JP7704714B2 - Charge/discharge inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a charging/discharging inspection device for secondary batteries.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, rechargeable secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries have come to be widely used in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and other electrical products.
In manufacturing this battery, as with conventional rechargeable batteries, a charge/discharge test is carried out on the manufactured battery to inspect whether the battery satisfies predetermined performance and characteristics before it is shipped.
The charge/discharge test can be performed using a charge/discharge inspection facility (charge/discharge inspection system) for secondary batteries. For example, the charge/discharge inspection system described in Patent Document 1 includes a charge/discharge device (battery inspection unit) that houses multiple secondary batteries and performs charge/discharge inspection, and a calibration device that is arranged in place of the secondary batteries and calibrates the charge/discharge device, the charge/discharge device includes multiple charge/discharge terminals (contacts) for feeding power from a power source (charge/discharge power source) to each secondary battery, and the calibration device includes contacts (connection terminals) for connecting to the charge/discharge terminals in place of the secondary batteries. The calibration device is transported to the charge/discharge device by a transport device, and is positioned at a transport position where the contacts can be connected to the charge/discharge terminals.

International Publication No. 2012/093652

However, the charge/discharge terminals of the charge/discharge device wear out over the long term of use at the contact points with the secondary battery, and so when calibration is performed by connecting these worn charge/discharge terminals to the contacts of a calibration device, there is a possibility that the calibration will be performed in a state of poor contact, undermining the reliability of the calibration. This poor contact can occur not only when the calibration device is connected to the charge/discharge terminals, but also when various processing devices that perform preset processing are connected to the charge/discharge terminals.
Although poor contact can be avoided by detecting the wear (deterioration) state of the charge/discharge terminals, this is not easy to do since a charge/discharge device has multiple (many) charge/discharge terminals.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a charge/discharge testing facility that can improve the reliability of various processes such as calibration compared to conventional methods.

The charge/discharge testing equipment according to the present invention, which meets the above-mentioned objective, includes: a plurality of battery units each having a plurality of secondary batteries to be tested, the battery units being transported to a predetermined position by a transport device;
a plurality of charge/discharge devices each configured to charge/discharge the secondary batteries of the battery units arranged at the predetermined positions;
a processing device that is transported by the transport device and is disposed in place of the battery unit to perform a preset processing,
the connection terminals of the charging/discharging device are divided into a charging/discharging terminal connected to each of the secondary batteries and a processing terminal connected to the processing device ,
A switching circuit is provided at the connection between the wiring connecting the charging/discharging terminal to the charging/discharging power supply of the charging/discharging device and the wiring connected to the processing terminal for switching between power supply to the secondary battery and power supply to the processing device .
The switching circuit may be a relay circuit.

In the charge/discharge testing equipment of the present invention, it is preferable that the processing device is a calibration device that calibrates each of the charge/discharge devices, and that the processing terminal is a calibration terminal, and that the calibration terminal is connected to the calibration device.
Here, it is preferable that the calibration device is provided with a deterioration diagnosis terminal for connecting to the charge/discharge terminal, and that a current is passed from the charge/discharge device to a load to which the deterioration diagnosis terminal is connected to measure the degree of deterioration of the charge/discharge terminal.

In the charge/discharge inspection equipment according to the present invention, the processing device is a diagnostic device that measures the degree of deterioration of the charge/discharge terminal, and the diagnostic device preferably has a deterioration diagnosis terminal for connecting to the charge/discharge terminal, and measures the degree of deterioration of the charge/discharge terminal by passing a current from the charge/discharge device to a load to which the deterioration diagnosis terminal is connected.

In the charge/discharge inspection equipment according to the present invention, it is preferable that an element for measuring the temperature of the deterioration diagnosis terminal is attached and fixed to the deterioration diagnosis terminal.

In the charge/discharge testing equipment of the present invention, the connection terminals of the charge/discharge device are divided into charge/discharge terminals connected to each secondary battery and processing terminals connected to a processing device that performs preset processing. Therefore, for example, if the processing device is a calibration device, it is possible to perform calibration (various processes) of the charge/discharge device (charge/discharge power source) by the calibration device by connecting the calibration terminals (processing terminals) to the calibration device without having to contact the charge/discharge terminals that have worn down with use with the calibration device (processing device) as in the conventional case.
Therefore, the reliability of various processes such as calibration can be improved compared to the conventional art.

In addition, if the calibration device is equipped with a deterioration diagnosis terminal for connection to the charge/discharge terminal, after calibrating the charge/discharge device, the deterioration status of the charge/discharge terminal can be grasped (the recommended time to replace the charge/discharge terminal can be determined) by continuing to pass current from the charge/discharge device to the load via the deterioration diagnosis terminal and measuring the voltage across the charge/discharge terminal to calculate the resistance.
Therefore, when a diagnostic device (device without a calibration function) equipped with a deterioration diagnosis terminal is used as the processing device, reliability can be improved when examining the deterioration state of the charge/discharge terminal.
Here, if an element for measuring temperature is attached and fixed to the deterioration diagnosis terminal, the deterioration status of the charge/discharge terminal can be grasped by measuring the heat temperature of the deterioration diagnosis terminal (the recommended time to replace the charge/discharge terminal can be determined).
The deterioration state of the charge/discharge terminals can be grasped by using either or both of the above-mentioned calculation of resistance and measurement of heat generation temperature.

1 is an explanatory diagram of a charge/discharge inspection facility according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state of a charge/discharge device and a calibration device used in the charge/discharge inspection equipment. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a usage state of a charging/discharging device and a calibration device according to Modification 1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a calibration device according to Modification 2 is used; FIG.

Next, with reference to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described for understanding the present invention.
1 and 2, a charge/discharge inspection (test) facility 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery units (not shown) each having a plurality of secondary batteries to be inspected, a plurality of charge/discharge devices 11 each for charging/discharging the secondary batteries of the battery units, a calibration device (an example of a processing device that performs preset processing) 12 for calibrating each charge/discharge device 11, and a transport device 13 for transporting the battery units and the calibration device 12 to predetermined positions (positions within an inspection shelf 15 described later where charging/discharging or calibration can be performed). The battery units include a battery tray and a plurality of secondary batteries arranged (set, mounted) side by side on the battery tray.
The details are explained below.

The charge/discharge inspection equipment 10 includes a plurality of (here, two) inspection stands 14 .
The inspection rack 14 has multiple inspection shelves 15 capable of accommodating battery units in the up-down (height) and left-right (width) directions, and two inspection racks 14 are arranged opposite each other with a gap between them, so that each inspection shelf 15 faces each other.
Each inspection shelf 15 is provided with a charging/discharging device 11 having a plurality of connection terminals 17 connected to a charging/discharging power source (power source) 16, and the connection terminals 17 are divided into a plurality of pairs of charging/discharging terminals 18, 19 connected to each secondary battery, and a plurality of pairs of calibration terminals (an example of processing terminals) 20, 21 connected to a calibration device 12. The number of charging/discharging devices 11 is the same as the number of inspection shelves 15, and the charging/discharging power sources 16 are for supplying power to the secondary batteries and have a function of measuring current and voltage. For example, they can be stored in the inspection shelf 15 and/or installed in a location different from the inspection shelf 15.

The charging/discharging terminals 18, 19 are paired so as to be able to contact the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary batteries, and are attached above the secondary batteries arranged in a row on the battery tray in a manner corresponding to the arrangement of the secondary batteries (so as to overlap in a plan view). The charging/discharging terminals 18, 19 are connected to multiple channels of the charging/discharging power source 16 via wiring 22, 23.
The calibration terminals 20, 21 are capable of contacting positive and negative pin-shaped contacts 24, 25 of the calibration device 12 arranged on the inspection shelf 15 in place of a battery unit (battery tray). The calibration terminals 20, 21 are connected to wires 26, 27 connected to the above-mentioned wires 22, 23, and are independently attached at different positions in a plan view above the calibration device 12, separately from the pair of charge/discharge terminals 18, 19. In this manner, the pair of calibration terminals 20, 21 are electrically connected to the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19, respectively.

The calibration device 12 is formed to have a size that allows it to be accommodated in the inspection shelf 15 .
The multiple contactors 24, 25 provided on the calibration device 12 are provided corresponding to the arrangement positions of the multiple calibration terminals 20, 21 (so as to overlap in a plan view when accommodated in the inspection shelf 15). Note that the contactors 24, 25 are provided on a protruding portion (step portion) 29 provided on the upper portion of a casing 28 of the calibration device 12 in a state of protruding above the protruding portion. Therefore, the contactors 24, 25 of the calibration device 12 can be brought into contact with the calibration terminals 20, 21 without bringing the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 into contact with the calibration device 12.
The number of contacts 24, 25 and the arrangement spacing (pitch) of the multiple pairs of contacts 24, 25 correspond to the number of calibration terminals 20, 21 provided in the charging/discharging device 11 and the arrangement spacing of the multiple pairs of calibration terminals 20, 21, but may differ as follows.

For example, the contacts of the calibration device may be arranged in an arrangement that matches a part of the arrangement of the calibration terminals of the charge/discharge device. That is, the number of contacts may be smaller than the number of calibration terminals.
In this case, the calibration can be completed for all calibration terminals by switching the contact from the calibrated calibration terminal to an uncalibrated calibration terminal.
Also, some of the contacts may be arranged in an arrangement that matches the arrangement of the calibration terminals, i.e., the number of contacts may be greater than the number of calibration terminals.
In this case, the calibration device may be configured to include a large number of contacts arranged at various intervals and to be compatible with calibration terminals arranged at various intervals.

A switching circuit (not shown) is provided at the connection portion between the above-mentioned wires 22, 23 and the wires 26, 27 to switch between power supply to the secondary battery and power supply to the calibration device 12. For noise countermeasures and insulation protection, a relay circuit may be provided at the connection portion to switch between power supply to the secondary battery and power supply to the calibration device 12.
Furthermore, in the charge/discharge inspection equipment 10, the contacts 24, 25 of the calibration device 12 are pin-shaped and configured to be able to abut against the flat calibration terminals 20, 21 provided on the charge/discharge device 11. However, as shown in FIG. 3, as in the charge/discharge device 11a and calibration device (an example of a processing device) 12a, it is also possible to attach pin-shaped calibration terminals (an example of processing terminals) 20a, 21a to the charge/discharge device 11a and configure it to be able to abut against the flat contacts 24a, 25a of the calibration device 12a.

Furthermore, instead of the calibration device 12, a calibration device (an example of a processing device) 12b shown in FIG.
Calibration device 12b includes deterioration diagnosis terminals 30, 31 for connection to charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 (each of which has a plurality of pairs of contacts 24, 25 and a plurality of pairs of deterioration diagnosis terminals 30, 31). These deterioration diagnosis terminals 30, 31 are connected to a load (reference load).
As a result, by passing current I from charge/discharge power supply 16 to the load using charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 and deterioration diagnosis terminals 30, 31, the voltages (V1, V2) across each of charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 can be measured by a voltmeter connected to contact 24 and deterioration diagnosis terminal 30, and a voltmeter connected to contact 25 and deterioration diagnosis terminal 31. By calculating the resistance using this voltage and the current flowing from charge/discharge power supply 16, the deterioration state of charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 can be grasped (the degree of deterioration can be measured (detected)).

Calibration device 12b also includes elements 32, 33 for measuring temperature, and these elements 32, 33 are attached and fixed to the rear sides (inside calibration device 12b) of degradation diagnosis terminals 30, 31, respectively.
As a result, by using the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 and the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30, 31 to pass current from the charge/discharge power supply 16 to the load, the heat generation temperature of the deterioration diagnosis terminals 30, 31 can be measured and the deterioration status of the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 can be grasped (the degree of deterioration can be measured (detected)).
The deterioration status of the charge/discharge terminals can be grasped by using either or both of the above-mentioned resistance calculation and heat generation temperature measurement. For example, if the calculated resistance value is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, or the measured heat generation temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, it can be determined that the charge/discharge terminals 18 and/or the charge/discharge terminals 19 have deteriorated and can be replaced.

Contact between the calibration terminals 20, 21 provided on the charging/discharging device 11 and the contactors 24, 25 provided on the calibration device 12 can be achieved by raising the calibration device 12 relative to the calibration terminals 20, 21, but the calibration terminals 20, 21 (charging/discharging device 11) may also be lowered relative to the calibration device 12, or a combination of raising and lowering may be used.
In addition, contact between the charging/discharging terminals 18, 19 provided on the charging/discharging device 11 and the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery can also be achieved by raising the battery unit (a battery tray housing the secondary battery) relative to the charging/discharging terminals 18, 19, but the charging/discharging terminals 18, 19 (charging/discharging device 11) may also be lowered relative to the battery unit, or a combination of raising and lowering may be used.
Each lifting and lowering can be performed by a lifting mechanism (lifting means) attached within the inspection shelf 15.

1, the transport device 13 is an automatic transport device (e.g., a stacker crane) that is installed between two opposing inspection racks 14 and transports the calibration device 12 or the battery unit from an external storage location to each inspection shelf 15. This transport device is configured to be able to linearly transport the calibration device 12 or the battery unit in each of the X, Y, and Z directions, for example.
Specifically, the conveying device 13 has a fork portion that supports the calibration device 12 or the battery unit (battery tray) from below, and by moving this fork portion up and down and back and forth, the calibration device 12 or the battery unit can be conveyed to the desired inspection shelf 15 and positioned relative to the charging/discharging device 11.

The above-mentioned charging/discharging device 11 (charging/discharging device 11a), calibration device 12 (calibration devices 12a, 12b), and transport device 13 are electrically connected, by wire and/or wirelessly, to a control unit (e.g., a management computer) (not shown) provided in the charging/discharging inspection equipment 10, and the operation of each device is controlled by the control unit and performed based on commands from the control unit. These commands from the control unit are automatically performed using a preset program inputted into the control unit, but may also be performed manually.
This makes it possible to transport and position the calibration device 12 and the battery unit, perform charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery, and calibrate the charge/discharge device 11.

Next, a method for testing a secondary battery using a charge/discharge testing equipment 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention and a method for calibrating (maintaining) a charge/discharge device 11 (charge/discharge power source 16) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
In the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery, first, a battery unit, in which multiple secondary batteries are set in a battery tray, is transported by the transport device 13 from an external storage location to a preset inspection shelf 15. At this time, the battery unit is positioned so that the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 provided on the charge/discharge device 11 in the inspection shelf 15 are located above (connectable to) the multiple secondary batteries.
Then, the secondary battery (battery tray) is raised relative to the charging/discharging terminals 18, 19, and the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery are brought into contact (abutment) with the charging/discharging terminals 18, 19, and then a charging/discharging inspection of the secondary battery is performed based on a preset charging/discharging program.

Furthermore, since the charge/discharge power source 16 used for a preset period of time requires calibration by the calibration device 12, instead of the above-mentioned battery unit (secondary battery), the calibration device 12 is transported by the transport device 13 from an external storage location to a preset inspection shelf 15. At this time, the calibration device 12 is positioned so that the calibration terminals 20, 21 provided on the charge/discharge device 11 in the inspection shelf 15 are located above (so that they can be connected to) the contacts 24, 25 of the calibration device 12. Note that, for example, there is one calibration device 12, but two or more calibration devices may be used depending on the scale of the charge/discharge inspection facility, and in the case of multiple calibration devices, multiple charge/discharge devices 11 can be calibrated simultaneously.
Then, the calibration device 12 is raised relative to the calibration terminals 20, 21, and the contacts 24, 25 of the calibration device 12 are brought into contact (abut) with the calibration terminals 20, 21, and then the charge/discharge power supply 16 is calibrated (i.e., the calibration process is carried out) based on a preset calibration program.

After the above-mentioned charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery is completed, the battery unit is lowered so that the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 and the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery are not in contact with each other, and the battery unit is transported to a predetermined location by the transport device 13. Similarly, after the above-mentioned calibration device 12 is completed, the calibration device 12 is lowered so that the calibration terminals 20, 21 and the contactors 24, 25 of the calibration device 12 are not in contact with each other, and the calibration device 12 is transported to a predetermined location by the transport device 13.
The above-mentioned charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery and the calibration of the charge/discharge power source 16 are performed in parallel. That is, while the calibration device 12 is executing a calibration process in one charge/discharge device, a charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery is performed in another charge/discharge device.

In this way, the calibration of the charge/discharge power supply 16 does not use the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 for performing charge/discharge testing of the secondary battery, but uses the calibration terminals 20, 21 that are provided independently of the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19, thereby preventing the contactors 24, 25 of the calibration device 12 from coming into contact with the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 during the calibration process.
Therefore, the influence of wear on the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 is eliminated, and the reliability of the calibration can be improved compared to the conventional method.

When the calibration device 12b shown in FIG. 4 is used to calibrate the charge/discharge power supply 16 (charge/discharge device), after the calibration of the charge/discharge power supply 16 described above is performed, the calibration circuit and the degradation diagnosis circuit provided in the calibration device 12b are switched over by an internal circuit.
In calibration device 12b, with contacts 24, 25 in contact with calibration terminals 20, 21 provided on charging/discharging device 11, degradation diagnosis terminals 30, 31 are also in contact with charging/discharging terminals 18, 19 of charging/discharging device 11, respectively, so that by passing a current from charging/discharging power supply 16 to the load via degradation diagnosis terminals 30, 31, the voltages across charging/discharging terminal 18 and charging/discharging terminal 19 can be measured and the resistance can be calculated. At this time, the heat generation temperatures of degradation diagnosis terminals 30, 31 can be measured by elements 32, 33 attached and fixed to degradation diagnosis terminals 30, 31, respectively.

By using either or both of the above-mentioned resistance calculation and heat generation temperature measurement, the deterioration status (degree of deterioration) of the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 can be grasped (the recommended time to replace the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 can be grasped). For example, if the calculated resistance value becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined value and/or the measured heat generation temperature becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined value, it can be determined that the charge/discharge terminals 18 and/or the charge/discharge terminals 19 have deteriorated and can be replaced.
Therefore, the reliability of the calibration can be improved compared to the conventional art, and the deterioration state of the charge/discharge terminals 18, 19 can also be grasped.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments, and includes other embodiments and modifications that are conceivable within the scope of the matters described in the claims. For example, the case where the charge/discharge inspection equipment of the present invention is configured by combining some or all of the above-mentioned respective embodiments and modifications is also included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, a calibration device having a calibration terminal (with or without a deterioration diagnosis terminal) is used as a processing device for performing a preset process. Instead of or together with this calibration device, a diagnostic device for measuring the deterioration degree of a charge/discharge terminal (i.e., a device without a calibration function) can be used as a processing device. This diagnostic device has a deterioration diagnosis terminal for connecting to the charge/discharge terminal, and measures the deterioration degree of the charge/discharge terminal by passing a current from the charge/discharge device to a load to which the deterioration diagnosis terminal is connected. Here, when the charge/discharge inspection facility has both a calibration device and a diagnostic device, the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery, the calibration of the charge/discharge power source of the charge/discharge device, and the measurement of the deterioration degree of the charge/discharge terminal are performed in parallel. The diagnostic device may be one or more than two, and when multiple devices are used, the deterioration degree of the charge/discharge terminal can be measured simultaneously by multiple charge/discharge devices.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the deterioration status of the charge/discharge terminals is grasped by calculating the resistance and/or measuring the heat generation temperature. However, for example, since the resistance of charge/discharge terminals used in high current secondary batteries is low and measurement is difficult, it is preferable to grasp the deterioration status by measuring the heat generation temperature.
In the above embodiment, the case has been described where both the charge/discharge terminal and the calibration terminal provided on the charge/discharge device are arranged facing downward, but the calibration terminal may be provided independently of the charge/discharge terminal on the charge/discharge device. For example, both the charge/discharge terminal and the calibration terminal may be arranged facing upward, or they may be arranged below and above the charge/discharge device, respectively (specifically, the charge/discharge terminal may be arranged facing downward (or upward) and the calibration terminal may be arranged facing upward (or downward)).
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where two examination gantry units are used has been described, but one examination gantry unit or three or more examination gantry units may be used. The arrangement of the examination gantry units may be changed as appropriate.

10: Charge/discharge inspection equipment, 11, 11a: Charge/discharge device, 12, 12a, 12b: Calibration device (processing device), 13: Transport device, 14: Inspection stand, 15: Inspection shelf, 16: Charge/discharge power source, 17: Connection terminal, 18, 19: Charge/discharge terminal, 20, 20a, 21, 21a: Calibration terminal (processing terminal), 22, 23: Wiring, 24, 24a, 25, 25a: Contact, 26, 27: Wiring, 28: Casing, 29: Protrusion, 30, 31: Deterioration diagnosis terminal, 32, 33: Element

Claims (2)

a plurality of battery units each having a plurality of secondary batteries to be inspected and transported to a predetermined position by a transport device;
a plurality of charge/discharge devices each configured to charge/discharge the secondary batteries of the battery units arranged at the predetermined positions;
a processing device that is transported by the transport device and is disposed in place of the battery unit to perform a preset processing,
the connection terminals of the charging/discharging device are divided into a charging/discharging terminal connected to each of the secondary batteries and a processing terminal connected to the processing device ,
A charge/discharge inspection equipment characterized in that a switching circuit for switching between power supply to the secondary battery and power supply to the processing device is provided at the connection portion between the wiring connecting the charge/discharge terminal to the charge/discharge power supply of the charge/discharge device and the wiring connected to the processing terminal . 2. The charge/discharge inspection facility according to claim 1, wherein the switching circuit is a relay circuit .

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