CN106410257B

CN106410257B - Winding support core, secondary battery, method of manufacturing the same, and battery winding machine

Info

Publication number: CN106410257B
Application number: CN201610969481.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 钟宽; 陈阳; 林炳辉; 王文华; 刘洪明
Original assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Current assignee: Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai
Priority date: 2016-11-07
Filing date: 2016-11-07
Publication date: 2024-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2036-11-07
Also published as: CN106410257A

Abstract

The invention discloses a winding support core, a secondary battery, a manufacturing method thereof and a battery winding machine. The winding support core comprises a sheet body, the sheet body is provided with an upper surface, a lower surface and a side surface, the upper surface and the lower surface are oppositely arranged, the side surface is provided with a left surface, a right surface, a front surface and a rear surface, the left surface and the right surface are all surfaces extending along the front-back direction, the front surfaces are respectively connected with the front ends of the left surface and the right surface, the rear surfaces are respectively connected with the rear ends of the left surface and the right surface, and the winding support core is provided with a jack which is arranged on the front surface and is used for being in plug-in fit with a winding needle of a battery winding machine. The invention is beneficial to improving the quality of the secondary battery.

Description

Winding support core, secondary battery, method of manufacturing the same, and battery winding machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of batteries, in particular to a winding support core, a secondary battery, a manufacturing method of the secondary battery and a battery winding machine.

Background

In the manufacturing process of the secondary battery, winding the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate of the secondary battery and the diaphragm arranged between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate into a battery core is a key production process.

Taking lithium ion batteries as an example, the most common lithium ion batteries in the prior art generally include cylindrical lithium ion batteries and prismatic lithium ion batteries. Common winding modes of the battery cells are also classified into a cylindrical winding mode for forming the battery cells of the cylindrical lithium ion battery and a square winding mode for forming the battery cells of the square lithium ion battery.

The pole pieces in the battery core of the cylindrical lithium ion battery are tightly attached, and the degree of automation is high, so that the cylindrical lithium ion battery has good capacity performance and high consistency, and has application advantages in the field of electric automobiles. However, due to heat dissipation problems, the capacity of cylindrical lithium ion batteries is generally small, typically not exceeding 5Ah. In the fields where there is a need for large-capacity electricity storage, such as the energy storage field and the electric automobile field, the advantage of a small-sized battery is not great.

The square lithium ion battery has large area and higher heat dissipation performance, and can be designed into a large-sized battery with the capacity larger than 10 Ah. Compared with a small battery, the large battery has application advantages in the energy storage field and the electric automobile field.

In the prior art, the positive pole piece, the negative pole piece and the diaphragm pole piece are directly wound in a cylindrical winding mode or a square winding mode. For cylindrical lithium ion batteries, this winding does not significantly destroy the electrical properties of the battery.

However, for square lithium ion batteries, when the battery core is subjected to hot press shaping in the later stage, 180-degree folding can be generated at the edge of the battery core, so that the electrode plate is very easy to break and the coating is easy to fall off, the consistency of the battery is affected, the capacity performance of the battery is affected, and even the micro short circuit of the battery can be caused. In addition, when the winding of the battery core is completed, the winding needle is tightly attached to the battery core, the core pulling phenomenon of the wound battery core is easy to occur when the needle is pulled out, the battery core is uneven, short circuit is caused when the battery core is severe, and the core pulling phenomenon is more serious especially when the battery is wound under high tension.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a winding support core, a square lithium ion battery, a manufacturing method thereof and a battery winding machine, and aims to improve the quality of the square lithium ion battery.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a winding support core for a secondary battery, the winding support core including a sheet body having upper and lower surfaces disposed opposite to each other and side surfaces connecting the upper and lower surfaces, the side surfaces including a left surface, a right surface, a front surface, and a rear surface, the left and right surfaces each being a surface extending in a front-rear direction, the front surfaces respectively connecting front ends of the left and right surfaces, and the rear surface respectively connecting rear ends of the left and right surfaces, wherein the winding support core further includes insertion holes provided on the front surfaces for insertion-fit with winding pins of a battery winder.

Optionally, the receptacle is a through hole passing through the front surface and the rear surface.

Optionally, the number of the jacks is one or more than two.

Alternatively, the number of the insertion holes is two, and the two insertion holes are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center of the sheet-like body in the left-right direction.

Optionally, the axis of the receptacle extends in a front-to-rear direction.

Optionally, the jack is a round hole with a radius r, and the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is d, wherein r is more than or equal to 0.5mm and less than or equal to 0.5d.

Optionally, the left surface smoothly transitions with the upper surface and/or the lower surface; and/or, the right surface smoothly transitions with the upper surface and/or the lower surface.

Optionally, the left surface comprises a cylindrical surface convex to the left with a curved cross section and/or the right surface comprises a cylindrical surface convex to the right with a curved cross section.

Optionally, a distance between the upper surface and the lower surface is d, wherein the left surface comprises a cylindrical surface which protrudes to the left, has a circular arc in cross section and has a diameter phi 1, and d is less than or equal to phi 1 and less than or equal to 3d; and/or the right surface comprises a cylindrical surface which protrudes to the right, the cross section of the cylindrical surface is arc-shaped, the diameter of the arc is phi 2, and d is less than or equal to phi 2 and less than or equal to 3d.

Optionally, a distance d between the upper surface and the lower surface is 2mm to 10mm.

Optionally, the secondary battery is a lithium ion battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery or a lithium sulfur battery; and/or the secondary battery is a prismatic battery.

Optionally, the material of the sheet body is an insulating material.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a secondary battery comprising a winding support core of the secondary battery according to any one of the first aspect of the present invention and a battery cell wound on a sheet-like body of the winding support core in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the winding support core.

Optionally, the length of the winding support core in the front-rear direction is greater than the length of the battery cell in the front-rear direction.

Optionally, the length of the winding support core in the front-rear direction is 1mm to 5mm longer than the length of the battery core in the front-rear direction.

Optionally, the front end of the winding support core protrudes from the front end of the battery cell; the rear end of the winding support core protrudes out of the rear end of the battery cell.

Optionally, the secondary battery further includes a case, the winding core structure is disposed in the case, wherein the winding support core is connected to a wall of the case so as to support the winding core structure on the case, and the battery core is disposed at an interval from the case.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a battery winder, including a winding needle, the battery winder further including a position operating mechanism for controlling a winding support core of a secondary battery to be in an engaged state or a separated state with the winding needle, wherein the winding support core is the winding support core of the secondary battery according to any one of the first aspects of the present invention, in the engaged state, the winding needle and the winding support core are both located at a winding position of an electric core and the winding needle is in plug-in engagement with a receptacle of the winding support core so that the winding needle can drive the winding support core to rotate, and in the separated state, at least one of the winding support core and the winding needle is away from the winding position of the electric core so that the winding needle is disengaged from the receptacle.

Optionally, the position manipulating mechanism includes a support core manipulating mechanism for manipulating the position of the winding support core for transporting the winding support core to a cell winding position of the battery winder.

Optionally, the support core handling mechanism includes a support core conveying mechanism for conveying the winding support core to a support core preparation position, and a support core pushing mechanism for pushing the winding support core in the support core preparation position to the cell winding position.

Alternatively, after the winding support core and the winding needle are in the engaged state, the support core pushing mechanism can be separated from the winding support core and returned to a position before pushing the winding support core.

Optionally, the support core conveying mechanism comprises a conveying belt or a conveying chain; and/or the supporting core pushing mechanism comprises at least one of a driving cylinder, a motor, a cam ejector rod mechanism, a connecting rod mechanism and a gear rack rod mechanism.

Optionally, the support core mechanism comprises a robotic arm.

Optionally, the position manipulating mechanism includes a winding needle transfer mechanism capable of transferring the winding needle from a winding needle preparation position to the cell winding position.

Optionally, the winding needle transfer mechanism is further capable of moving the winding needle from the cell winding position to the winding needle preparation position to bring the winding support core and the winding needle into the separated state.

Optionally, the battery winder comprises two winding pins, and the distance between the two winding pins is adjustably set; or, the battery winder comprises a plurality of winding needle structures, the winding needle structures comprise winding needles, the number and/or the structure of the winding needles of each winding needle structure are different from those of the winding needles of the other winding needle structures, any winding needle structure in the plurality of winding needle structures is optionally arranged on the battery winder, and the winding needles of the winding needle structures arranged on the battery winder are matched with the insertion holes of the winding support core.

Optionally, the battery winder further comprises a winding control mechanism in driving fit with the winding needle, and in the winding position of the battery core, the winding control mechanism can drive the winding needle to drive the winding support core to rotate so as to wind the material for forming the battery core on the winding support core.

Optionally, the battery winder further comprises a detection device for detecting the position of the winding support core and/or the winding needle, the detection device being coupled with the position manipulating mechanism to control the position manipulating mechanism to act.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a secondary battery, in which a material for forming a battery cell is wound on a winding support core of the secondary battery using the battery winder according to any of the third aspects of the present invention to form a winding core structure of the secondary battery.

Optionally, the manufacturing method includes: step 1: the winding support core and the winding needle are in the matching state at the winding position of the electric core; step 2: driving the winding needle to drive the winding support core to rotate so as to wind a material for forming the battery core on the winding support core; step 3: and enabling the winding needle and the winding support core after the battery core is wound to be in the separated state.

Optionally, the step 1 includes: step 11: conveying the wound support core to a support core preparation position; step 12: pushing the winding support core from the support core preparation position to the cell winding position; step 13: and transferring the winding needle from a winding needle preparation position to the battery core winding position, so that the winding support core is in plug-in fit with the insertion hole of the winding needle.

Optionally, the step 3 includes: and transferring the winding needle from the cell winding position to a winding needle preparation position.

The winding support core comprises a sheet body, and the winding support core is provided with an insertion hole which is arranged on the front surface of the sheet body and is used for being in plug-in fit with a winding needle of the battery winding machine. When the battery core is formed by winding, the winding needle is inserted into the insertion hole of the winding support core, the battery core is wound on the winding support core, the winding support core and the winding core structure formed by the battery core form a part of the secondary battery, and the winding needle is separated from the winding support core when the winding needle is pulled out, so that the winding needle and the battery core do not directly act, the core pulling phenomenon does not occur, the problem of uneven battery core and short circuit caused by the core pulling phenomenon does not occur, and the quality of the secondary battery is improved. Further, due to the support of the winding support core, the positive electrode plate, the negative electrode plate and the diaphragm of the battery core are tightly attached, so that the internal resistance can be reduced, the capacity performance and the cycle performance of the battery can be improved, and the consistency of the battery can be improved. In addition, the edge of the battery core is supported by the winding support core, so that the phenomena of pole piece breakage and coating powder falling are effectively reduced, the consistency of the battery is improved, the phenomena of limited battery capacity and micro short circuit of the battery caused by pole piece breakage and coating powder falling can be reduced, and the quality of the secondary battery is improved.

The secondary battery, the battery winding machine, and the method for manufacturing the secondary battery according to the present invention are also advantageous for improving the quality of the secondary battery for the same reason.

Other features of the present invention and its advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation on the invention. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a winding support core according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a winding core structure of a square lithium-ion battery according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the side view of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating an operating principle of a position control mechanism in a battery winder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of a detecting device in a battery winder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

The relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless it is specifically stated otherwise. Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in actual scale for convenience of description. Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but should be considered part of the specification where appropriate. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be construed as merely illustrative, and not a limitation. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent figures.

Spatially relative terms, such as "above … …," "above … …," "upper surface at … …," "above," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one device or feature's spatial location relative to another device or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "above" or "over" other devices or structures would then be oriented "below" or "beneath" the other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above … …" may include both orientations of "above … …" and "below … …". The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

In the following description, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear" all correspond to the directions shown in fig. 1.

In the following examples, the present invention is described by taking square lithium ion batteries as an example, but the winding support core, the secondary battery, the battery winding machine and the manufacturing method of the secondary battery of the present invention are also suitable for other types of secondary batteries with winding cells, such as nickel-hydrogen batteries and lithium-sulfur batteries.

First embodiment

A first embodiment of the present invention provides a winding support core.

As shown in fig. 1, the winding support core 10 of the first embodiment includes a sheet-like body having upper and lower surfaces 11 and 12 disposed opposite to each other and side surfaces connecting the upper and lower surfaces 11 and 12. The side surfaces include a left surface 13, a right surface 14, a front surface 15, and a rear surface (not shown). The left surface 13 and the right surface 14 are both surfaces extending in the front-rear direction. The front surface 15 connects the front ends of the left surface 13 and the right surface 14, respectively. The rear surfaces connect the rear ends of the left surface 13 and the right surface 14, respectively. Wherein the winding support core 10 has a receptacle 151 provided on the front surface 15 for a plug-in engagement with the winding pin 60 of the battery winder.

The width w of the winding support core 10 may be selected according to the size of the square lithium ion battery, and may be substantially the same as the width between the winding pins 60 of the battery winding machine in the related art.

In this embodiment, the insertion hole 151 is a through hole penetrating the front surface 15 and the rear surface. This arrangement allows the winding pin 60 to engage the insertion hole 151 at both the front surface 15 and the rear surface, and eliminates the need to specially distinguish the front surface 15 and the rear surface of the winding support core 10 during production, thereby improving the working efficiency when winding the battery cell 20. Moreover, the through holes can also facilitate the detection of the relative positions of the winding support core 10 and the winding needle 60 by the detection means.

The shape of the insertion hole 151 is only required to be matched with the winding needle 60 and the winding support core 10 can be driven to rotate by the winding needle 60. For example, it may be circular, triangular, square, regular polygon, etc. Preferably, the winding pin 60 conforms to the shape of the corresponding receptacle 151 and is a clearance fit. The axis of the insertion hole 151 extends in the front-rear direction.

The number of the insertion holes 151 may be one or two or more. When the number of insertion holes is one, the winding needle 60 is preferably engaged with the winding support core 10 by a snap fit. For example, the insertion hole may be provided as a flat hole, and the winding needle 60 is correspondingly provided in a shape corresponding to the flat hole. The number of the insertion holes 151 is more than two, so that the capability of the winding needle 60 to wind the supporting core 10 can be increased.

In this embodiment, the number of the insertion holes 151 is preferably two, and the two insertion holes 151 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center O in the left-right direction of the sheet. As shown in fig. 1, one insertion hole 151 is provided at each of the two sides of the center O in the width direction of the winding support core 10 at a distance x. The insertion hole 151 is used for the winding needle 60 of the battery winder to penetrate the winding support core 10 so that the winding support core 10 can be rotated by the winding needle 60 to achieve the purpose of winding the material for forming the battery cell 20 on the winding support core 10.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the insertion hole 151 is a circular hole with a radius r, and the distance between the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 is d. Preferably, r is 0.5 mm.ltoreq.r.ltoreq.0.5 d.

In the present embodiment, the front surface 15 is a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the rear surface is a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. In other embodiments, both the front and rear surfaces may be provided as other shaped surfaces as desired. For example, both the front and back surfaces may be folded, curved, etc.

Preferably, the left surface 13 smoothly transitions with the upper surface 11 and/or the lower surface 12; and/or right surface 14 smoothly transitions with upper surface 11 and/or lower surface 12. The arrangement is beneficial to the close contact between the positive pole piece and the negative pole piece and the diaphragm, and is more beneficial to preventing the pole piece from breaking and the coating from powder falling.

In this embodiment, the left surface 13 includes a cylindrical surface convex to the left and having a curved cross section, and the right surface 14 includes a cylindrical surface convex to the right and having a curved cross section. The curve may be, for example, circular arc, elliptical arc, hyperbolic curve, parabolic curve, etc.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, the left surface 13 includes a cylindrical surface protruding to the left, having a circular arc shape in cross section, and having a diameter Φ1, and R1 in fig. 1 represents a circle having the same size as the circular arc of the cross section of the left surface 13; and/or, the right surface 14 includes a cylindrical surface protruding rightward, having a circular arc shape in cross section, and having a diameter Φ2 of the circular arc, and R2 in fig. 1 represents a circle having the same size as the circular arc of the cross section of the right surface 14.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 of the winding support core 10 is d, wherein preferably d.ltoreq.Φ1.ltoreq.3d; d is less than or equal to phi 2 and less than or equal to 3d.

The values of Φ1 and Φ2 are preferably the same, but may also be different. For example, Φ1, Φ2 may be set to be equal to d.

The size of the distance d may be selected according to the size of the battery. Preferably, the distance d is 2mm to 10mm.

In this embodiment, the winding support core 10 includes only a sheet-like body, the sheet-like body is a substantially square sheet, the projection of the square sheet in the up-down direction is square, the projection of the square sheet in the front-back direction is elliptical, and fig. 1 is a projection of the square sheet in this embodiment.

In other embodiments, the wafer may have other shapes, for example, the shape of each surface of the wafer may be varied as appropriate, so long as the supporting action for the cells 20 exists and is capable of cooperating with the winding pin 60. For example, the front and rear surfaces may be concave or convex, and for example, the sheet may have a hollowed-out structure. In addition, it is not excluded that other structures, such as a connection structure for connection with the case of the battery, etc., may be provided on the sheet-like body of the winding support core 10.

The respective dimensions of the winding support core 10 can be flexibly set as required. For example, in a more specific embodiment, the distance d between the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12 of the winding support core 10 is 3mm, the length in the front-rear direction is 154mm, the width w in the left-right direction is 50mm, the circular arc diameters of the left surface 13 and the right surface 14 of the winding support core 10 are both 4.4mm, the radius r of the insertion hole 151 is 1.25mm, and the distance x of the insertion hole 151 from the center point O of the winding support core 10 is 24mm. The winding needle 60 corresponding to the insertion hole 151 of the winding support core 10 may be a cylindrical needle having a radius of 1.2mm.

The material of the sheet body around which the support core 10 is wound is an insulating material, and may be, for example, plastic, polymer material, ceramic material, or the like. In this embodiment, the material of the winding support core 10 is a high polymer material with a certain elasticity.

Second embodiment

The second embodiment of the invention provides a square lithium ion battery.

The square lithium ion battery comprises a winding core structure. Fig. 2 and 3 show a winding core structure of a square lithium ion battery of a second embodiment. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the winding core structure includes the aforementioned winding support core 10 and the battery cells 20 wound on the sheet body of the winding support core 10 in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the winding support core 10.

In the present embodiment, the length of the winding support core 10 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the battery cell 20 in the front-rear direction. Preferably, the length of the winding support core 10 in the front-rear direction is 1mm to 5mm longer than the length of the battery cell 20 in the front-rear direction. This arrangement is advantageous in ensuring the supporting effect of the winding support core 10 on the battery cell 20, allowing a large positional error between the battery cell 20 and the winding support core 10 in the length direction.

In this embodiment, the front end of the winding support core 10 protrudes from the front end of the battery cell 20; the rear end of the winding support core 10 protrudes from the rear end of the battery cell 20. This arrangement is also advantageous in ensuring the supporting action of the winding support core 10 on the battery cell 20, allowing a large positional error between the battery cell 20 and the winding support core 10 in the length direction.

The square lithium ion battery further comprises a shell (not shown), and the winding core structure is arranged in the shell. The winding support core 10 is connected with the housing to support the winding core structure on the housing, and the battery core 20 is spaced from the housing. Because the battery cell 20 can not touch the shell, the phenomenon of short circuit between the battery cell 20 and the shell can be prevented, and the use of an insulating rubber seat is avoided. The housing is for example an aluminium housing.

In the case that the front and rear ends of the winding support core 10 protrude from the front and rear ends of the battery core 20, respectively, in order to facilitate the installation of the winding core structure, the case may be divided into two parts, for example, the front and rear ends of the winding support core 10 may be sandwiched between the two parts, or the front end is engaged with one part, the rear end is engaged with the other part, and the two parts are combined to form a complete case, so that the winding support core is connected to the case through the shape engagement of the winding support core 10 and the case.

Of course, in order to connect the winding support core 10 with the housing, the winding support core 10 may be fixedly connected to the winding support core 10 and the housing by providing a fixing connection to support the winding core structure on the housing.

In the lithium ion battery of the embodiment, the front end and the rear end of the winding support core 10 protrude from the front end and the rear end of the battery core 20 by 2mm, respectively; the length of the winding core is 150mm; the width of the cell 20 is 70mm; the thickness of the cell 20 is 24mm.

The square lithium ion battery of this embodiment can be designed to have a capacity of between 30 and 60Ah, and has excellent uniformity. The lithium ion battery is particularly suitable for application occasions requiring large lithium ion batteries, such as the energy storage field or the electric automobile field.

Third embodiment

A third embodiment of the present invention provides a battery winder.

As shown in fig. 4, the battery winder includes a winding needle 60 and a position operating mechanism. The position control mechanism is used for controlling the winding support core 10 and the winding needle 60 of the square lithium ion battery to be in a matched state or a separated state. The winding support core 10 is the winding support core 10 described above. In the matching state, referring to the part C picture and the part D picture in fig. 4, the winding needle 60 and the winding support core 10 are both located at the battery core winding position P, and the winding needle 60 is in plug-in matching with the insertion hole 151 so that the winding needle 60 can drive the winding support core 10 to rotate; in the separated state, referring to part a and part B of fig. 4, at least one of the winding support core 10 and the winding needle 60 is separated from the cell winding position P to disengage the winding needle 60 from the insertion hole 151.

In the present embodiment, the position manipulating mechanism includes a support core manipulating mechanism for manipulating the position of the winding support core 10. The supporting core operating mechanism is used for conveying the winding supporting core 10 to the cell winding position P so that the winding supporting core 10 and the winding needle 60 are in a matched state at the cell winding position P.

As shown in fig. 4, in the present embodiment, the support core handling mechanism includes a support core conveying mechanism for conveying the winding support core 10 to the support core preparation position, and a support core pushing mechanism for pushing the winding support core 10 in the support core preparation position to the cell winding position P. The support core preparation position corresponds to the position of the winding support core 10 in the support core receiving opening 41 of the pusher 40 in the picture of part a in fig. 4.

After the winding support core 10 and the winding needle 60 are in the engaged state at the cell winding position P, the support core pushing mechanism can also be separated from the winding support core 10 and returned to the state before pushing the winding support core 10 in preparation for pushing another winding support core 10.

The support core transport mechanism may comprise, for example, a conveyor belt or a conveyor chain. The support core pushing mechanism may include, for example, at least one of a drive cylinder, a motor, a cam jack mechanism, a link mechanism, and a gear rack mechanism. In this embodiment, the support core conveying mechanism is a conveying belt 30. The support core pushing mechanism includes a pushing cylinder and a pusher 40 connected to the rod end of the pushing cylinder. The pusher 40 has a support core receiving opening 41. The support core receiving opening 41 is provided opposite to the needle of the winding needle 60, and is open at one end opposite to the needle and at the lower end. The pusher 40 is located above the conveyor 30, and when a certain winding support core 10 reaches the support core preparation position, the support core pushing mechanism is moved downward as a whole to bring the winding support core 10 into the support core receiving opening 41.

As shown in fig. 4, in the present embodiment, the position control mechanism further includes a winding needle transfer mechanism 50, and the winding needle transfer mechanism 50 is capable of transferring the winding needle 60 from the winding needle preparation position to the cell winding position P so that the winding support core 10 and the winding needle 60 are in a state of being engaged at the cell winding position P. The needle preparation position corresponds to the position of the needle 60 in the part a and the part B of fig. 4.

The winding needle transfer mechanism 50 is also capable of moving the winding needle 60 from the cell winding position P to the winding needle preparation position so that the winding support core 10 is in a separated state from the winding needle 60.

The battery winder further comprises a winding control mechanism in driving fit with the winding needle 60, and in the battery cell winding position P, the winding control mechanism can drive the winding needle 60 to rotate the winding support core 10 so as to enable the material for forming the battery cell 20 to be wound on the winding support core 10.

The battery winder further comprises detection means for detecting the position of the winding support core 10 and/or the winding needle 60, the detection means being coupled with the position operating mechanism to control the action of the position operating mechanism.

As shown in fig. 5, in the present embodiment, the detecting means includes a pressure sensor 71 provided at the bottom of the support core receiving port 41 of the pusher 40 and a laser sensor 72 provided at the side wall of the support core receiving port 41 of the pusher 40. The pressure sensor 71 is used for detecting whether the winding needle 60 reaches the cell winding position P, and the laser sensor 72 is used for detecting whether the winding support core 10 reaches the support core preparation position.

Alternatively, the battery winder includes two winding pins 60, and a distance between the two winding pins 60 is adjustably set; alternatively, or in addition, the battery winder includes a plurality of winding needle structures including winding needles 60, the winding needle 60 of each winding needle structure being different from the winding needles 60 of the other winding needle structures in number and/or structure, any one of the two or more winding needle structures being selectively provided on the battery winder, the winding needle 60 of the winding needle structure provided on the battery winder being engaged with the insertion hole 151 of the winding support core 10. For example, the winding needle structure may include a winding needle mounting seat and two winding needles 60 disposed on the winding needle mounting seat, and the distances between the two winding needles of different winding needle structures are different. This arrangement may be achieved by adjusting the distance between two winding pins 60 or by selecting different winding pin configurations such that the distance between the winding pins 60 and the receptacles 151 of different winding support cores 10 is equal. Therefore, the battery winding machine can be suitable for manufacturing winding core structures of batteries of different types.

The shape of the winding pin 60 is preferably the same as the shape of the receptacle 151 and the two are in clearance fit. For example, where the receptacle 151 is a circular hole having a radius r of 1.25mm, the winding needle 60 may be a cylindrical needle having a radius of 1.2mm. The cross-sectional shape of the winding needle 60 may be a triangle, a quadrangle, a regular polygon, or the like, which is matched with the corresponding shape of the insertion hole.

In this embodiment, the working principle of the battery winding machine for winding the battery cells 20 is shown in fig. 4.

Specifically, the conveyor belt 30 conveys the winding support core 10 thereon to a position ready for the support core with the needle of the winding needle 60 of the battery winder facing, and the support core operating mechanism is actuated to position the support core receiving opening 41 of the pusher 40 outside the winding support core, as shown in the partial a picture of fig. 4. At this time, the laser light of the laser sensor 72 is cut off, and the winding support core 10 can be sensed, and the sensing signal acts on the pushing cylinder, and the pushing cylinder drives the pusher 40 to push the winding support core 10 to convey the winding support core 10 to the cell winding position P, as shown in part B of fig. 4. Thereafter, the winding pin 60 is moved toward the cell winding position P, inserted into the insertion hole 151 of the winding support core 10 until the winding pin 60 is inserted into the engaged position of the winding support core 10, as shown in part C of fig. 4. At this time, the pressure sensor 71 in the pusher 40 is brought into contact with the needle end of the winding needle 60 to generate a sensing signal, which acts on the pushing cylinder to drive the pusher 40 to retract, and is separated from the winding support core 10 during the retraction until the state before pushing the winding support core 10 at the conveyor 30, and the next operation is performed or waited for, as shown in a part D picture in fig. 4. At this time, the winding control mechanism drives the winding needle 60 to rotate to wind the winding support core 10, so that materials such as positive and negative electrode sheets and a separator for forming the battery cell 20 begin to wind along the winding support core 10 to complete the winding process. After the winding process is completed, the battery winding machine automatically cuts off the positive pole piece, the negative pole piece and the diaphragm, and encapsulates the battery cell 20, so that the winding core structure is integrated. Thereafter, the winding needle 60 is withdrawn from the winding support core 10 to be disengaged, and the winding core structure automatically falls down to a collecting device such as a winding core collecting conveyor. The continuous production of the winding core structure can be realized by continuously circulating the steps.

In addition, the support core handling mechanism may not necessarily be divided into a support core conveying mechanism and a support core pushing mechanism. For example, in other embodiments, the support core manipulation mechanism may include a robot arm that manipulates the winding support core 10.

In the case where the position manipulation mechanism includes a robot, the robot may grasp the winding support core 10 directly and convey the winding support core 10 to the cell winding position P, and then insert the winding needle 60 into the insertion hole 151 of the winding support core 10 to bring the winding support core 10 and the winding needle 60 into a state of being engaged. When the winding needle 60 is inserted into the top end of the winding support core 10, the sensing device on the manipulator senses, and the manipulator releases the winding support core 10 and returns to the initial action position to perform or wait for the next operation.

Fourth embodiment

A fourth embodiment provides a method of manufacturing a square lithium ion battery. The method uses the aforementioned battery winder to wind the material for forming the battery cell 20 onto the winding support core 10 of the lithium ion battery to form the winding core structure of the lithium ion battery.

The manufacturing method mainly comprises the following steps: step 1: bringing the winding support core 10 into engagement with the winding needle 60; step 2: the winding needle 60 is driven to rotate the winding support core 10 so as to wind the battery cell 20 on the winding support core 10; step 3: the winding needle 60 is separated from the winding support core 10 after the battery cell 20 is wound.

Wherein, step 1 includes: step 11: transporting the winding support core 10 to a support core preparation position; step 12: pushing the winding support core 10 from the support core preparation position to the cell winding position P; step 13: the winding needle 60 is moved from the needle preparation position to the cell winding position P, and the winding support core 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 151 of the winding needle 60. The support core preparation position corresponds to the position of the winding support core 10 in the support core receiving opening 41 of the pusher 40 in the picture of part a in fig. 4.

The step 2 comprises the following steps: the winding of the battery cell 20 on the winding support core 10 is achieved by driving the winding needle 60 to rotate the winding support core 10.

The step 3 comprises the following steps: the winding needle 60 is controlled to move in a direction away from the winding support core 10 so that the winding needle 60 is retracted from the cell winding position P to the needle preparation position. The needle preparation position corresponds to the position of the needle 60 in the part a and the part B of fig. 4.

As can be seen from the above description, the above embodiments of the present invention can achieve at least one of the following technical effects:

during winding, the winding needle 60 is inserted into the insertion hole 151 of the winding support core 10, the battery core 20 is wound on the winding support core 10, the winding core structure formed by the winding support core 10 and the battery core 20 becomes a part of the square lithium ion battery, the winding needle 60 is separated from the winding support core 10 during needle drawing, the winding needle 60 and the battery core 20 do not directly act, the core pulling phenomenon does not occur, the problem that the battery core 20 is uneven and short-circuited due to the core pulling phenomenon does not occur, and the quality of the square lithium ion battery is improved.

Due to the support of the winding support core 10, the positive electrode plate, the negative electrode plate and the diaphragm of the battery core 20 are tightly attached, so that the internal resistance can be reduced, the capacity performance and the cycle performance of the battery can be improved, and the consistency of the battery can be improved.

The edge of the battery core 20 is supported by the winding support core 10, so that the phenomena of pole piece breakage and coating powder falling can be effectively reduced, the consistency of the battery is improved, the phenomena of limited battery capacity and micro short circuit of the battery caused by pole piece breakage and coating powder falling can be reduced, and the quality of the square lithium ion battery is improved.

The battery cell 20 and the shell can be separated by the connection of the winding support core 10 and the shell, so that the short circuit between the battery cell 20 and the shell can be prevented, and the use of an insulating rubber seat is avoided.

In the case of adopting the aluminum plastic film package, the positive pole piece and the negative pole piece can be tightly attached to each other during winding due to the introduction of the winding support core 10, the subsequent cold and hot press shaping is not needed, the manufacturing flow is simplified, the battery manufacturing efficiency is improved, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention and not for limiting the same; while the invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that: modifications may be made to the specific embodiments of the present invention or equivalents may be substituted for part of the technical features thereof; without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is intended to cover the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A battery winder comprising a winding needle (60), characterized in that: the battery winding machine further comprises a position control mechanism for controlling a winding support core (10) of a secondary battery to be in a matched state or a separated state with the winding needle (60), wherein the winding support core (10) comprises a sheet body with an upper surface (11) and a lower surface (12) which are oppositely arranged and a side surface which is connected with the upper surface (11) and the lower surface (12), the side surface comprises a left surface (13), a right surface (14), a front surface (15) and a rear surface, the left surface (13) and the right surface (14) are all surfaces extending along the front-rear direction, the front surface (15) is respectively connected with the front ends of the left surface (13) and the right surface (14), the rear surface is respectively connected with the rear ends of the left surface (13) and the right surface (14), the winding support core (10) is provided with a jack (151) which is arranged on the front surface (15) and is used for being matched with the winding needle (60) of the battery winding machine, the winding support core (10) can be matched with the winding needle (60) in a plug-in state (60) which the winding support core (10) can be plugged into a plug-in state, in the separated state, at least one of the winding support core (10) and the winding needle (60) is separated from the cell winding position (P) to disengage the winding needle (60) from the insertion hole (151);

the position manipulating mechanism comprises a support core manipulating mechanism for manipulating the position of the winding support core (10), the support core manipulating mechanism being used for conveying the winding support core (10) to a core winding position (P) of the battery winder;

the support core handling mechanism comprises a support core conveying mechanism and a support core pushing mechanism, wherein the support core conveying mechanism is used for conveying the winding support core (10) to a support core preparation position, and the support core pushing mechanism is used for pushing the winding support core (10) at the support core preparation position to the electric core winding position (P).

2. A battery winder according to claim 1, characterised in that the support core pushing mechanism is separable from the winding support core (10) and returns to a position before pushing the winding support core (10) after the winding support core (10) and the winding needle (60) are in the engaged state.

3. The battery winder of claim 1, wherein the support core transport mechanism comprises a conveyor belt or chain; and/or the supporting core pushing mechanism comprises at least one of a driving cylinder, a motor, a cam ejector rod mechanism, a connecting rod mechanism and a gear rack rod mechanism.

4. The battery winder according to claim 1, characterized in that the position handling mechanism comprises a winding needle transfer mechanism (50), the winding needle transfer mechanism (50) being capable of transferring the winding needle (60) from a winding needle preparation position to the cell winding position (P).

5. The battery winder according to claim 4, characterized in that the winding needle transfer mechanism (50) is further capable of moving the winding needle (60) from the cell winding position (P) to the winding needle preparation position to bring the winding support core (10) and the winding needle (60) into the separated state.

6. The battery winder according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the battery winder comprises two winding pins (60), the distance between the two winding pins (60) being adjustably arranged; or, the battery winder comprises a plurality of winding needle structures, the winding needle structures comprise winding needles (60), the number and/or the structure of the winding needles (60) of each winding needle structure are different from those of the winding needles (60) of the other winding needle structures, any winding needle structure in the plurality of winding needle structures is optionally arranged on the battery winder, and the winding needles (60) of the winding needle structures arranged on the battery winder are matched with the insertion holes (151) of the winding support core (10).

7. The battery winder according to any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a winding handling mechanism in driving engagement with the winding needle (60), the winding handling mechanism being capable of driving the winding needle (60) to rotate the winding support core (10) in the cell winding position (P) to wind the material forming the cell (20) onto the winding support core (10).

8. Battery winder according to any of claims 1-5, further comprising detection means for detecting the position of the winding support core (10) and/or the winding needle (60), the detection means being coupled with the position-manipulating mechanism to control the position-manipulating mechanism to act.

9. A manufacturing method of a secondary battery characterized in that a material for forming an electric core is wound on a winding support core (10) of the secondary battery using the battery winding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to form a winding core structure of the secondary battery.

10. The method of manufacturing a secondary battery according to claim 9, characterized in that the method of manufacturing comprises:

step 1: -bringing the winding support core (10) and the winding needle (60) into the mated state in the cell winding position (P);

step 2: driving the winding needle (60) to drive the winding support core (10) to rotate so as to wind a material for forming the battery cell (20) on the winding support core (10);

step 3: the winding needle (60) and the winding support core (10) after the battery cell (20) is wound are in the separated state.

11. The method of manufacturing a secondary battery according to claim 10, wherein the step 1 includes:

step 11: -transporting the winding support core (10) to a support core preparation position;

step 12: pushing the winding support core (10) from the support core preparation position to the cell winding position (P);

step 13: the winding needle (60) is moved from a winding needle preparation position to the cell winding position (P), and the winding support core (10) is in plug-in fit with the insertion hole (151) of the winding needle (60).

12. The method of manufacturing a secondary battery according to claim 11, wherein the step 3 includes: the winding needle (60) is transferred from the cell winding position (P) to a winding needle preparation position.