Patent Application
20250067635
The present disclosure relates to a gas collecting apparatus, and particularly to a gas collecting apparatus capable of accurate and stable delivery of collected gas to a gas analysis apparatus by automating loading, unloading, and punching of a battery.
In general, a secondary battery is a battery which can be used repeatedly through a discharging process in which chemical energy is converted into electrical energy and a charging process in the opposite direction to the discharging process and which includes nickel-cadmium (Ni—Cd) batteries, nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, lithium-metal batteries, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, and lithium-ion polymer batteries. Among these secondary batteries, lithium secondary batteries having high energy density and voltage, long cycle life, and a low self-discharge rate have been commercialized and widely used.
Depending on the reaction within the lithium secondary battery, various types of gases such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons of CnH2n−2 (n=2˜5), CnH2n (n=2˜5), CnH2n+2 (n=1˜5), and other organic gas species, may be generated.
In addition, the lithium secondary battery degrades while generating a large amount of gas due to electrolyte decomposition as repeated charging and discharging progresses, and this aspect appears differently depending on the design and use form of the battery. Therefore, it is important to infer a deterioration mechanism of a battery by analyzing gas generated inside the battery during a battery development process.
Therefore, it is very important to collect and accurately analyze the gas generated in the secondary battery. Various gases are generated during the operation of lithium ion batteries, and information on the composition and content of generated gases is useful for developing battery materials, optimizing battery manufacturing processes, and identifying causes of battery defects. To this end, it is important to develop a technology to collect the gas generated inside the secondary battery.
As a method for collecting gas generated inside a secondary battery, a method in which, when a battery is accommodated in a diffusion chamber with an airtight space formed therein, an opening for gas discharge is formed in the battery case, and then the gas discharged through the opening is diffused into the diffusion chamber, the diffused gas is collected in a separate gas collecting container. For high-concentration gas collection, it may be most desirable that there is no clearance between the battery and the inner space of the diffusion chamber.
Recently, batteries are used in a wide range of industrial fields, and depending on various battery application environments and conditions, performance required for batteries also varies, and batteries can be designed to various specifications.
Conventionally, in order to design various batteries, it was difficult to newly manufacture or install for each different battery model by individually using a diffusion chamber for gas collection according to the size of the battery.
In addition, the concentration of the gas delivered to an analyzer or stored in the gas collecting container varies greatly depending on the volume of the diffusion chamber, the size of the battery (material to be analyzed), and the amount of gas generated, which affects the analysis result.
In addition, since the loading and unloading of the battery and punching are performed manually, the working time for gas collection was long and human error occurred, and in particular, internal short circuit and dangerous accidents could occur during punching.
There is a need for a gas collection technology that solves the above problems and is precisely and stably automated.
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art, or suggestions of the prior art, by inclusion in this section.
The present disclosure relates to a gas collecting apparatus, and provides a gas collecting apparatus capable of accurate and stable delivery of collected gas to a gas analysis apparatus by automating loading, unloading, and punching of a battery.
Technical objects to be achieved by the present disclosure are not limited to the technical objects mentioned herein, and other technical objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.
A gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may include:
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the chamber body unit may extend in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical battery, the opening may be formed at the first end of the chamber body unit in the longitudinal direction, the carrier unit may be configured to move linearly in the longitudinal direction using the first driving unit, a punching needle may be located on the first side of the chamber cap unit facing the cylindrical battery, and the first driving unit may be configured to move the carrier unit toward the chamber cap unit to form a perforated hole in the cylindrical battery using the punching needle.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the jig unit may be a cylindrical shape extending in the longitudinal direction, the cylindrical battery may be located inside the jig unit so that an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical battery is in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the jig unit, and a needle insertion hole may be located at a first end of the jig unit in the longitudinal direction.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, an electrolyte storage groove may be located on the inner circumferential surface of the jig unit, and the electrolyte storage groove may be adjacent to the first end of the jig unit comprising the needle insertion hole.
In the gas collecting apparatus may further comprise,
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, a first cylindrical battery may be in at least one of the plurality of jig units and a second cylindrical battery may be in at least one of the plurality of jig units, wherein the first cylindrical battery and the second cylindrical battery have different outer diameters, and the plurality of jig units each have a same outer diameter.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the battery storage unit may include a battery storage track in which the plurality of jig units are aligned, a battery discharge hole located at a first end of the battery storage track to sequentially discharge the plurality of jig units, and an elastic door mounted on an edge of an inlet of the battery discharge hole to prevent the plurality of jig units from exiting the battery storage unit with a restoring force, wherein the carrier unit may be configured to move between an outside of the chamber body unit and the battery accommodation area using the first driving unit, and the inlet of the battery discharge hole may be spaced apart from the carrier unit by a predetermined distance so as to face the carrier unit, wherein the carrier unit is located outside of the chamber body unit.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the battery delivery unit may include a gripper configured to grip one of the plurality of jig units exposed from the battery discharge hole, a rotating member having a first end to which the gripper is mounted and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a shaft member which is located between the battery discharge hole and the carrier unit, wherein the carrier unit is located outside of the chamber body unit and extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the shaft member may be coupled to the rotating member, and the rotating member may be configured to rotate around the shaft member.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the first driving unit may include a power transmission bar extending in the longitudinal direction and penetrating a second end of the chamber body unit in the longitudinal direction such that a first end of the power transmission bar is inside the chamber body unit, a moving member, wherein the carrier unit is coupled to one side of the moving member and the first end of the power transmission bar is coupled to a second side of the moving member, a first fixing frame to which the chamber body unit is fixed, a first moving frame to which the power transmission bar is fixed and configured to move linearly in the longitudinal direction based on the first fixing frame, a shaft screwed into the first moving frame and coupled to the first fixing frame and configured for idling, and an an electric motor configured to rotate the shaft.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, a sealing cover surrounding the power transmission bar may be located inside the chamber body unit, and a first end of the sealing cover may be fused to the second side of the moving member and a second end of the sealing cover may be fused to an inner wall of the second end of the chamber body unit.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the sealing cover may be in a bellows form.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the second driving unit may include a second moving frame to which the first fixing frame is fixed, a second fixing frame to which the chamber cap unit is fixed, and a pneumatic actuator configured to move the second moving frame in the longitudinal direction based on the second fixing frame.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include a pressure sensor unit connected to the gas delivery flow path, wherein the pressure sensor unit may be configured to measure a pressure of the battery accommodation area.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include a controller configured to control the first driving unit, wherein the controller may be controlled based on a pressure value measurement output from the pressure sensor unit.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include
A gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may be capable of precise and rapid gas collection by automating replacement of a jig unit, loading and unloading of a battery, and punching.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may determine whether punching is completed by measuring movement of a punching needle and an amount of pressure change, thereby preventing accidents such as an internal short circuit of the battery and improving safety during gas collection.
The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure, and thus, the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to the drawings.
A gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may include
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, when a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical battery is referred to as a first direction, the chamber body unit may extend in the first direction, the opening may be formed at the one end of the chamber body unit in the first direction, the carrier unit may move linearly in the first direction by the first driving unit, a punching needle may be provided on the one side of the chamber cap unit at a location facing the cylindrical battery, and the first driving unit may move the carrier unit toward the chamber cap unit to form a perforated hole in the cylindrical battery by the punching needle.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the jig unit may be provided in a cylindrical shape extending in the first direction, the cylindrical battery may be mounted in the jig unit so that an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical battery is in close contact with an inner circumferential surface of the jig unit, and a needle insertion hole may be formed at one end in the first direction of the jig unit.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, an electrolyte storage groove may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the jig unit, and the electrolyte storage groove may be located adjacent to a side wall where the needle insertion hole is located in an inner space of the jig unit.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure,
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, a first cylindrical battery may be mounted in a part of the plurality of jig units and a second cylindrical battery may be mounted in another part of the plurality of jig units, wherein the first cylindrical battery and the second cylindrical battery may be formed with different outer diameters, and the plurality of jig units may be all provided with the same outer diameter.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the battery storage unit may include a battery storage track in which the plurality of jig units are stored in an aligned state, a battery discharge hole formed at one end of the battery storage track to discharge the plurality of jig units one by one, and an elastic door mounted on an edge of an inlet of the battery discharge hole to prevent the plurality of jig units from being separated from the battery storage unit with a restoring force, wherein the carrier unit may move between an outer space of the chamber body unit and the battery accommodating space by the first driving unit, and the inlet of the battery discharge hole may be provided at a location spaced apart from the carrier unit by a predetermined distance so as to face the carrier unit in a state of being located in the outer space of the chamber body unit.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the battery delivery unit may include a gripper configured to grip one jig unit exposed to the battery discharge hole among the plurality of jig units, a rotating member having one end to which the gripper is mounted and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a shaft member which is located between the battery discharge hole and the carrier unit in the state of being located in the outer space of the chamber body unit and extends in the first direction, wherein the shaft member may be coupled with the rotating member, and the rotating member may rotate with respect to the shaft member serving as a rotation shaft.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the first driving unit may include a power transmission bar extending in the first direction and penetrating the other end of the chamber body unit in the first direction to have one end inserted inside the chamber body unit, a moving member, wherein the carrier unit is coupled to one side of the moving member and the one end of the power transmission bar is coupled to the other side of the moving member, a first fixing frame to which the chamber body unit is fixed, a first moving frame to which the power transmission bar is fixed and linearly moving in the first direction based on the first fixing frame, a shaft screwed with the first moving frame and coupled to the first fixing frame to be capable of idling, and an electric motor configured to rotate the first shaft.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, a sealing cover surrounding the power transmission bar may be provided inside the chamber body unit, and one end of the sealing cover may be fused to the other side of the moving member and the other end of the sealing cover may be fused to an inner wall of the other end side of the chamber body unit.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the sealing cover may be provided in a form of bellows.
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the second driving unit may include a second moving frame to which the first fixing frame is fixed, a second fixing frame to which the chamber cap unit is fixed, and a pneumatic actuator configured to move the second moving frame in the first direction based on the second fixing frame.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include a pressure sensor unit connected to the gas delivery flow path, wherein the pressure sensor unit may be configured to measure a pressure of the battery accommodating space.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include a controller configured to control the first driving unit, wherein the controller may be controlled based on a pressure measured value output from the pressure sensor unit.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include
Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the size or shape of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. In addition, terms specifically defined in consideration of the configuration and operation of the present disclosure may vary according to the intentions or customs of users and operators. Definitions of these terms should be made based on the content throughout this specification.
In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms “center”, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “inner side”, “outer side”, “one surface”, “other surface” is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawing or the orientation or positional relationship normally arranged when using the product of the present disclosure, and it is intended only for explanation and brief description of the present disclosure, and is not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure as it does not suggest or imply that the device or element shown must necessarily be configured or operated in a specific orientation with a specific orientation.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure is specialized for collecting gas generated inside the cylindrical battery 11, and may automate most processes for gas collection, such as loading of the battery, perforating of the battery, gas collection, gas delivery, and unloading of the battery.
Since the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure skips the process of storing the gas generated in the battery in a separate collection container and directly delivers it to the gas analysis unit, it may be capable of real-time analysis as well as preventing phenomena such as deterioration, leakage, and phase change of gas.
Since the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure provides almost the same gas diffusion space for the cylindrical battery 11 of various specifications, it may be advantageous for quantitative analysis.
The cylindrical battery 11, which is a gas collection target of the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, may accommodate an electrode assembly inside a cylindrical housing made of a rigid material.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may extract gas from the cylindrical battery 11 with an automated system and deliver it to the gas analysis unit. The gas analysis unit which is to be a gas delivery target may be, for example, a GC-MS device.
As shown in
As shown in
The carrier unit 200 may be made of a chemical resistant insulating material.
The inner space of the chamber body unit 310 may also be provided in a cylindrical shape with the first direction as a central axis. The opening 311 may be formed in a circular shape, and the center of the opening 311 and the central axis of the inner space of the chamber body unit 310 may coincide.
The outer circumferential surface of the chamber body unit 310 at one end side of the chamber body unit 310 may be formed in a tapered shape in which the outer diameter decreases as it approaches one end of the chamber body unit 310. A ring-shaped groove 318 into which a sealing member 317 such as an O-ring can be inserted may be formed in a region provided in a tapered shape among the outer circumferential surface of the chamber body unit 310.
A punching needle 321 may be provided on the one side of the chamber cap unit 320 at a location facing the cylindrical battery 11, and the first driving unit may move the carrier unit 200 toward the chamber cap unit 320 side to form a perforated hole in the cylindrical battery 11 by the punching needle 321.
The chamber cap unit 320 may be provided in a disk shape. The punching needle 321 may be located at the center of the chamber cap unit 320, and the center of the chamber cap unit 320 and the center of the opening 311 may be located on a straight line coincident with the central axis of the cylindrical space formed inside the chamber body unit 310.
On one side of the chamber cap unit 320, a cylindrical sealing frame 322 into which one end of the chamber body unit 310 can be inserted may be formed. The inner circumferential surface of the sealing frame 322 may be provided in a tapered shape in which the inner diameter increases as it approaches the chamber body unit 310. The sealing frame 322 may cover the tapered region of the outer circumferential surface of the chamber body unit 310 when the chamber cap unit 320 and the chamber body unit 310 are coupled.
As shown in
The needle insertion hole 111 may also be located on a straight line where the center of the chamber cap unit 320 and the center of the opening 311 are located.
The jig unit 100 may include a first jig 110 covering one end of the cylindrical battery 11 and a second jig 120 covering the other end of the cylindrical battery 11. In other words, the jig unit 100 may be formed of two jigs respectively inserted into both ends of the cylindrical battery 11.
An electrolyte storage groove 112 may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the jig unit 100, and the electrolyte storage groove 112 may be located adjacent to a side wall where the needle insertion hole 111 is located in an inner space of the jig unit 100. The electrolyte storage groove 112 may be formed in a ring shape along the inner circumferential surface of the jig unit 100.
As shown in
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, a plurality of the jig units 100 may be provided, and one cylindrical battery 11 may be mounted in each of the plurality of jig units 100. Specifically, the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may sequentially collect gas with an automated system for a plurality of cylindrical batteries 11, and at this time, the jig unit 100 may be individually assigned to each cylindrical battery 11.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure, the carrier unit 200 moves between an outer space of the chamber body unit 310 and the battery accommodating space 312 by the first driving unit, wherein the inlet of the battery discharge hole 712 may be provided at a location spaced apart from the carrier unit 200 by a predetermined distance so as to face the carrier unit 200 in a state of being located in the outer space of the chamber body unit 310. In other words, in a state where the carrier unit 200 is taken out from the chamber body unit 310, the carrier unit 200 and the battery discharge hole 712 may be disposed at locations spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
As shown in
As the shaft member 723 rotates, the gripper 721 applies a force greater than the restoring force by which the elastic door 713 fixes the jig unit 100 to the jig unit 100 to take the jig unit 100 out of the battery storage track 711, and the jig unit 100 may be seated on the carrier unit 200 while the shaft member 723 continues to rotate.
As shown in
As described above, the first driving unit is provided in a structure that converts the rotational force of the electric motor 460 into linear motion, so that the distance between the cylindrical battery 11 and the punching needle 321 can be precisely controlled. In addition, an encoder is mounted on the electric motor 460, and the measured distance between the cylindrical battery 11 and the punching needle 321 can be input as a signal of the encoder to the controller that controls the first driving unit.
A sealing cover 317 surrounding the power transmission bar 410 may be provided inside the chamber body unit 310, and one end of the sealing cover 317 may be fused to the other side of the moving member 420 and the other end of the sealing cover 317 may be fused to an inner wall of the other end side of the chamber body unit 310.
The moving member 420 is of a chemical-resistant metal material and may be coupled by welding a sealing cover 317 made of a metal material.
The inner space of the chamber body unit 310 is divided into two spaces around the moving member 420, and a space facing one side of the moving member 420 may be the battery accommodating space 312.
The sealing cover 317 may be provided in a form of a bellows. More specifically, the sealing cover 317 may have a form of a bellows made of metal.
As shown in
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include an air spraying unit (not shown) located to face the punching needle 321 provided in the chamber cap unit 320 and configured to spray high-pressure gas toward the punching needle 321. Using the second driving unit 500, the chamber body unit 310 can be completely retracted so as not to be located on an imaginary straight line connecting the punching needle 321 and the nozzle of the air spraying unit. When the chamber body unit 310 is completely separated from the chamber cap unit 320 by the second driving unit 500, the punching needle 321 may be cleaned by spraying high-pressure gas toward the punching needle 321 from a nozzle of the air spraying unit. The high-pressure gas sprayed by the air spraying unit may be high-pressure air or an inert gas as a gas for purging. The air spraying unit may clean the chamber cap unit 320 contaminated with electrolyte by spraying high-pressure gas toward the chamber cap unit 320 for several seconds.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include a pressure sensor unit connected to the gas delivery flow path 600, wherein the pressure sensor unit may be configured to measure a pressure of the battery accommodating space 312.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include a controller configured to control the first driving unit, wherein the controller may be controlled based on a pressure measured value output from the pressure sensor unit. Specifically, when the pressure measured by the pressure sensor unit is equal to or greater than the set pressure value, the controller may drive the first driving unit to cause the punching needle 321 to retreat from the cylindrical battery 11. The set pressure value may be determined in consideration of the type of cylindrical battery 11, charge/discharge state, number of cycles, temperature, and the like.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may further include
The controller may be configured to control the first valve, the second valve, the third valve, and the fourth valve based on a signal transmitted by the gas analysis unit. Specifically, each valve may be controlled according to a process sequence by receiving information on a gas analysis process.
Although embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described above, they are only illustrative and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and embodiments of equivalent range are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present disclosure should be defined by the following claims.
<Explanation of Symbols> 11 . . . cylindrical battery, 11a . . . First cylindrical battery, 11b . . . Second cylindrical battery, 100 . . . Jig unit, 110 . . . First jig, 111 . . . Needle insertion hole, 112 . . . Electrolyte storage groove, 120 . . . Second jig, 200 . . . Carrier unit, 310 . . . Chamber body unit, 311 . . . Opening, 312 . . . Battery accommodating space, 317 . . . Sealing cover, 320 . . . Chamber cap unit, 321 . . . Punching needle, 322 . . . Sealing frame, 400 . . . First driving, 410 . . . Power transmission bar, 420 . . . Moving member, 430 . . . First fixing frame, 440 . . . First moving frame, 450 . . . Shaft, 460 . . . Electric motor, 500 . . . Second driving unit, 510 . . . Second moving frame, 520 . . . Second fixing frame, 530 . . . Pneumatic actuator, 600 . . . Gas delivery flow path, 710 . . . Battery storage unit, 711 . . . Battery storage track, 712 . . . Battery discharge hole, 713 . . . Elastic door, 720 . . . Battery delivery unit, 721 . . . Gripper, 722 . . . Rotating member, 723 . . . Shaft member
A gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may be capable of precise and rapid gas collection by automating the replacement of a jig unit, loading and unloading of a battery, and punching.
The gas collecting apparatus of the present disclosure may determine whether punching is completed by measuring the movement of the punching needle and the amount of pressure change, thereby preventing accidents such as an internal short circuit of the battery and improving safety during gas collection.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2022-0121422 | Sep 2022 | KR | national |
This application is a National Phase entry pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2023/010383 filed on Jul. 19, 2023, which claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. KR 10-2022-0121422, filed on Sep. 26, 2022. The contents of the above-identified applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2023/010383 | 7/19/2023 | WO |
