阅读说明：本技术 返工装置和返工方法 (Rework apparatus and rework method ) 是由 张佳蕴 刘勇 傅记兵 赵琳 武俊喜 岳琦 倪克钒 于 2019-05-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供一种返工装置和返工方法。返工装置包括第一支撑件、第二支撑件以及设置在第一支撑件和第二支撑件之间并与第二支撑件齐平的加热元件；第一支撑件相对于加热元件成一角度倾斜；这种返工装置和返工方法具有结构简单、成本低、操作方便的优点。(The present disclosure provides a rework apparatus and a rework method. The rework device comprises a first support, a second support, and a heating element disposed between and flush with the first support and the second support; the first support is inclined at an angle relative to the heating element; the reworking device and the reworking method have the advantages of simple structure, low cost and convenient operation.)

1. A rework device for a laminated battery module, the rework device comprising:

a first support member;

a second support member; and

a heating element disposed between the first support and the second support and flush with the second support;

wherein the first support is inclined at an angle relative to the heating element.

2. The rework device of claim 1, wherein the first support is adapted to be tilted at various angles relative to the heating element.

3. The rework device of claim 1, wherein the angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 50 degrees.

4. A rework device for a laminated battery module, the rework device comprising:

a first support and a second support; and

a heating element disposed between the first support and the second support;

wherein the heating element is adapted to heat and rotate the target battery.

5. The rework device of claim 4, wherein the first support and the second support are in the form of conveyor belts.

6. The rework device of claim 4, further comprising a rotation component, wherein the heating element is adapted to heat the target battery without rotating the target battery, and the rotation component is adapted to rotate the target battery.

7. The rework device of claim 6, wherein the heating element is an infrared heating oven, and the rotating element is adapted to attract the target battery and rotate the target battery therewith.

8. The rework device of claim 4, wherein the heating element is adapted to attract the target battery and rotate the target battery therewith.

9. The rework device of claim 4, wherein the heating element includes a plurality of holes for attaching the target battery by vacuum suction.

10. A rework method for a stacked battery module including a plurality of sequentially connected batteries, the rework method comprising:

providing a first support, a second support, and a heating element disposed between the first support and the second support and flush with the second support, the first support being inclined at an angle relative to the heating element;

placing the stacked battery module on the first and second supports such that an edge of a target battery is on the heating element;

heating an edge of the target battery using the heating element;

placing the other edge of the target cell on the heating element; and

heating the other edge of the target cell using the heating element.

11. A rework method for a stacked battery module including a plurality of sequentially connected batteries, the rework method comprising:

providing a first support and a second support, and a heating element disposed between the first support and the second support;

placing the stacked battery module on the first and second supports such that a target battery is located on the heating element;

heating both edges of the target battery using the heating element; and

rotating the target battery using the heating element.

12. The rework method of claim 10, wherein the first and second supports are in the form of a conveyor belt and the first and second supports move the laminated battery module to a position where the target battery is on the heating element.

13. The rework method of claim 10, further comprising a step of suctioning the target battery using the heating element before the step of heating both edges of the target battery using the heating element.

14. The rework method of claim 13, wherein the heating element adsorbs the target battery by vacuum adsorption via a plurality of holes on the heating element.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of rework of laminated battery modules, in particular to a rework device and a rework method.

Background

Due to the complex process of manufacturing the laminated battery module by using the laminated battery, the yield of the laminated battery equipment is not high. The stacked battery module generally includes 34 to 68 battery plates. If a problem of overlapping or breakage of one battery occurs, the complete stacked battery module cannot be used any more. Therefore, rework is important for the manufacture of the stacked battery module, so that the overall cost can be reduced.

The current rework method mainly comprises the following steps:

1) the cells were separated by cutting the conductive paste (ECA) with a thin metal blade (about 100um thick) or a thin metal wire (50-100 um). Disadvantages of this approach include: the blades and wires are very flexible making handling difficult; this method is difficult to apply in automation; the laminated battery module with high modulus ECA is difficult to rework; during the rework process, adjacent cells may crack.

2) The problem cell is heated at extremely high temperatures (500-600 ℃) to destroy the ECA, or the entire laminated cell module is heated and the problem cell is separated, or the ECA region is heated and then the problem cell is separated using an external tool.

For a laminated battery module with low modulus ECA, rework can be performed at room temperature by the above tool. However, for a high modulus ECA laminated battery module, the rework process requires high temperatures to destroy the ECA, which increases the difficulty of rework.

Accordingly, there is a need to improve existing rework apparatuses and rework methods.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to improve the existing reworking device and reworking method and provides a novel reworking device and reworking method. The reworking device and the reworking method have the advantages of simple structure, low cost and convenient operation.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a rework apparatus for a laminated battery module is provided. The rework device includes: the heating device comprises a first support part, a second support part and a heating element which is arranged between the first support part and the second support part and is flush with the second support part, wherein the first support part is inclined at an angle relative to the heating element.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first support is adapted to be inclined at various angles relative to the heating element.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating element is made of iron, stainless steel, or aluminum.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 50 degrees.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a rework apparatus for a laminated battery module is provided. The rework device includes: a first support and a second support; and a heating element disposed between the first support and the second support. The heating element is adapted to heat and rotate the target battery.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first support and the second support are in the form of a conveyor belt.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rework device further includes a rotation component. The heating element is adapted to heat the target battery without rotating the target battery, and the rotating member is adapted to rotate the target battery.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating element is an infrared heating furnace, and the rotating member is adapted to attract the target battery and cause the target battery to rotate therewith.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating element is adapted to attract and cause rotation of the target battery therewith.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating element includes a plurality of holes for adsorbing the target cell by vacuum adsorption.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating element is made of iron, stainless steel, or aluminum.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a rework method of a laminated battery module is provided. The laminated battery module comprises a plurality of batteries which are connected in sequence. The reworking method comprises the following steps: providing a first support, a second support, and a heating element disposed between and flush with the first support and the second support, the first support being inclined at an angle to the second support; placing the stacked battery module on the first support and the second support such that an edge of the target battery is on the heating element; heating an edge of the target battery using a heating element; placing the other edge of the target cell on the heating element; and the other edge of the target battery is heated using the heating element.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a rework method of a laminated battery module is provided. The laminated battery module comprises a plurality of batteries which are connected in sequence. The reworking method comprises the following steps: providing a first support and a second support, and a heating element disposed between the first support and the second support; placing the stacked battery module on the first support and the second support such that the target battery is located on the heating element; heating both edges of the target battery using the heating element; and rotating the target battery using the heating element.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first and second supports are in the form of conveyor belts that move the stacked battery module to a position where the target battery is on the heating element.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rework method further includes a step of adsorbing the target battery using the heating element before the step of heating both edges of the target battery using the heating element.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heating element adsorbs the target battery by vacuum adsorption using a plurality of holes on the heating element.

The technical effects of the rework device and the rework method according to the present disclosure are as follows:

1. for the laminated battery module with high modulus ECA, the rework process needs lower working temperature to separate the problem batteries, and the process is easier, safer and more energy-saving;

2. this process may be handled by a person or automatically;

3. the efficiency and the success rate are higher;

4. the surface of the battery has no hard damage;

5. other typical ECAs applicable to the tile field.

The above advantages and other advantages and features will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a rework device according to an example embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a heating element of a rework device, according to another example embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a rework device according to another example embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, various features of the embodiments shown and described with respect to any one of the figures may be combined with features shown in one or more other figures to produce other embodiments not explicitly shown or described. The combination of features shown provides a representative embodiment of a typical application. However, various combinations and modifications of the features are possible in light of the teachings of the present disclosure, for particular applications or implementations.

In this specification, the words "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used for convenience only and are not limiting.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a rework device according to an example embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 1, in the illustrated embodiment, the rework device 1 generally includes a first support 3, a second support 5, and a heating element 7 disposed between the first support 3 and the second support 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the first support 3 and the second support 5 are in the form of support plates. The first support 3 and the second support 5 are adapted to support a stacked battery module 9. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the second support may be omitted, with only the first support being disposed proximate the heating element.

The stacked battery module 9 generally includes 34 to 68 cells connected in series. The cells are connected in sequence by covering the edges of adjacent cells with an Electrically Conductive Adhesive (ECA). The width of the ECA zone is typically less than 1 mm.

As shown in fig. 1, in the embodiment shown, the heating element 7 is in the form of a heating plate. The heating element 7 is adapted to heat the problem battery, i.e. the target battery, in particular either edge of the target battery, so that the target battery can be removed from the laminated battery module 9. The heating element 7 may be made of iron, stainless steel or aluminium or any other suitable heat conducting material.

As shown in fig. 1, in the embodiment shown, the first support 3 is inclined at an angle relative to the heating element 7. In particular, the end of the first support 3 remote from the heating element 7 is supported by the block 11. As the blocks 11 are arranged in different positions, the first support 3 is inclined at various angles with respect to the heating element 7. The block 11 may also be arranged in a fixed position such that the first support 3 is inclined at a fixed angle relative to the second support 5. The first support 3 is inclined at an angle greater than zero degrees, which means that the first support 3 is not in the same plane as the heating element 7. In some embodiments, the angle may be less than or equal to fifty degrees.

It will be appreciated that the angle between the first support and the heating element may be achieved by other arrangements. For example, the first support may be supported by a pivotable support. It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the first and second supports may be in other forms. For example, the first support may be in the form of a wedge block and the second support may be in the form of a table top. In this case, the laminated battery module is supported on the surface of the stage and the wedge block.

As shown in fig. 1, in the illustrated embodiment, the surface of the heating element 7 is flush with the surface of the second support 5, so that the laminated battery module 9 can be smoothly supported on the second support 5.

The process of performing rework using the above rework apparatus 1 will now be described. First, the stacked battery module 9 is placed on the first support 3, the heating element 7, and the second support 5. As the first support 3 is inclined at an angle with respect to the heating element 7, a portion of the stacked battery module 9 supported on the first support 3 is inclined at such an angle with respect to another portion of the stacked battery module 9 supported on the second support 5. One edge of the target battery is supported on the heating element 7. The ECA region at this edge of the target cell is heated by the heating element 7 at a specific temperature for a specific period of time. The target cell is then separated along the edge. To separate the target cell along the other edge, that edge of the target cell is then placed on the heating element 7. The ECA region at that edge of the target cell is heated by the heating element 7 at a specific temperature for a specific period of time. The target cell is then completely separated. After that, the new battery can be overlapped with the remaining two laminated battery strings, thereby performing rework on the laminated battery module.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a rework method of a laminated battery module is provided. The laminated battery module comprises a plurality of batteries which are connected in sequence. The reworking method comprises the following steps:

providing a first support 3 and a heating element 7 arranged adjacent to the first support 3, the first support 3 being inclined at an angle relative to the heating element 7;

placing the laminated battery module 9 on the first support 3 such that one edge of the target battery is on the heating element 7;

heating one edge of the target battery using the heating element 7;

placing the other edge of the target cell on the heating element 7; and

the other edge of the target cell is heated using the heating element 7.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a heating element of a rework device, according to another example embodiment of the invention. Fig. 3 is a side view of a rework device according to another example embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, in the illustrated embodiment, the rework device 1 'includes primarily a first support 3', a second support 5', and a heating element 7' disposed between the first support 3 'and the second support 5'. In the illustrated embodiment, the first support 3 'and the second support 5' are in the form of conveyor belts. The first support member 3' and the second support member 5' are adapted to support the stacked battery module 9 '. The first support 3' and the second support 5' can move the stacked battery module 9' to a position of the target battery 13' on the heating element 7 '.

It should be clear that the first and second supports may take other forms. For example, the first and second supports may take the form of support plates. In this case, the laminated battery module may be moved to a position where the target battery is located on the heating element by an external tool such as a robot arm.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, the heating element 7' is in the form of a heating plate. The heating element 7' is adapted to heat the target battery 13', in particular, both edges of the target battery 13', so that the target battery 13' can be taken out of the laminated battery module 9 '. It should be understood that the heating element may heat both edges of the target battery by contacting and heating the middle of the target battery due to heat transfer. The heating element 7' may be made of iron, stainless steel or aluminium or any other suitable heat conducting material. As shown in fig. 2, the heating element 7' may be connected to a temperature controller 14' to control the temperature of the heating element 7 '.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, the heating element 7 'is capable of heating and rotating the target battery 13'. Specifically, the heating element 7 may attract the target battery 13 'and rotate the target battery 13' therewith. As shown in fig. 2, in the embodiment shown, the heating element 7 'comprises a plurality of holes 15'. The heating element 7 'may be connected to a vacuum suction device (not shown) via a vacuum suction tube 17'. The vacuum adsorption means allows the heating element 7' to adsorb the target battery 13' through the vacuum adsorption tube 17' and the hole 15' on the heating element 7 '. It should be understood that the heating element may attract the target battery in other ways.

As shown in fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the heating element 7 'has a rotation axis 19' at its center. The heating element 7 'can be rotated about a rotation axis 19'. Since the heating element 7 'can attract the target battery 13', when the heating element 7 'starts to rotate, it applies force to both edges of the target battery 13', separating it from the stacked battery module 9 'and rotating the target battery 13' therewith.

It should be understood that it is possible that the heating element is capable of heating the target battery without rotating the target battery. In this case, the rework device may include a rotation member capable of rotating the target battery. In some embodiments, the heating element is an infrared heating furnace. An infrared heating furnace may be disposed above the target cell and heats the target cell by infrared radiation. The rotating member may be a rotating plate with a plurality of holes. The rotating plate may attract and rotate the target battery in the same manner as the heating element described above.

The process of performing rework using the above rework apparatus is now described. First, the stacked battery module 9 'is placed on the first support 3', the heating element 7', and the second support 5'. The first support 3' and the second support 5' move the stacked battery module 9' to a position of the target battery 13' on the heating element 7 '. The heating element 7' then attracts the target cell 13' through the vacuum suction tube 17' and the hole 15' in the heating element 7 '. Thereafter, the target battery 13 'is heated by the heating element 7'. Specifically, the ECA regions on both edges of the target cell 13 'are heated by the heating element 7' at a specific temperature for a specific period of time. As shown in the lower drawing of fig. 3, the heating element 7' is then rotated about its rotational axis 19' to separate the target battery 13' from the stacked battery module 9' and rotate the separated target battery 13' therewith. The heating element 7' then releases the target battery 13' allowing the target battery 13' to fall to the receiving basket 21' below the heating element 7 '.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a rework method of a laminated battery module is provided. The laminated battery module comprises a plurality of batteries which are connected in sequence. The reworking method comprises the following steps:

providing a first support 3' and a second support 5', and a heating element 7' arranged between the first support 3' and the second support 5 ';

placing the laminated battery module 9' on the first support 3' and the second support 5' such that the target battery 13' is located on the heating element 7 ';

heating both edges of the target battery 13 'using the heating element 7'; and

the target battery 13 'is rotated using the heating element 7'.

In some embodiments, the first support 3' and the second support 5' are in the form of conveyor belts, and the first support 3' and the second support 5' move the stacked battery module 9' to a position where the target battery 13' is on the heating element 7 '.

In some embodiments, the rework method includes a step of suctioning the target battery 13 'using the heating element 7' before the step of heating both edges of the target battery 13 'using the heating element 7'. Specifically, the heating element 7 'adsorbs the target battery 13' by vacuum adsorption using the plurality of holes 15 'on the heating element 7'.

From the above description, those skilled in the art will be able to understand the aspects and advantages of the rework apparatus and rework method according to the present invention. For example, the rework device of the invention has simple structure and low cost. For a laminated battery module with high modulus ECA, the rework process requires lower operating temperature to separate the problem batteries, and the process is easier, safer and more energy-saving. This process may be handled by a person or automatically. The efficiency and success rate are higher. The surface of the battery has no hard damage. It can be applied to other typical laminated fields of ECAs.

Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various changes and modifications that may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.