Battery module gap stacking equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses battery module gap stacking equipment, and relates to the technical field of new energy power battery production equipment. Comprising a battery cell conveying line, a battery cell tray lifting and positioning device, a battery cell overturning and positioning device, a battery cell visual detection device, a stacking robot, a battery cell variable-pitch clamping jaw, a stacking and positioning device, a module tray locking and unlocking device, a module tray lifting and positioning device and a module conveying line. The eight battery cells are accurately positioned and grabbed at the same time, the distance of the battery cells is controlled to be the size in the stacking state through the distance changing structure, the battery cells are stacked into a module at a time, and the stacking efficiency is greatly improved; compared with a traditional scheme that a robot grabs single battery cells and stacks the single battery cells to a module, under the condition that the same productivity is achieved, the number of configured robots is greatly reduced, the equipment cost is reduced, the occupied area of equipment is reduced, and space is saved; the accurate alignment effect of the battery cells is jointly ensured by the accurate pitch change of the pitch change structure and the high positioning accuracy of the stacking positioning device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of new energy power battery production equipment, and in particular to a battery module gap stacking device. Background Art

[0002] Blade batteries are being widely used because of their higher volume utilization and safety. Conventional modules are stacked by directly bonding the cells together. After stacking, the modules are shaped and compacted to ensure the external dimensions of the modules. Functionally, this method will shorten the service life of the cells due to the lack of gaps between the cells due to thermal expansion and contraction. It will also cause the heat of the cells to not be discharged in time due to the complete bonding between the cells, reducing the overall stability of the product. In terms of accuracy, the size of the cells themselves affects the spacing between the cells, and the dimensional accuracy between the cells cannot be guaranteed, affecting the quality of subsequent BAR sheet welding.

[0003] The above technical problems are solved by using gap stacking between battery cells. At present, all modules assembled by gap stacking on the market are monolithic stacking. For example, the stacking device with application number CN201910124843.5 provides a stacking device for battery cells, which has low stacking efficiency and cannot meet the application requirements of high-capacity production lines. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery module gap stacking device to solve the problem raised in the above background technology that the modules currently assembled in the market using the gap stacking method are all single-piece stacking, the stacking efficiency is low, and it cannot meet the application of high-capacity production lines.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a battery module gap stacking device, comprising two groups of transversely arranged battery cell conveyor lines, each group of battery cell conveyor lines is provided with a group of battery cell tray lifting and positioning devices and a group of battery cell flipping and positioning devices, as well as a group of battery cell visual inspection devices arranged on the left side thereof; a group of stacking robots are respectively arranged on the outsides of the two groups of battery cell visual inspection devices, and the front ends of the mechanical arms of the stacking robots are connected to battery cell variable-pitch clamps; two groups of stacking positioning devices are arranged side by side on the left side of each group of battery cell visual inspection devices, each group of stacking positioning devices is provided with a group of module tray locking and unlocking devices and a module tray lifting and positioning device, and a longitudinally arranged module conveyor line is commonly arranged on the left side of the four groups of stacking positioning devices.

[0006] Preferably, the battery cell conveyor line is a chain-link circulating conveyor line, and a positioning column is provided on the conveyor line, and a battery cell tray is positioned and placed by the positioning column, and eight battery cells are placed flat in the battery cell tray.

[0007] Preferably, the battery cell tray lifting and positioning device is arranged below the battery cell conveyor line, including a lifting and positioning base plate connected to a lifting cylinder arranged vertically upward at the bottom and the top of its shaft rod, a battery cell tray positioning support column is horizontally arranged in the middle of the top surface of the lifting and positioning base plate, and at the same time, a battery cell flipping positioning device is symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the front and rear sides of the battery cell conveyor line on the top surface of the lifting and positioning base plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the battery cell flipping and positioning device includes two groups of clamping cylinders arranged front and back facing each other near the left and right side edges of the lifted positioning base plate, the two clamping cylinders on the same side of the front and rear sides are commonly connected to the clamping base plate, the top surface of the clamping base plate is provided with a flipping slide parallel to the battery cell conveying line, and a flipping slide that can slide along its axial direction is provided thereon, the outer side of the flipping slide is connected with a flipping cylinder, the flipping cylinder is arranged on the top surface of the clamping base plate, and eight groups of facing positioning flipping jaws are evenly arranged on the side where the two clamping base plates are close to each other, the outer side of the positioning flipping jaws is connected with a flipping gear, the flipping gear is meshed and linked with the flipping rack arranged on the flipping slide, each group of positioning flipping jaws accurately positions and grasps a battery cell, and flips it ninety degrees.

[0009] Preferably, the stacking robot is a multi-axis robotic arm, and a battery cell variable pitch gripper is arranged at the front end of the multi-axis robotic arm; the battery cell variable pitch gripper includes a variable pitch control box connected to the multi-axis robotic arm, and eight battery cell grippers are arranged on the front side of the variable pitch control box.

[0010] Preferably, a battery cell positioning plate is provided on the battery cell visual inspection device, and a visual inspection sensor is provided on the outer side of the battery cell positioning plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the stacking positioning device includes a module tray conveying line coaxially arranged with the battery cell conveying line, a module tray is positioned on the module tray conveying line, a module tray lifting and positioning device is arranged below the module tray conveying line, the module tray lifting and positioning device includes a lifting cylinder arranged at the bottom, and a module tray lifting and positioning base plate connected to the top point of its shaft rod, a module tray positioning column is arranged at the horizontal middle of the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate; a battery cell stacking positioning assembly and a module tray locking and unlocking device are commonly arranged on the outer sides of the front and rear sides of the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate.

[0012] Preferably, the battery cell stacking positioning assembly accurately positions the eight placed battery cells, and a module tray pressure strip is also provided on the module tray.

[0013] Furthermore, the module tray locking and unlocking device includes two groups of module tray locking cylinders respectively extending to the left and right sides near the front and rear edges on the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate, and a module tray clamping block is commonly provided at the ends of the shafts of the two module tray locking cylinders in the same direction.

[0014] Preferably, the module conveyor line is connected to four module pallet conveyor lines.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The battery module stacking equipment provided by the present invention can accurately position and grasp 8 battery cells at the same time, and use the variable pitch structure to equidistantly change the pitch to control the spacing between the battery cells to the size in the stacked state, and the stacking robot stacks them into the module at one time, which greatly improves the stacking efficiency of the equipment. At the same time, an independent battery cell positioning mechanism is arranged at the stacking positioning device to ensure the posture of the battery cells after stacking, and finally completes the stacking of the entire module; compared with the traditional solution of robots grasping single-chip battery cells and stacking them into modules, while achieving the same production capacity, the number of configured robots is greatly reduced, the equipment cost is reduced, and the equipment footprint is reduced, saving space; in terms of stacking effect, the precise positioning of the battery cells, the precise variable pitch of the variable pitch structure and the high positioning accuracy of the stacking positioning device jointly ensure the precise alignment effect of the battery cells. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A top view of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a battery tray;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a battery cell tray lifting positioning device and a battery cell flipping positioning device;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a battery cell visual inspection device;

[0021] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the stacking robot and the variable-pitch gripper of the battery cell;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a stacking positioning device, a module tray locking and unlocking device, and a module tray lifting positioning device;

[0023] In the figure: battery cell conveyor line-1, battery cell tray-11, battery cell-12, battery cell tray lifting positioning device-2, lifting positioning base plate-21, battery cell flipping positioning device-3, clamping cylinder-31, clamping base plate-32, flip slide-33, flip slide-34, flip cylinder-35, positioning flip clamp-36, flip gear-37, flip rack-38, battery cell visual inspection device-4, battery cell positioning plate-41, visual inspection sensor-42, stacking robot- 5. Battery cell variable pitch clamp-6. Variable pitch control box-61. Battery cell clamp-61. Stacking positioning device-7. Module tray conveyor line-71. Module tray-72. Battery cell stacking positioning assembly-73. Module tray pressure strip-74. Module tray locking and unlocking device-8. Module tray locking cylinder-81. Module tray clamping block-82. Module tray lifting and positioning device-9. Module tray lifting and positioning base plate-91. Module tray positioning column-92. Module conveyor line-10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1-6 , Figure 1 A top view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a battery tray; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a battery cell tray lifting positioning device and a battery cell flipping positioning device; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a battery cell visual inspection device; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the stacking robot and the variable-pitch gripper of the battery cell; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a stacking positioning device, a module tray locking and unlocking device, and a module tray lifting positioning device.

[0026] The present invention provides a battery module gap stacking device, which adopts automated assembly means to realize automatic stacking of module cells; it comprises two groups of transversely arranged cell conveyor lines 1, each group of cell conveyor lines 1 is provided with a group of cell tray lifting and positioning devices 2 and a group of cell flipping and positioning devices 3, each group of cell conveyor lines 1 is provided with a group of cell visual inspection devices 4 on the left side, a group of stacking robots 5 are respectively provided on the outer sides of the two groups of cell visual inspection devices 4, the front ends of the mechanical arms of the stacking robots 5 are connected with cell variable-pitch clamps 6, two groups of stacking positioning devices 7 are arranged side by side on the left side of each group of cell visual inspection devices 4, each group of stacking positioning devices 7 is provided with a group of module tray locking and unlocking devices 8 and a module tray lifting and positioning device 9, and the left sides of the four groups of stacking positioning devices 7 are commonly provided with a longitudinally arranged module conveyor line 10.

[0027] The battery cell conveyor line 1 is a chain-link circulating conveyor line purchased on the market, and a positioning column is provided on the conveyor line, and a battery cell tray 11 is positioned and placed by the positioning column. Eight battery cells 12 can be placed flat in the battery cell tray 11.

[0028] The battery cell tray lifting and positioning device 2 is arranged below the battery cell conveyor line 1, and a lifting cylinder is arranged vertically upward at the bottom, and the top end of the shaft of the lifting cylinder is connected to a lifting and positioning base plate 21, and a battery cell tray positioning support column is horizontally arranged in the middle of the top surface of the lifting and positioning base plate 21, which is used to position the battery cell tray 11 and lift it upward, and at the same time, a battery cell flipping positioning device 3 is symmetrically arranged on the outer side of the front and rear sides of the battery cell conveyor line 1 on the top surface of the lifting and positioning base plate 21.

[0029] The battery cell flipping and positioning device 3 includes two groups of clamping cylinders 31 arranged front and back near the left and right sides of the lifting and positioning base plate 21, and the two clamping cylinders 31 on the same side of the front and rear sides are commonly connected to a clamping base plate 32, and a flip slide 33 parallel to the battery cell conveying line 1 is arranged on the top surface of the clamping base plate 32, and a flip slide 34 that can slide along its axial direction is arranged on the flip slide 33, and a flip cylinder 35 is connected to the outer side of the flip slide 34, and the flip cylinder 35 is arranged on the top surface of the clamping base plate 32, and the two clamping base plates 32 are close to each other. Eight groups of positioning flipping jaws 36 facing each other are evenly arranged on one side, and the outer side of the positioning flipping jaws 36 is connected to a flipping gear 37. The flipping gear 37 is meshed and linked with a flipping rack 38 arranged on the flipping slide 34, so that the flipping slide 34 can be driven to move by the flipping cylinder 35, and then the eight positioning flipping jaws 36 are driven to rotate. Each group of positioning flipping jaws 36 is used to accurately locate and grasp a battery cell 12 and flip it ninety degrees. The battery cell 12 that has been accurately positioned, grasped and flipped is positioned and grasped by the stacking robot 5 driving the battery cell variable-distance clamp 6.

[0030] The stacking robot 5 is a multi-axis robotic arm purchased on the market, and a battery cell variable pitch gripper 6 is arranged at the front end of the multi-axis robotic arm; the battery cell variable pitch gripper 6 includes a variable pitch control box 61 connected to the multi-axis robotic arm, and eight battery cell grippers 62 are arranged on the front side of the variable pitch control box 61, which can grasp eight battery cells 12 at the same time, and after the eight battery cell grippers 62 grasp the eight battery cells 12, the spacing between the battery cells 12 can be equidistantly displaced, and after the equidistant displacement, the eight battery cells 12 are placed at the battery cell visual inspection device 4.

[0031] The battery cell visual inspection device 4 is provided with a battery cell positioning disk 41, and a visual inspection sensor 42 is provided on the outer side of the battery cell positioning disk 41. The stacking robot 5 grabs eight battery cells 12 through the battery cell variable pitch gripper 6, and then places the eight battery cells 12 on the battery cell positioning disk 41 after equidistant displacement. The visual inspection sensor 42 is used to detect the spacing size of the eight battery cells 12 after the displacement. After the size is confirmed to be qualified, the stacking robot 5 sends the eight battery cells 12 to the stacking positioning device 7 for stacking and combination.

[0032] The stacking positioning device 7 includes a module tray conveying line 71 coaxially arranged with the battery cell conveying line 1, and a module tray 72 is positioned on the module tray conveying line 71, which can be conveyed from right to left. A module tray lifting and positioning device 9 is arranged below the module tray conveying line 71. The structure of the module tray lifting and positioning device 9 is the same as that of the battery cell tray lifting and positioning device 2, including a lifting cylinder arranged at the bottom, and a module tray lifting and positioning base plate 91 connected to the top of its shaft rod. A module tray positioning column 92 is arranged at the middle of the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate 91, which is used to position the module tray 72 and lift it upward; a battery cell stacking positioning assembly 73 and a module tray locking and unlocking device 8 are commonly arranged on the outer sides of the front and rear sides of the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate 91.

[0033] The battery cell stacking positioning assembly 73 is used to assist the stacking robot 5 in positioning the eight battery cells 12 on the module tray 72, and to accurately position the eight battery cells 12. After the battery cells 12 are positioned and placed, a module tray pressure strip 74 is further provided on the module tray 72 for locking and fixing the battery cells 12 positioned and placed on the module tray 72.

[0034] The module tray locking and unlocking device 8 includes two groups of module tray locking cylinders 81 respectively extending to the left and right sides, which are arranged on the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate 91 near the front and rear sides. The ends of the shafts of the two module tray locking cylinders 81 in the same direction are jointly provided with module tray clamping blocks 82. The module tray clamping blocks 82 on the left and right sides are jointly used to lock and fix the module tray 72. After the battery cells 12 are stacked, the module tray 72 is unlocked. After unlocking, the module tray lifting and positioning device 9 falls back, and the module tray 72 is placed again on the module tray conveyor line 71, and it is conveyed to the left and then conveyed to the module conveyor line 10.

[0035] The module conveyor line 10 is used to receive the module tray 72 with the battery cells 12 already positioned and placed conveyed by each module tray conveyor line 71, and to transport the received module tray 72 from the front to the rear, and to transport the module tray 72 with completed battery cell stacking to the next production process.

[0036] The battery module stacking equipment provided by the present invention grabs 8 battery cells at a time and stacks multiple battery cells at the same time in a manner of equidistant and variable distances, thereby greatly increasing the stacking efficiency. At the same time, an independent battery cell positioning mechanism is arranged at the stacking positioning device to ensure the posture of the battery cells after stacking, thereby finally completing the stacking of the entire module.

[0037] The advantage of the battery module stacking equipment provided by the present invention is that it can accurately position and grasp 8 battery cells at the same time, and use the variable distance structure to change the distance between the battery cells to the size in the stacked state, and the stacking robot stacks them into the module at one time, which greatly improves the stacking efficiency of the equipment and increases the production capacity of the equipment. Compared with the traditional solution of robots grabbing single-chip battery cells and stacking them into modules, while achieving the same production capacity, it greatly reduces the number of configured robots, reduces equipment costs, and reduces the equipment footprint, saving space. In terms of stacking effect, the precise positioning of the battery cells, the precise distance change of the variable distance structure, and the high positioning accuracy of the stacking positioning device together ensure the precise alignment effect of the battery cells.

[0038] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, it can be understood by ordinary technicians in this field that all other embodiments obtained by making various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention and without making creative work, all belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery module gap stacking device, characterized in that: The invention comprises two groups of transversely arranged battery cell conveyor lines (1), each group of battery cell conveyor lines (1) is provided with a group of battery cell tray lifting and positioning devices (2) and a group of battery cell flipping and positioning devices (3), and a group of battery cell visual inspection devices (4) are arranged on the left side thereof; a group of stacking robots (5) are respectively arranged on the outside of the two groups of battery cell visual inspection devices (4), and the front end of the mechanical arm of the stacking robot (5) is connected to a battery cell variable-pitch clamp (6); two groups of stacking positioning devices (7) are arranged side by side on the left side of each group of battery cell visual inspection devices (4), each group of stacking positioning devices (7) is provided with a group of module tray locking and unlocking devices (8) and a module tray lifting and positioning device (9), and a longitudinally arranged module conveyor line (10) is commonly arranged on the left side of the four groups of stacking positioning devices (7).

2. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell conveyor line (1) is a chain-link type circulating conveyor line, and a positioning column is provided on the conveyor line, and a battery cell tray (11) is positioned and placed by the positioning column, and eight battery cells (12) are placed flat in the battery cell tray (11).

3. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cell tray lifting and positioning device (2) is arranged below the cell conveying line (1), and comprises a lifting cylinder arranged vertically upward at the bottom and a lifting and positioning base plate (21) connected to the top end of its shaft, a cell tray positioning support column is horizontally arranged in the middle of the top surface of the lifting and positioning base plate (21), and a cell flipping and positioning device (3) is symmetrically arranged on the outer sides of the front and rear sides of the cell conveying line (1) on the top surface of the lifting and positioning base plate (21).

4. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The battery cell flipping and positioning device (3) comprises two groups of clamping cylinders (31) arranged front and rear to face each other near the left and right sides of the lifting and positioning base plate (21); the two clamping cylinders (31) on the same side of the front and rear sides are connected to a clamping base plate (32); a flipping slideway (33) parallel to the battery cell conveying line (1) is arranged on the top surface of the clamping base plate (32); a flipping slide plate (34) slidable along its axial direction is arranged on the top surface of the flipping slide plate (34); the flipping cylinder (33) is connected to the outer side of the flipping slide plate (34); 35), the flip cylinder (35) is arranged on the top surface of the clamping base plate (32), and eight groups of positioning flip jaws (36) facing each other are evenly arranged on the side where the two clamping base plates (32) are close to each other. The outer side of the positioning flip jaws (36) is connected with a flip gear (37), and the flip gear (37) is meshed and linked with a flip rack (38) arranged on the flip slide plate (34). Each group of positioning flip jaws (36) accurately locates and grabs a battery cell (12) and flips it ninety degrees.

5. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The stacking robot (5) is a multi-axis mechanical arm, and a battery cell variable pitch clamp (6) is arranged at the front end of the multi-axis mechanical arm; the battery cell variable pitch clamp (6) comprises a variable pitch control box (61) connected to the multi-axis mechanical arm, and eight battery cell clamps (62) are arranged on the front side of the variable pitch control box (61).

6. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The battery cell visual inspection device (4) is provided with a battery cell positioning plate (41), and a visual inspection sensor (42) is provided on the outer side of the battery cell positioning plate (41).

7. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The stacking positioning device (7) comprises a module tray conveying line (71) coaxially arranged with the battery cell conveying line (1), a module tray (72) being positioned on the module tray conveying line (71), a module tray lifting and positioning device (9) being arranged below the module tray conveying line (71), the module tray lifting and positioning device (9) comprising a lifting cylinder arranged at the bottom, and a module tray lifting and positioning base plate (91) connected to the top of its shaft, a module tray positioning column (92) being arranged at the middle of the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate (91); a battery cell stacking positioning assembly (73) and a module tray locking and unlocking device (8) are arranged on the outer sides of the front and rear sides of the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate (91).

8. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The battery cell stacking positioning assembly (73) accurately positions the eight placed battery cells (12), and a module tray pressure strip (74) is also provided on the module tray (72).

9. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The module tray locking and unlocking device (8) comprises two groups of module tray locking cylinders (81) respectively extending to the left and right sides and arranged on the top surface of the module tray lifting and positioning base plate (91) near the front and rear sides, and the ends of the shafts of the two module tray locking cylinders (81) with the same direction are jointly provided with a module tray clamping block (82).

10. The battery module gap stacking device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The module conveyor line (10) is connected to four module tray conveyor lines (71).

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