LARGE FORMAT CELL HANDLING FOR HIGH SPEED ASSEMBLY

摘要

A battery pack assembly and a method of making the same. The method includes using lifters with a cammed conveyor delivery mechanism to facilitate edgewise stacking of generally planar battery cells. The lifter spacing and cam profile are designed in such a way as to orient individual battery cell tabs and cooling fin assemblies to keep them close together but without applying significant forces to the stackable components. Combining conveyor streams allows components to be processed in parallel and sequenced correctly onto a single conveyor. Use of lifter integrated conveyor belt with cams and guides for individual battery cell orientation and sequencing promotes high speed assembly without a need to change component directions. The use of high-speed component delivery high is compatible with allowing more component placement variation, while the edgewise orientation of the components being assembled permits the use of small manufacturing footprints.

主权项

1. A system for assembling a battery module from a plurality of individual battery cells, said system comprising:
a conveyor comprising a plurality of conveyor belts such that a first cell and fin combination defining a first tab orientation is conveyed along a first of said conveyor belts while a second cell and fin combination defining a second tab orientation is conveyed along a second of said conveyor belts; a plurality of lifters configured to adjust the orientation of at least one battery cell along each of said first and second conveyor belts; at least one cam cooperative with at least one of said conveyor belts and said plurality of lifters such that upon contact between at least one of said plurality of lifters and said at least one cam, said at least one of said plurality of lifters contacts a respective first or second of said cell and fin combinations to effect a change in orientation thereof; at least one substantially stationary guide cooperative with at least one of said first and second conveyor belts to promote an alternating aligned placement of said first and second cell and fin combinations into a stack while said alternatingly aligned first and second cell and fin combinations are in a substantially vertical orientation; a device to receive said stack from said conveyor; a device to compress said stack once said stack has been delivered to said device to receive; a device to place a support frame onto said stack while said stack is in its compressed state; and a device to secure at least one electrical component to said supported stack.