermined size unit are sequentially stacked with a separator interposed therebetween, the jelly-roll type (wound type) electrode assembly having a structure in which a separator is interposed; In recent years, in order to solve the problems of the jelly-roll type electrode assembly and the stack type electrode assembly, an electrode assembly having an advanced structure, which is a combination of the jelly-roll type and the stack type, A stack / folding type electrode having a structure in which unit cells stacked with a separator interposed between an anode and a cathode are sequentially wound while being placed on a separation film Developed body lip.

The secondary battery includes a cylindrical battery and a prismatic battery in which the electrode assembly is housed in a cylindrical or rectangular metal can according to the shape of the battery case, and a pouch type battery in which the electrode assembly is housed in a pouch-shaped case of an aluminum laminate sheet .

Such a secondary battery may be used in the form of a single battery or in the form of a battery pack in which a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected to each other depending on the type of external equipment to which the secondary battery is connected. For example, a small device such as a mobile phone can operate for a predetermined time with a single battery output and capacity, while in the case of a notebook computer, a small personal computer, etc., a plurality of battery cells are connected in parallel and in series It is necessary to use a battery pack connected by a method.

Generally, when such battery cells are connected to each other to constitute a battery pack, by electrically connecting conductive connection members to the positive and negative terminals of the battery cells by spot welding, Connect in series.

However, the welding process is performed in a process of continuously transferring the battery cells constituting the battery pack by the transfer unit, while the quantity of welded parts of the welding apparatus for performing the welding is limited, It is necessary to perform the welding process in a state where the transfer of the battery cells by the transfer unit is stopped. As a result, the manufacturing process of the battery pack There is a problem that it can be delayed as a whole.

In addition, such a delay in the manufacturing process serves to reduce the production amount of the battery pack per unit time, and finally it may increase the time and cost required for manufacturing the battery pack.

In order to solve this problem, it is possible to consider a configuration in which the apparatus for performing the welding process includes a maximum number of welds. However, when a welding apparatus is configured to include the welds as much as possible, So that the cost required for the operation is increased.

Particularly, the number of battery cells constituting the battery pack may vary according to factors such as the device to which the battery pack is applied. Accordingly, when manufacturing a battery pack including a small number of battery cells, The number of welding parts included in the welding device is unnecessarily increased as compared with a welding part performed in the cells, thereby unnecessarily increasing the energy required to drive the welding device, thereby increasing the overall production cost There is a problem.

Therefore, there is a high need for a technique capable of fundamentally solving such problems.

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, as will be described later, have been made to include a unit welding device composed of a structure in which they are joined to each other or separated from each other so as to be continuously arranged in the transport direction of the battery pack The quantity of the unit welding devices may be adjusted according to the number of the battery cells constituting the battery pack so as to be arranged continuously along the transfer part. Accordingly, even when the number of the battery cells is large , It is possible to consecutively perform the welding process on the battery cells sequentially in each unit welding apparatus in the process of continuously transferring the battery pack, thereby saving the time required for the welding process, When the quantity is small, the unit welding apparatus is separated in this way, and the unit welding apparatus constituting the battery pack welding apparatus It is possible to reduce the energy and cost required for driving the apparatus, and as a result, by flexibly applying the quantity of the unit welding apparatus to the battery pack including the various number of battery cells, It has been found that the cost and time required for the manufacturing process can be saved, and the production amount of the battery pack can be maximized, and the present invention has been accomplished.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack welding apparatus,

A conveyance unit continuously conveyed in one direction in a state that a battery pack including at least two battery cells is seated on an upper surface; And

One or more unit welding devices for welding and connecting the conductive connecting members to the positive and negative terminals of the two battery cells among the battery cells;

, ≪ / RTI >

The unit welding apparatus may have a structure in which the unit welding apparatuses are coupled to each other or separated from each other so as to be continuously arranged in the conveying direction of the battery pack.

Therefore, the quantity of the unit welding devices can be adjusted according to the number of the battery cells constituting the battery pack, so that the unit cells can be arranged continuously along the transfer part. Therefore, even when the number of the battery cells is large In the process of continuously transferring the battery pack, the welding process for the battery cells can be successively performed successively in each unit welding apparatus, so that the time required for the welding process can be saved, It is possible to save energy and cost for driving the apparatus by reducing the number of unit welding apparatuses constituting the battery pack welding apparatus by separating the unit welding apparatus accordingly, The amount of the unit welding device can be flexibly applied to the battery pack including the battery cells of the number of the battery cells, At the same time, which saves money and time spent on the process, it is possible to increase the production of the battery pack to the maximum.

In one specific example, the number of unit welding devices coupled to each other may be a natural number value rounded to the first decimal place with respect to a half value of the battery cell quantity.

More specifically, one unit welding device is basically configured to weld and connect the conductive connecting members to the positive and negative terminals of the two battery cells, respectively.

Accordingly, when the number of the battery cells constituting the battery pack is four, the number of the unit welding devices constituting the battery pack welding apparatus may be two, and when the number of the battery cells constituting the battery pack is seven , And four unit welding devices, which are natural numbers rounded off at the first decimal place with respect to 3.5, which is a half value of the battery cell quantity, constitute the battery pack welding device.

Therefore, the battery pack welding apparatus can more easily perform the welding operation on the battery pack continuously transported through the transfer unit, without performing welding in a state where the transfer of the battery pack is stopped, And it is possible to prevent a decrease in the production amount per unit time of the battery pack.

In addition, the two battery cells may be adjacent to each other.

That is, since the two battery cells, which are welded and connected through one unit welding device, are positioned adjacent to each other, the welding process can be performed more quickly.

Meanwhile, the unit welding devices that are coupled to each other include a structure in which a conductive connecting member is welded and connected to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of two battery cells adjacent to each other among battery cells other than the battery cell to which the conductive connecting member is coupled .

Therefore, each of the unit welding devices connected to each other so as to be continuously arranged in the conveying direction of the battery pack welds and connects the conductive connecting members to the positive and negative terminals of the two adjacent battery cells. Can be performed quickly.

In one specific example, the unit welding apparatus comprises:

A base portion positioned at a lower portion of the conveyance portion with respect to the paper surface;

A cathode terminal welded portion and a cathode terminal welded portion which are respectively welded to the anode terminal and the cathode terminal of the battery cell to be transferred in a state of being seated on the upper surface of the transfer portion while being supported on the upper surface of the base portion; And

A cover having a structure which surrounds the positive electrode terminal weld portion and the negative electrode terminal weld portion with the front surface and the rear surface opened with reference to the conveying direction of the battery pack;

. ≪ / RTI >

That is, the unit welding apparatus may have a structure in which the positive electrode terminal welded portion and the negative electrode terminal welded portion, which are connected while being supported on the upper surface of the base portion, are welded to the positive and negative electrode terminals of the battery cell, have.

In this case,

A body having a hexahedral structure;

A support protruding from the bottom surface of the main body to support the main body with respect to the ground; And

A roller formed on a lower surface of the main body to move the main body;

. ≪ / RTI >

Therefore, the base portion can stably support the positive electrode terminal weld portion and the negative electrode terminal weld portion, so that the positive electrode terminal weld portion and the negative electrode terminal weld portion can perform welding at an upper surface of the transfer portion located at a height apart from the ground. In the process of disposing the unit welding apparatuses, it is possible to move them so that they can be joined to each other or separated easily.

At this time, the body may have a built-in driving unit for driving the cathode terminal welding portion and the cathode terminal welding portion.

Therefore, the unit welding apparatus can form a cleaner appearance by positioning the cathode terminal welding portion and the cathode terminal welding portion within the body of the base portion, and a separate space for installing the driving portion is not required. The size of the driving unit can be minimized and the driving unit can be protected by the main body. Therefore, the damage of the driving unit, which may be caused by the non-product generated in the welding process, can be eliminated or minimized.

In addition, at least one outer surface of the main body, other than the upper surface and the lower surface, may have an openable / closable structure.

Therefore, it is possible to more easily perform inspection, repair or replacement of the driving unit built in the main body.

In addition, the supporting portion may have a structure in which the protruding length is adjusted to adjust the height and the horizontal of the main body.

Therefore, the base part stably supports the cathode terminal welding part and the anode terminal welding part, in spite of the harsh environment of the workplace, so that the welding process can be performed more stably, It is possible to eliminate or minimize the defects that may occur due to the unstable support of the welded portion.

On the other hand, the positive electrode terminal weld portion and the negative electrode terminal weld portion,

A welding electrode to which a current is applied so as to weld the conductive connecting member to the positive electrode terminal or the negative electrode terminal of the battery cell; And

A drive arm for moving the position of the electrode;

. ≪ / RTI >

At this time, the driving arm may be configured as a robot arm that moves the position of the welding rod to the set welding position, or recognizes the welding position of the cathode terminal or the cathode terminal and the conductive connecting member, and automatically moves the position of the welding rod .

Therefore, the positive electrode terminal welded portion and the negative electrode terminal welded portion can weld and bond the conductive connecting member to the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the continuously transported battery cell, respectively, more quickly and easily.

In one specific example, the cover may have a structure that surrounds at least one side surface and an upper surface, and a part of a front surface and a rear surface, respectively, with reference to a conveyance direction of the battery pack.

At this time, one side wrapped by the cover may be a side in a direction in which the operator who operates the battery pack welding apparatus is located.

Therefore, the cover is configured to surround the cathode terminal welding portion and the anode terminal welding portion, so that it is possible to effectively prevent the problem that the working environment is contaminated or the safety to the operator is deteriorated due to the flame or the non- have.

Particularly, the cover has a structure in which a front surface and a rear surface, through which the conveying portion continuously passes, are passed through on the basis of the conveyance direction of the battery pack, so that the conveyance of the battery pack through the conveyance portion may not be disturbed.

In addition, the one side enclosed by the cover may be configured to be openable and closable.

Therefore, it is possible to more easily perform inspection, repair, and replacement of the positive electrode terminal welded portion and the negative electrode terminal welded portion.

In addition, the cover may be made of transparent glass or plastic resin so that the operation state of the cathode terminal welding portion and the cathode terminal welding portion located inside can be visually confirmed.

Therefore, even if the operator operates the cathode terminal welded portion and the anode terminal welded portion covered with the cover, the operator can visually confirm the driving state of the cathode terminal welded portion and the anode terminal welded portion more easily.

However, the material of the cover is not limited to this, and if it can be visually confirmed by the operator, it can be suitably selected in consideration of factors such as moldability and economical efficiency.

In one specific example, the battery pack welding apparatus includes:

A current amount regulating unit for regulating the amount of current applied to the positive electrode terminal welding portion and the negative electrode terminal welding portion; And

An operation control unit for controlling operation of the battery pack welding apparatus;

As shown in Fig.

Therefore, the operator can more easily control the operation of the battery pack welding apparatus through the operation control section.

The remaining structure of the battery pack welding apparatus except for the structure and structure is well known in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the battery pack welding apparatus according to the present invention is configured so as to include a unit welding device having a structure in which the battery packs are coupled to each other or are separated from each other so as to be continuously arranged in the transport direction of the battery pack, The amount of the unit welding devices can be adjusted according to the number of the battery cells to be arranged continuously along the transfer part. Accordingly, even when the number of the battery cells is large, In the process of transferring, the welding process for the battery cells can be sequentially performed successively in each unit welding device, so that the time required for the welding process can be saved, and when the number of battery cells is small, By thus separating the unit welding apparatus and reducing the number of unit welding apparatuses constituting the battery pack welding apparatus, It is possible to flexibly apply the quantity of the unit welding devices to the battery pack including the battery packs of various quantities as a result so that the cost required for manufacturing the battery pack And the time is saved, and at the same time, the production amount of the battery pack can be maximized.

1 and 2 are schematic views schematically showing a structure of a battery pack welding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

1 and 2 are schematic views schematically showing a structure of a battery pack welding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 together, the battery pack welding apparatus 100 includes a transfer unit 110 and a unit welding apparatus 110, 120, and 130.

The conveying unit 110 is composed of a conveyor belt that is continuously conveyed in one direction D1 in a state where the battery pack is seated on the upper surface.

The unit welding apparatuses 110, 120 and 130 may be constructed such that one unit welding apparatus 110 is separated from the other or the two unit welding apparatuses 120 and 130 are continuous in the conveying direction D1 of the battery pack And are arranged to be coupled to each other so as to be disposed.

Each of the unit welding devices 110, 120, and 130 includes a base portion 101, an electrode terminal weld portion 102, and a cover 103.

The base portion 101 is located on the lower side of the conveyance portion 110 with respect to the paper surface and includes a main body 101a, a support portion 101b and a roller 101c.

The main body 101a has a hexahedral structure, and a driving unit 150 for driving the electrode terminal welded portion 102 is built in the main body 101a.

One outer surface of the main body 101a is configured to be openable and closable.

The supporting portion 101b protrudes from the bottom surface of the main body 101a so as to support the main body 101a with respect to the ground and has a structure in which the protruding length is adjusted to adjust the height and the horizontal of the main body 101a.

The roller 101c is formed on a lower surface of the main body 101a so as to move the main body 101a.

The electrode terminal weld portion 102 includes a welding rod 102a and a driving arm 102b.

The electrode 102a is moved by the operation of the driving arm 102b, and the current is applied to weld the conductive connecting member to the electrode terminal of the battery cell.

The cover 103 has a structure that surrounds one side and an upper side of a direction D2 in which the operator is positioned and an upper side of the front side and a rear side with respect to the feeding direction D1 of the battery pack.

Therefore, the cover 103 can prevent contamination of the workplace and injury of the worker due to flame or non-product generated in the welding process, and prevent safety deterioration, without interfering with the transfer of the battery pack through the transfer unit 110 have.

The cover 103 has a structure in which one side of the direction D2 in which the operator is positioned is opened by the hinge structure S1 and is formed so as to visually confirm the driving state of the electrode terminal welding portion 102 located therein. It is made of transparent glass.

On the upper surface of the cover 103, a current amount control unit 160 and an operation control unit 170 are located.

The current amount control unit 160 controls the amount of current applied to the welding electrode 102a of the electrode terminal welding unit 102 and the operation control unit 170 controls the operation of the battery pack welding apparatus 100. [

The operation control unit 170 includes a display unit 170a and a control unit 170b and is directly connected to the electrodes 102a of the electrode terminal welds 102 through the display unit 170a, It is possible to confirm and set process conditions that can not be confirmed, and the operator can more easily control the overall operation of the battery pack welding apparatus 100 by operating the control unit 170b.

Each of the unit welding devices 110, 120, and 130 has a structure in which a conductive connecting member is welded and connected to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of two battery cells, respectively. Accordingly, a battery pack including two battery cells, The electrode terminal welding portion 102 of the first unit welding device 110 moves and recognizes the positions of the positive and negative terminals of the battery cells to be continuously transported, Weld and connect the members.

When the battery pack including the four battery cells is transferred through the transfer unit 110, the electrode terminal welds 102 of the second unit welding apparatus 120 are continuously transferred from the battery cells , The position of the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the two adjacent battery cells is detected and moved, and the conductive connecting member is welded and connected. Then, when the transported battery cells enter the section C, The electrode terminal welds 102 of the battery terminals 130 recognize and move the positions of the positive and negative terminals of the battery cells except for the battery cell to which the conductive connecting member is coupled in the section B to weld and connect the conductive connecting member .

Therefore, the battery cells do not need to stop the transfer in order to weld the conductive connecting member in the transferring process, thereby saving the cost and time required for manufacturing the battery pack and increasing the production amount .

Hereinafter, the present invention will be further described with reference to Examples of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

≪ Example 1 >

The two unit welding devices shown in Fig. 1 are combined to be arranged in the transfer direction of the battery pack. In the welding process of the conductive connecting member to the electrode terminals of the battery cells constituting the battery pack, A pack welding device was produced.

≪ Comparative Example 1 &

Only one unit welding device of Fig. 1 is arranged in the transport direction of the battery pack, and in the process of welding the conductive connecting member to the electrode terminals of the battery cells constituting the battery pack, A welding apparatus was manufactured.

<Experimental Example 1>

For the battery pack 10 set made up of four battery cells, the conductive connecting member was welded to the electrode terminals of each battery cell using the battery pack welding apparatus manufactured in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, The time taken to complete the welding of the battery packs was measured, and the results are shown in Table 1 below.

Welding time (sec) Example 1 28.5 Comparative Example 1 57

Referring to Table 1, in the case of Example 1 in which welding was performed in the process of continuously transferring the battery cells by continuously arranging the two unit welding devices, only one unit welding device was used, It can be seen that the time required for welding the battery pack is saved as compared with Comparative Example 1 in which welding is performed in the process of being transferred.

This is because when a plurality of unit welding devices are successively arranged in the process of continuously transferring the battery cells and the welding process is sequentially performed on the electrode terminals of the battery cells, It is possible to save the time required for the welding process as compared with the case where the transfer of the battery cells is performed in a stopped state despite the sequential welding to the terminals, The time and cost required can be saved, and the production amount of the battery pack can be increased.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, It will be possible.

Claims (15)

A conveyance unit continuously conveyed in one direction in a state that a battery pack including at least two battery cells is seated on an upper surface; And
One or more unit welding devices for welding and connecting the conductive connecting members to the positive and negative terminals of the two battery cells among the battery cells;
, &Lt; / RTI &gt;
Wherein the unit welding device is structured such that the unit welding devices are coupled to each other or separated from each other so as to be continuously arranged in a transport direction of the battery pack. 2. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of the unit welding devices coupled to each other is a natural number rounded from the first decimal place to half of the battery cell quantity. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two battery cells are mutually adjacent battery cells. The unit welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit welding devices are welded to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of two adjacent battery cells, respectively, of the remaining battery cells except for the battery cell to which the conductive connecting member is coupled, And the battery pack is connected to the battery pack. The apparatus according to claim 1,
A base portion positioned at a lower portion of the conveyance portion with respect to the paper surface;
A cathode terminal welded portion and a cathode terminal welded portion which are respectively welded to the anode terminal and the cathode terminal of the battery cell to be transferred in a state of being seated on the upper surface of the transfer portion while being supported on the upper surface of the base portion; And
A cover having a structure that surrounds the positive electrode terminal weld portion and the negative electrode terminal weld portion with the front surface and the rear surface opened with reference to the conveyance direction of the battery pack;
Wherein the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5,
A body having a hexahedral structure;
A support protruding from the bottom surface of the main body to support the main body with respect to the ground; And
A roller formed on a lower surface of the main body to move the main body;
Wherein the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a driving unit for driving the cathode terminal welding portion and the cathode terminal welding portion is built in the body. The battery pack welding apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one outer surface of the main body is openable and closable, out of the outer surfaces except for the upper surface and the lower surface. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the protrusion length is adjusted to adjust the height and the horizontal of the main body. [6] The method of claim 5,
A welding electrode to which a current is applied so as to weld the conductive connecting member to the positive electrode terminal or the negative electrode terminal of the battery cell; And
A drive arm for moving the position of the electrode;
Wherein the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cover includes at least one side surface and an upper surface, and a part of a front surface and a rear surface, respectively, with respect to a transport direction of the battery pack. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 11, wherein one side wrapped by the cover is a side in a direction in which an operator who operates the battery pack welding apparatus is located. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 11, wherein one side of the battery pack is surrounded by the cover. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the cover is made of transparent glass or a plastic resin so that the operation state of the cathode terminal welding portion and the cathode terminal welding portion located inside can be visually confirmed. The battery pack welding apparatus according to claim 1,
A current amount regulating unit for regulating the amount of current applied to the positive electrode terminal welding portion and the negative electrode terminal welding portion; And
An operation control unit for controlling operation of the battery pack welding apparatus;
Further comprising a plurality of battery cells.

Images