JP2019039772A - Leak inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a leak inspection device capable of easily inspecting a leak in battery cells having different sizes.SOLUTION: A leak inspection device 100 includes: a vacuum chamber 20 having a storage space S for storing battery cells 1A and 1B; and a nozzle 30 that communicates with the storage space S and is used for injecting gas for inspection into the battery cells 1A and 1B disposed in the storage space S. A tip 31 of the nozzle 30 is disposed at a predetermined injection position L in the storage space S. The vacuum chamber 20 is disposed in the storage space S, and has support units 50A and 50B for supporting the battery cells 1A and 1B, respectively, so that injection ports 12 for the gas for inspection in two types of battery cells 1A and 1B having different sizes become the injection positions L.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a leak inspection apparatus.

  Patent Document 1 describes a helium leak detector. In this helium leak detector, evacuation of the test chamber is advanced in a state where the device under test is placed in the test chamber. If there is a leak location in the device under test, helium leaks into the test chamber through the leak location. Helium leaking into the test chamber is introduced into the analysis tube through the exhaust line.

JP 2011-69834 A

  Now, there is a demand for a battery cell leak inspection. When performing a leak test on a battery cell, it is first necessary to inject a test gas such as helium into the battery cell supported in the chamber. At this time, when the tip position of the nozzle for injecting the inspection gas is limited to some extent, the jig for changing the support position of the battery cell in the chamber every time the battery cell having a different size is inspected It takes time and labor to attach and remove.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a leak inspection apparatus that can easily perform a leak inspection on battery cells having different sizes.

A leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention is a leak inspection apparatus for inspecting a leak of a battery cell, and communicates with a vacuum chamber in which an accommodation space for accommodating a battery cell is formed, and the accommodation space. A nozzle for injecting a test gas into the arranged battery cell, the tip of the nozzle is arranged at a predetermined injection position in the accommodation space, and the vacuum chamber is arranged in the accommodation space. The first support portion and the second support portion each support the two types of battery cells so that the inspection gas injection ports in the two types of battery cells having different sizes are the injection positions, The support part is arranged farther from the injection position than the first support part, and the width of the second support part is smaller than the width of the first support part.
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  In this leak inspection apparatus, the tip of a nozzle for injecting inspection gas into the battery cell is disposed at a predetermined injection position in the accommodation space. On the other hand, in this leak inspection apparatus, the vacuum chamber is arranged in the accommodation space, and two types of inspection gas injection holes in two types of battery cells of different sizes are the injection positions. A first support part and a second support part for supporting each of the battery cells. For this reason, each time a battery cell having a different size is inspected, there is no need to attach and remove a jig for changing the support position of the battery cell in the accommodation space. Therefore, according to the leak inspection apparatus, it is possible to easily inspect the battery cells having different sizes.

  In the leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the vacuum chamber includes a box-shaped first wall member, one of which is opened, and a plate-shaped first wall member attached to the first wall member so as to close an open portion of the first wall member. And the housing space is formed by the first wall member and the second wall member, and the first support portion and the second support portion are on the first wall member side of the second wall member. Or the surface of the first wall member on the second wall member side. Among these cases, when the first support portion and the second support portion described above are provided on the plate-like second wall member side of the members forming the accommodation space, the battery cell is the first. The operation of supporting the support part and the second support part is easy. Moreover, when the 1st support part and the 2nd support part are provided in the box-shaped 1st wall member side, after supporting a battery cell by the 1st support part and the 2nd support part, it becomes a 1st wall member. The operation of attaching the second wall member is easy.

  In the leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the first support portion includes a first recess that supports one of the two types of battery cells, and the second support portion is formed at the bottom of the first recess. And may include a second recess that supports the other of the two types of battery cells. In this case, the first support portion and the second support portion described above can be realized by a simple configuration such as two recessed portions formed in a nested manner.

  In the leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the first support portion intersects the first side wall from each of the pair of first side walls that constitute the side portion of the first recess and the pair of first side walls that face each other. A first bottom wall extending in a direction and constituting a bottom portion of the first recess, and the second support portion extends from the first bottom wall in a direction along the first side wall so as to face each other, and A pair of second side walls constituting the side portion and a second bottom wall extending from each of the pair of second side walls in a direction intersecting the second side wall and constituting the bottom portion of the second recess may be included. In this case, the battery cell can be reliably supported by the side wall and the bottom wall forming the recess.

  The leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention may further include a pressing mechanism for applying a load to the battery cell by pressing the second wall member toward the first wall member. In this case, it is possible to perform a leak inspection while applying a restraining load to the battery cell.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the leak test | inspection apparatus which can carry out a leak test easily about the battery cell from which size differs can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows the battery cell as a test object in the leak test | inspection apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the leak inspection apparatus concerning this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the leak inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the leak inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a leak inspection apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements or corresponding elements may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery cell as an inspection target in the leak inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection target of the leak inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment is at least two battery cells 1A and 1B having different sizes. The battery cells 1A and 1B include an electrode assembly 2, a rectangular parallelepiped case 3 that accommodates the electrode assembly 2, and a pair of terminals electrically connected to the electrodes (each of the positive electrode and the negative electrode) of the electrode assembly 2. 4 is included. The electrode assembly 2 includes a plurality of positive electrodes (not shown) and a negative electrode (not shown), and a separator (not shown) disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The positive electrode and the negative electrode are alternately stacked via separators along a predetermined direction.

  The case 3 extends along a pair of main surfaces 5 and 6 that intersect the stacking direction of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a direction that intersects (orthogonally) the main surfaces 5 and 6, and connects the main surface 5 and the main surface 6 to each other. A pair of side surfaces 7 and 8, a bottom surface 9, and an upper surface 10. Thereby, case 3 (and battery cell 1A, 1B) is formed in the rectangular parallelepiped shape. The main surfaces 5 and 6 are surfaces facing opposite sides, and are the widest surfaces in the case 3. A pair of terminals 4 protrude from the upper surface 10. The upper surface 10 is provided with a safety valve 11 and an inlet 12 for injecting an inspection gas (for example, helium).

  The battery cell 1A and the battery cell 1B are different in size from each other. This point will be specifically described. In the battery cell 1A, the width (distance between the side surface 7 and the side surface 8) in the width direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the side surfaces 7 and 8 is a size S11, and the height intersecting (orthogonal) with the bottom surface 9 and the top surface 10 is high. The size of the passing in the vertical direction (the distance between the bottom surface 9 and the top surface 10) is defined as size S12. The size S11 and the size S12 define the size of the outer shape of the main surfaces 5 and 6 in the battery cell 1A. In the battery cell 1B, the size of passing in the width direction is set as size S21, and the size of passing in the height direction is set as size S22. The size S21 and the size S22 define the size of the outer shape of the main surfaces 5 and 6 in the battery cell 1B.

  At this time, in the battery cell 1A, the size S11 is larger than the size S12. That is, here, the main surfaces 5 and 6 of the battery cell 1A are relatively larger in the width direction than in the height direction. In the battery cell 1B, the size S21 is smaller than the size S22. That is, here, the main surfaces 5 and 6 of the battery cell 1B are relatively larger in the height direction than in the width direction. As the size relationship between the main surfaces 5 and 6 of the battery cell 1A and the battery cell 1B, the size S11 is larger than the size S21, and the size S12 is smaller than the size S22. That is, the main surfaces 5 and 6 of the battery cell 1A and the main surfaces 5 and 6 of the battery cell 1B are opposite in the magnitude relationship between the size in the height direction and the size in the width direction. Thus, in battery cell 1A and battery cell 1B, the sizes of the outer shapes of main surfaces 5 and 6 are different from each other.

  Moreover, in the battery cell 1A and the battery cell 1B, the sizes of the outer shapes of the side surfaces 7 and 8 are different from each other. In the battery cell 1 </ b> A, the size of the extension (distance between the main surface 5 and the main surface 6) in the thickness direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the main surfaces 5 and 6 is defined as a size S <b> 13. The size S12 and the size S13 define the size of the outer shape of the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1A. Furthermore, in the battery cell 1B, the size of the passing in the thickness direction is set to S23. The size S22 and the size S23 define the size of the outer shape of the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1B.

  At this time, in the battery cell 1A, the size S12 is larger than the size S13. That is, here, the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1A are relatively larger in the height direction than in the thickness direction. In the battery cell 1B, the size S22 is larger than the size S23. That is, here, the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1B are relatively larger in the height direction than in the thickness direction. As a relationship in size between the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1A and the battery cell 1B, the size S12 is smaller than the size S22, and the size S13 and the size S23 are substantially the same. That is, the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1A and the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1B have substantially the same size in the thickness direction, but have different sizes in the height direction.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the leak inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the leak inspection apparatus 100 includes a vacuum chamber 20, a nozzle 30, a pressing mechanism 40, and pipes P1 and P2. The vacuum chamber 20 houses the battery cells 1A and 1B. That is, the vacuum chamber 20 is formed with an accommodation space S for accommodating the battery cells 1A and 1B at the time of leak inspection. The nozzle 30 communicates with an inspection gas supply source (not shown) and the accommodation space S, and is used to inject the inspection gas into the battery cells 1A and 1B arranged in the accommodation space S.

  The pipe P1 communicates with the housing space S and a vacuum pump (not shown), and is used to evacuate the housing space S by the operation of the vacuum pump to form a vacuum. The pipe P2 communicates with the storage space S and a leak gas detector (not shown), and is used to introduce the leak gas generated in the storage space S into the detector.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the leak inspection apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vacuum chamber 20 includes a first wall member 21 and a second wall member 22. The 1st wall member 21 is exhibiting the box shape (here rectangular box shape) by which one side was open | released. The second wall member 22 is attached (combined) to the first wall member 21 so as to close the open portion of the first wall member 21. Thereby, the accommodation space S is formed by the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22.

  The vacuum chamber 20 includes a support part (first support part) 50A and a support part (second support part) 50B for supporting the battery cells 1A and 1B. Here, the support portions 50A and 50B are provided on the surface of the second wall member 22 on the first wall member 21 side (surface facing the accommodation space S) 22S. A first recess C1 is formed in the support portion 50A, and a second recess C2 is formed in the support portion 50B. The width of the first recess C1 is larger than the width of the second recess C2, and the second recess C2 is provided at the bottom of the first recess C1.

  More specifically, the support portion 50A includes a pair of first side walls 51 and 52 facing each other, and a first bottom extending in a direction intersecting the first side walls 51 and 52 from the pair of first side walls 51 and 52, respectively. And a wall 53. The first side wall 51 and the first side wall 52 are substantially parallel to each other. The 1st side walls 51 and 52 comprise the side part of the 1st recessed part C1. The 1st bottom wall 53 comprises the bottom part of the 1st recessed part C1.

  Further, the support portion 50B is formed from a pair of second side walls 54, 55 extending in a direction along the first side walls 51, 52 from the first bottom wall 53 and a pair of second side walls 54, 55 so as to face each other. And a second bottom wall 56 extending in a direction crossing the second side walls 54 and 55. The second side wall 54 and the second side wall 55 are substantially parallel to each other. Further, the first bottom wall 53 and the second bottom wall 56 are substantially parallel to each other.

  The 2nd side walls 54 and 55 comprise the side part of the 2nd recessed part C2. The second bottom wall 56 constitutes the bottom of the second recess C2. That is, the first recess C1 is formed by the first side walls 51 and 52 and the first bottom wall 53, and the second recess C2 is formed by the second side walls 54 and 55 and the second bottom wall 56. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the leak inspection apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the tip portion 31 of the nozzle 30 is arranged at a predetermined injection position L in the accommodation space S. The first recess C1 supports the battery cell 1A. Therefore, the distance between the first side wall 51 and the first side wall 52 (the width of the first recess C1) corresponds to the size S11 in the width direction of the battery cell 1A and is slightly larger than the size S11. ing.

  Further, the position of the first bottom wall 53 in the extending direction of the first side walls 51 and 52 (the depth of the first recess C1) is such that the battery cell 1A is placed on the first bottom wall 53 and the first recess C1. When supported, the injection port 12 of the battery cell 1 </ b> A is set at the injection position L so that the nozzle 30 is connected to the injection port 12. That is, in the first recess C1, the position of the first bottom wall 53 is set so that the distance from the first bottom wall 53 to the injection position L corresponds to the size S12 in the height direction of the battery cell 1A. .

  On the other hand, the second recess C2 supports the battery cell 1B. Therefore, the distance between the second side wall 54 and the second side wall 55 (the width of the second recess C2) corresponds to the size S21 in the width direction of the battery cell 1B, and is slightly larger than the size S21. ing. The position of the second bottom wall 56 in the extending direction of the second side walls 54 and 55 (the depth of the second recess C2) is such that the battery cell 1B is placed on the second bottom wall 56 and supported by the second recess C2. The injection port 12 of the battery cell 1B is set at the injection position L so that the nozzle 30 is connected to the injection port 12. That is, in the second recess C2, the position of the second bottom wall 56 is set so that the distance from the second bottom wall 56 to the injection position L corresponds to the size S22 in the height direction of the battery cell 1B. .

  As described above, the support portions 50A and 50B are respectively provided in the two types of battery cells 1A and 1B so that the inspection gas injection port 12 in the two types of battery cells 1A and 1B having different sizes is the injection position L. Support. Therefore, the support portion 50B (second recess C2) is arranged farther from the injection position L than the support portion 50A (first recess C1), and the width of the support portion 50B (the width of the second recess C2) is supported. The width of the portion 50A (the width of the first recess C1) is made smaller.

  When leak inspection is performed using the leak inspection apparatus 100, the battery cell 1A or the battery cell 1B is supported by the support portion 50A or the support portion 50B in a state where the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22 are separated. (Set in the first recess C1 or the second recess C2). Thereafter, the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22 are combined to form the accommodation space S and the battery cell 1A or the battery cell 1B is disposed in the accommodation space S. At this time, the main surfaces 5 and 6 of the battery cell 1 </ b> A or the battery cell 1 </ b> B are, in the accommodation space S, the surface (surface 22 </ b> S) on the accommodation space S side in the second wall member 22 and the accommodation space S in the first wall member 21. It is in contact with the side surface. In the case of the battery cell 1 </ b> A, the side surfaces 7 and 8 are supported by the first side walls 51 and 52, and the bottom surface 9 is supported by the first bottom wall 53. In the case of the battery cell 1 </ b> B, the side surfaces 7 and 8 are supported by the second side walls 54 and 55, and the bottom surface 9 is supported by the second bottom wall 56. Thereafter, the inside of the accommodation space S is evacuated using the pipe P1, and the inspection gas is injected into the battery cell 1A or the battery cell 1B using the nozzle 30 and the injection port 12.

  Thereby, when the leakage of the inspection gas occurs from the battery cells 1A and 1B, the leakage gas is introduced into the detector via the pipe P2 and detected. In such a leak test, after the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22 are combined, the second wall member 22 is moved to the first wall member 21 side using a pressing mechanism 40 (for example, an air cylinder). A restraining load may be applied to the battery cells 1A and 1B by pressing to the battery cell 1A.

  As described above, in the leak inspection apparatus 100, the tip portion 31 of the nozzle 30 for injecting the inspection gas (for example, helium) into the battery cells 1A and 1B is a predetermined injection position in the accommodation space S. L is arranged. On the other hand, in the leak inspection apparatus 100, the vacuum chamber 20 is disposed in the housing space S, and the inspection gas injection ports 12 in the two types of battery cells 1A and 1B having different sizes are connected to the injection position L. As shown, the support portions 50A and 50B for supporting the two types of battery cells 1A and 1B are provided. For this reason, every time the battery cells 1A and 1B having different sizes are inspected, the labor for attaching and removing the jig for changing the support position of the battery cells 1A and 1B in the accommodation space S does not occur. Therefore, according to the leak inspection apparatus 100, it is possible to easily inspect the battery cells 1A and 1B having different sizes.

  In the leak inspection apparatus 100, the vacuum chamber 20 includes a box-shaped first wall member 21 that is open on one side, and a flat plate that is attached to the first wall member 21 so as to close an open portion of the first wall member 21. Second wall member 22 having a shape. The accommodation space S is formed by the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22, and the support portions 50 </ b> A and 50 </ b> B are provided on the surface 22 </ b> S of the second wall member 22 on the first wall member 21 side. . Thus, since support part 50A, 50B mentioned above is provided in the flat 2nd wall member 22 side among the members which form accommodation space S, battery cell 1A, 1B is supported by support parts 50A, 50B. The work to be supported by is easy.

  Further, in the leak inspection apparatus 100, the support portion 50A includes a first recess C1 that supports one of the two types of battery cells 1A and 1B, and the support portion 50B includes the first recess C1. A second recess C2 is formed at the bottom and supports the other of the two types of battery cells 1A and 1B. As described above, the support portions 50A and 50B described above can be realized with a simple configuration such as two recessed portions formed in a nested manner.

  Furthermore, in the leak inspection apparatus 100, the support portion 50 </ b> A is formed from each of the pair of first side walls 51 and 52 that constitute the side portion of the first recess C <b> 1 and the pair of first side walls 51 and 52. 1st bottom wall 53 which extends in the direction which crosses 1 side wall 51,52, and comprises the bottom of the 1st crevice C1. Further, the support portion 50B extends from the first bottom wall 53 in a direction along the first side walls 51 and 52 so as to face each other, and a pair of second side walls 54 and 55 constituting the side portion of the second recess C2, A second bottom wall 56 that extends from each of the pair of second side walls 54 and 55 in a direction crossing the second side walls 54 and 55 and constitutes the bottom of the second recess C2. For this reason, battery cell 1A, 1B can be reliably supported by the side wall and bottom wall which form a recessed part.

  The leak inspection apparatus 100 further includes a pressing mechanism 40 for applying a load to the battery cells 1A and 1B by pressing the second wall member 22 toward the first wall member 21 side. For this reason, it is possible to perform a leak inspection while applying a restraining load to the battery cells 1A and 1B.

  The above embodiment describes one embodiment of the leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention. Therefore, the leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the leak inspection apparatus 100 described above. In the leak inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the above-described leak inspection apparatus 100 can be arbitrarily changed without changing the gist of each claim.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, the first recess C1 for supporting the battery cell 1A and the second recess C2 for supporting the battery cell 1B include the first side walls 51, 52, the first bottom wall 53, The aspect formed by the continuous wall part like the 2nd side walls 54 and 55 and the 2nd bottom wall 56 was illustrated. However, the first recess C1 and the second recess C2 are discontinuously provided at positions corresponding to the first side walls 51 and 52, the first bottom wall 53, the second side walls 54 and 55, and the second bottom wall 56. It may be defined by a pin or a convex portion.

  Moreover, support part 50A, 50B may be provided in the box-shaped 1st wall member 21 side. At this time, the support portions 50 </ b> A and 50 </ b> B can be provided on the surface of the first wall member 21 on the second wall member 22 side. In this case, the work of attaching the second wall member 22 to the first wall member 21 after the battery cells 1A, 1B are supported by the support portions 50A, 50B becomes easy. Further, one of the support portions 50A and 50B may be provided on the first wall member 21, and the other of the support portions 50A and 50B may be provided on the second wall member 22. That is, the support portions 50 </ b> A and 50 </ b> B may be provided in a distributed manner between the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22. Furthermore, the support portions 50 </ b> A and 50 </ b> B may be configured separately from the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22.

  In the accommodating space S, the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the battery cell 1A or the battery cell 1B are in contact with the surfaces of the first wall member 21 and the second wall member 22 on the accommodating space S side. May be supported by the first side walls 51 and 52 or the second side walls 54 and 55.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B ... Battery cell, 12 ... Injection port, 20 ... Vacuum chamber, 21 ... 1st wall member, 22 ... 2nd wall member, 22S ... Surface, 30 ... Nozzle, 31 ... Tip part, 40 ... Pressing mechanism, 50A ... support part (first support part), 50B ... support part (second support part), 51, 52 ... first side wall, 53 ... first bottom wall, 54, 55 ... second side wall, 56 ... second bottom wall , C1... First recess, C2... Second recess, L... Injection position, S.

Claims (5)

A leak inspection apparatus for inspecting battery cell leaks,
A vacuum chamber in which a housing space for housing the battery cell is formed;
A nozzle that communicates with the housing space and injects a test gas into the battery cell disposed in the housing space;
With
The tip of the nozzle is disposed at a predetermined injection position in the accommodation space,
The vacuum chamber is disposed in the housing space, and each of the two types of the battery cells is arranged such that an inlet for the inspection gas in the two types of the battery cells having different sizes is the injection position. Having a first support part and a second support part to support,
The second support part is arranged farther from the injection position than the first support part,
The width of the second support part is smaller than the width of the first support part,
Leak inspection device. The vacuum chamber has a box-shaped first wall member, one of which is opened, and a flat plate-like second wall member attached to the first wall member so as to close an open portion of the first wall member. And
The accommodation space is formed by the first wall member and the second wall member,
The first support portion and the second support portion are provided on a surface of the second wall member on the first wall member side or a surface of the first wall member on the second wall member side,
The leak inspection apparatus according to claim 1. The first support portion includes a first recess that supports one of the two types of battery cells.
The second support part includes a second recess formed at the bottom of the first recess and supporting the other battery cell of the two types of battery cells.
The leak inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The first support part extends in a direction intersecting the first side wall from each of the pair of first side walls that are opposed to each other and that form the side part of the first recess, and the pair of first side walls, A first bottom wall that constitutes the bottom of one recess,
The second support part extends in a direction along the first side wall from the first bottom wall so as to face each other, and a pair of second side walls constituting a side part of the second recess, and the pair of second parts A second bottom wall extending from each of the side walls in a direction intersecting the second side wall and constituting a bottom portion of the second recess,
The leak inspection apparatus according to claim 3. A pressing mechanism for applying a load to the battery cell by pressing the second wall member toward the first wall member;
The leak inspection apparatus according to claim 2.

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