Method for disassembling a battery housing of a high-voltage battery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12304099-B2
Application number	US-202217739858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2022
Priority date	May 10, 2021
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A method for disassembling a battery housing of a high-voltage battery system, in particular of a vehicle, in which housing parts of the battery housing are in material connection with each other along joining flanges, wherein for disassembling the battery housing a disassembly tool is inserted into a joining gap between the joining flanges to loosen the material connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for disassembling a battery housing of a high-voltage battery system in a vehicle with a disassembly tool, the battery housing having housing parts that are in material connection with each other along joining flanges, the joining flanges having a joining gap therebetween and each extending along a flange longitudinal direction and having a flange width extending along a flange transverse direction, the method comprising:
providing the disassembly tool, the disassembly tool including a rotary cutter;
inserting, in an infeed movement in the flange transverse direction, the rotary cutter of the disassembly tool into the joining gap between the joining flanges until the rotary cutter reaches a penetration depth in the joining gap in order to loosen the material connection; and
while the rotary cutter is inserted into the joining gap at the penetration depth, moving the rotary cutter in a forward movement in the flange longitudinal direction to separate the material connection along the joining flanges,
wherein the material connection between the joining flanges extends over the flange width in the flange transverse direction, wherein the penetration depth of the rotary cutter is set to be less than the flange width so that after completion of the infeed movement, a residual portion of the material connection remains between the joining flanges over a residual flange width, and wherein after completion of the infeed movement, a levering process takes place, in which a lever force builds up via which the joining flanges are pressed apart so that the residual portion of the material connection tears open.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the joining flanges are in material connection with each other at a joining plane, and wherein during the forward movement, the rotary cutter rolls off about an axis of rotation, the axis of rotation being aligned at a right angle to the joining plane.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the rotary cutter is not assigned a rotary drive operated by external energy, so that during the forward movement of the rotatory cutter, the rotary cutter only passively rolls off during the forward movement.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the material connection is an adhesive connection in which the joining flanges are glued together with an intermediate adhesive layer, such that during the insertion of the rotary cutter into the joining gap, the intermediate adhesive layer is loosened.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary cutter has a circular disc-shaped cutting blade, which is freely rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation, so that during the forward movement of the rotary cutter, the rotary cutter rolls off about the axis of rotation.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein a geometry of the cutting blade is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation, such that both the infeed movement and the levering process are carried out via the rotary cutter.

7. A method for disassembling a battery housing of a high-voltage battery system in a vehicle with a disassembly tool, the battery housing having housing parts that are in material connection with each other along joining flanges, the joining flanges having a joining gap therebetween and each extending along a flange longitudinal direction and having a flange width extending along a flange transverse direction, the method comprising:
providing the disassembly tool, the disassembly tool including a rotary cutter;
inserting, in an infeed movement in the flange transverse direction, the rotary cutter of the disassembly tool into the joining gap between the joining flanges until the rotary cutter reaches a penetration depth in the joining gap in order to loosen the material connection; and
while the rotary cutter is inserted into the joining gap at the penetration depth moving the rotary cutter in a forward movement in the flange longitudinal direction to separate the material connection along the joining flanges,
wherein the rotary cutter has a circular disc-shaped cutting blade, which is freely rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation, so that during the forward movement of the rotary cutter, the rotary cutter rolls off about the axis of rotation,
wherein a geometry of the cutting blade is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation, such that both the infeed movement and the levering process are carried out via the rotary cutter,
wherein the cutting blade has a cutting blade bottom, which is aligned substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation, wherein during the infeed movement and the levering process, the cutting blade bottom is supported on one of the joining flanges,
wherein the cutting blade bottom forms a flat cone angle with an outer radial, circumferential cutting flank of the cutting blade, and the outer radial, circumferential cutting flank merges into a radial inner, circumferential lever flank at a circumferential transition edge, the radial inner, circumferential lever flank forming a steep cone angle with the cutting blade bottom, such that during the infeed movement or the forward movement, an outer portion of one of the joining flanges comes into sliding contact with the radial inner, circumferential lever flank to push apart the joining flanges by the lever force.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Schulze Malte
• Storm Ernst
• Greppler Frank

Classifications

• H01M10/54 Primary

  Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators · CPC title

• B60K2001/0461

  from the side · CPC title

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• H01M50/262

  with fastening means, e.g. locks · CPC title

• Y02W30/84

  Recycling of batteries or fuel cells · CPC title