An automatic production line for lithium battery packs

By designing an automatic lithium battery pack production line including loading, lifting, discharge, assembly, rotary table, structure inspection, welding and performance inspection mechanism, the problems of low processing efficiency and high defect rate of lithium battery packs in the prior art are solved, and fully automated processing and efficient production are achieved.

CN113427259BActive Publication Date: 2025-06-24C-STAR IND AUTOMATION SYST (CHANGZHOU) CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202110804097.1
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-07-16
Publication Date
2025-06-24
Estimated Expiration
2041-07-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing lithium battery pack processing equipment cannot achieve fully automatic operation, the processing efficiency is low, and the probability of defective products is high, which directly increases production costs. After detecting defective products, the entire line needs to be shut down and troubleshooted, affecting processing efficiency.

Method used

An automatic production line of lithium battery packs is designed, including a feeding mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a feeding mechanism, an assembly mechanism, a turntable mechanism, a structural inspection mechanism, a welding mechanism and a performance inspection mechanism, and the fully automated processing of the lithium battery packs is achieved through the automated operation of these mechanisms.

Benefits of technology

The fully automated processing of lithium battery packs is realized, which improves processing efficiency, reduces the chance and production cost of defective products, and can be directly removed without shutting down when detecting defective products, further improving processing efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic production line for lithium battery packs, which includes a feeding mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a discharging mechanism, an assembling mechanism and a turntable mechanism. The feeding mechanism includes a feeding platform; the lifting mechanism includes a rack, and a plurality of bins are arranged side by side in the rack; the discharging mechanism includes a discharging seat and a clamping seat located on one side of the discharging seat; the assembling mechanism includes a material taking rack, and a gripper I and a battery cell suction block are installed below the material taking rack; the turntable mechanism includes a turntable arranged on the front side of the discharging mechanism and a plurality of support seats installed on the outer ring surface of the turntable; the material box located on the feeding platform can be pushed into the bin, and the components in the material box located in the bin can be pushed onto the discharging seat; a structure detection mechanism, a welding mechanism and a performance detection mechanism are successively arranged around the outside of the turntable mechanism. The present invention can realize the full-automatic processing of lithium battery packs, improve the processing efficiency, reduce the probability of defective products and the production cost.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of lithium battery pack assembly, and particularly relates to an automatic production line for lithium battery packs. Background Art

[0002] Sometimes, the voltage and capacity of a single battery cell cannot meet the usage requirements. In this case, multiple battery cells need to be connected in series or in parallel to form a lithium battery pack. The processing process of a lithium battery pack generally includes multiple steps such as feeding, assembly, structural inspection, welding, and performance inspection. However, the existing lithium battery pack processing equipment not only occupies a large area but also cannot achieve fully automatic operation. Individual steps require manual operation, resulting in low processing efficiency, a high probability of defective products, and directly increasing the production cost. In addition, if defective products are detected during the processing, the entire production line needs to be stopped for error correction, which further affects the processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic production line for lithium battery packs to solve the problem of low processing efficiency of lithium battery packs.

[0004] The automatic production line for lithium battery packs of the present invention is realized as follows:

[0005] An automatic production line for lithium battery packs, comprising

[0006] a feeding mechanism, the feeding mechanism includes a feeding platform capable of moving left and right;

[0007] a lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism includes a rack located in front of the feeding platform and capable of moving up and down, and a plurality of bins are arranged side by side in the rack;

[0008] a discharging mechanism, the discharging mechanism includes a discharging seat correspondingly arranged in front of the bin, and a clamping seat located on one side of the discharging seat;

[0009] an assembly mechanism, the assembly mechanism includes a picking rack located above the discharging mechanism and capable of moving forward and backward, left and right, up and down, and horizontally rotating, and a jaw Ⅰ and a battery cell suction block are installed below the picking rack;

[0010] a turntable mechanism, the turntable mechanism includes a turntable arranged in front of the discharging mechanism, and a plurality of support seats installed on the outer ring surface of the turntable;

[0011] The material box located on the feeding platform can be pushed into the bin, and the components in the material box in the bin can be pushed onto the discharging seat;

[0012] On the outer side of the turntable mechanism, a structure detection mechanism, a welding mechanism, and a performance detection mechanism are successively arranged around it. The turntable drives the support base to rotate and cooperates with the assembly mechanism, the structure detection mechanism, the welding mechanism, and the performance detection mechanism in sequence.

[0013] Furthermore, a material box placement position is arranged on the loading platform. A frame moving cylinder is arranged at the rear side of the material box placement position, and the frame moving cylinder can push the material box in the material box placement position into the material bin.

[0014] On one side of the material box placement position, a plurality of pushing cylinders I corresponding to the material bin are arranged side by side, and the pushing cylinders I can push the components in the material box onto the material placing seat.

[0015] Furthermore, the feeding mechanism further includes a feeding platform, and a sliding seat is installed on the feeding platform. The material placing seats are respectively arranged on the sliding seat.

[0016] A seat moving cylinder is installed below the sliding seat, and the seat moving cylinder can drive the sliding seat to move back and forth.

[0017] Furthermore, the clamping seat includes an L-shaped frame installed on the feeding platform and extending forward, and clamping cylinders oppositely installed in the front-rear direction on the L-shaped frame. A clamping plate is installed at the end of the piston rod of the clamping cylinder.

[0018] Furthermore, the assembly mechanism further includes a gantry II, and a rotating seat capable of moving back and forth, left and right, and up and down on the gantry II. The material taking frame is rotatably installed below the material taking frame.

[0019] Furthermore, the turntable mechanism further includes a base installed below the turntable, and the base is in rotational fit with the turntable.

[0020] The support base can move up and down and horizontally on the outer ring surface of the turntable.

[0021] Furthermore, the structure detection mechanism includes two relatively arranged vision detection heads, and the two vision detection heads can move towards each other.

[0022] Furthermore, at least two welding mechanisms are arranged and distributed adjacently.

[0023] The welding mechanism includes two relatively arranged welding heads, and the two welding heads can move towards each other.

[0024] Furthermore, the welding mechanism further includes two relatively arranged flattening plates, and the two flattening plates can move towards each other.

[0025] The flattening plates are arranged side by side with the welding heads.

[0026] Further, the performance detection mechanism includes a lithium battery performance detection system, which includes a detection box and two detection connectors that can move up and down and are connected to the detection box.

[0027] After adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0028] (1) Through the settings of the feeding mechanism, lifting mechanism, discharging mechanism, assembling mechanism, turntable mechanism, structure detection mechanism, welding mechanism and performance detection mechanism, the present invention can realize the fully automatic processing of lithium battery packs, improve the processing efficiency, reduce the probability of defective products and production costs;

[0029] (2) Since the assembling mechanism, structure detection mechanism, welding structure and performance detection mechanism are sequentially arranged around the periphery of the turntable mechanism, the present invention can not only realize automatic processing, but also remove defective products at any processing position at any time by using a manipulator without stopping the machine, which will not affect the progress of the entire processing process and further improves the processing efficiency. Description of the Drawings

[0030] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments.

[0031] Figure 1 is the structure diagram of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is the structure diagram of the feeding mechanism of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 is the structure diagram of the lifting mechanism of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 is the structure diagram of the discharging mechanism of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 is the structure diagram of the assembling mechanism of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 is the structure diagram of the turntable mechanism of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 is the structure diagram of the structure detection mechanism of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 8 is the structure diagram of the welding mechanism of the automatic production line of lithium battery packs in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 9 It is a structural diagram of the performance detection mechanism of the automatic production line of the lithium battery pack according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] In the figure: feeding mechanism 1, feeding platform 11, frame placing position 12, frame moving cylinder 13, frame pushing plate 14, frame pushing rod 15, guide rail seat I 16, motor I 17, slide rail seat 18, material pushing cylinder I 19, end plate 110, material pushing plate 111, lifting mechanism 2, material rack 21, material bin 22, gantry I 23, guide rail seat II 24, motor II 25, gear box 26, discharging mechanism 3, discharging seat 31, clamping seat 32, discharging platform 33, sliding seat 34, seat moving cylinder 35, sliding frame 36, L-shaped frame 37, clamping cylinder 38, clamping plate 39, assembling mechanism 4, material taking rack 41, jaw I 42, battery cell sucking block 43, gantry II 44, rotating seat 45, hollow rotating platform 46, upper hanging rack 47, guide rail seat III 48, lower hanging rack 49, guide rail seat IV 410, guide rail seat V 411, battery cell groove 412, battery cell pushing plate 413, battery cell pushing rod 414, material pushing cylinder II 415, turntable mechanism 5, turntable 51, support seat 52, base 53, slewing bearing 54, rotating motor 55, driving gear 56, positioning pin hole 57, positioning cylinder 58, positioning pin 59, connecting plate 510, guide rail seat VI 511, guide rail seat VII 512, structure detection mechanism 6, vision detection head 61, column I 62, seat frame I 63, guide rail seat VIII 64, welding mechanism 7, welding head 71, column II 72, seat frame II 73, guide rail seat IX 74, leveling plate 75, leveling cylinder 76, jaw II 77, performance detection structure 8, detection box 81, detection joint 82, column III 83, seat frame III 84, lifting cylinder 85, marking cylinder 86, laser marking machine 87, lithium battery pack 91, bracket 92, cover plate 93, material frame 94, bottom plate 10. Detailed implementation manners

[0041] To make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] As Figures 1-9As shown in the figure, an automatic detection and welding mechanism 7 for a lithium battery pack 91 includes a feeding mechanism 1, a lifting mechanism 2, a discharging mechanism 3, an assembling mechanism 4, and a turntable mechanism 5. The feeding mechanism 1 includes a feeding platform 11 that can move left and right; the lifting mechanism 2 includes a material rack 21 located on the front side of the feeding platform 11 and capable of moving up and down. A plurality of bins 22 are arranged side by side in the material rack 21; the discharging mechanism 3 includes a discharging seat 31 correspondingly arranged in front of the bins 22, and a clamping seat 32 located on one side of the discharging seat 31; the assembling mechanism 4 includes a material taking frame 41 located above the discharging mechanism 3 and capable of moving forward and backward, left and right, up and down, and horizontally rotating. A jaw I 42 and a battery cell suction block 43 are installed below the material taking frame 41; the turntable mechanism 5 includes a turntable 51 arranged in front of the discharging mechanism 3, and a plurality of support seats 52 installed on the outer ring surface of the turntable 51; the material frame 94 located on the feeding platform 11 can be pushed into the bins 22, and the components in the material frame 94 located in the bins 22 can be pushed onto the discharging seat 31; outside the turntable mechanism 5, there are successively surrounded by a structure detection mechanism 6, a welding mechanism 7, and a performance detection mechanism 8. The turntable 51 drives the support seats 52 to rotate and cooperate with the assembling mechanism 4, the structure detection mechanism 6, the welding mechanism 7, and the performance detection mechanism 8 in sequence.

[0044] Among them, the feeding mechanism 1, the lifting mechanism 2, and the discharging seat 31 are combined to realize the feeding and feeding of components such as the bracket 92 and the cover plate 93 of the lithium battery pack 91; the assembling mechanism 4 cooperates with the clamping seat 32 and the support seats 52 to realize the assembly of the lithium battery pack 91; the structure detection mechanism 6 is used to detect whether there are problems with the structure of the lithium battery pack 91, such as missing battery cells, missing nickel sheets, unequal nickel sheets, etc. The welding mechanism 7 is used to weld the nickel sheets and the battery cells to realize the series or parallel connection of the battery cells; the performance detection mechanism 8 is used to detect the performance of the lithium battery pack 91, such as current, voltage, overcurrent protection, overvoltage protection, etc.

[0045] Specifically, the feeding mechanism 1, the lifting mechanism 2, the discharging mechanism 3, the assembling mechanism 4, the turntable mechanism 5, the structure detection mechanism 6, the welding mechanism 7, and the performance detection mechanism 8 are all installed on the same bottom plate 10.

[0046] In order to be able to move the material frame 94 filled with components from the feeding platform 11 into the bins 22, a material frame placement position 12 is provided on the feeding platform 11, and a frame moving cylinder 13 is arranged at the rear side of the material frame placement position 12. The frame moving cylinder 13 can push the material frame 94 in the material frame placement position 12 into the bins 22.

[0047] Specifically, the material frame placement position 12 is composed of baffles on both sides and a rear side plate, and the front end is open, which is convenient for pushing the material frame 94 into the bins 22 from the opening.

[0048] There are two frame-shifting cylinders 13 arranged side by side vertically. The frame-shifting cylinders 13 are installed on the rear side plate, and their piston rods pass through the rear side plate and extend into the frame placement position 12. The end of the piston rod of the upper frame-shifting cylinder 13 is installed with a frame-pushing plate 14, while the end of the piston rod of the lower frame-shifting cylinder 13 is connected with a frame-pushing rod 15 for pushing the bottom of the frame 94 and cooperating with the frame-pushing plate 14 to push the frame 94 from the frame placement position 12 into the corresponding bin 22.

[0049] Since there is only one frame placement position 12 on the loading platform 11 and there are multiple bins 22 for loading different components, in order to be able to push a frame 94 into each bin 22, a linear movement device I is installed below the loading platform 11, and the loading platform 11 can move left and right on the linear movement device I, so as to realize the alignment of the frame placement position 12 with each bin 22 and ensure that a frame 94 can be pushed into each bin 22.

[0050] Specifically, the linear movement device I includes a guide rail seat I 16 and a ball screw I (not shown in the figure) installed in the guide rail seat I 16. One end of the ball screw I is connected with a motor I 17, and the loading platform 11 is connected with the nut slider seat I of the ball screw I. The rotation of the ball screw I driven by the motor I 17 realizes the left and right movement of the loading platform 11.

[0051] Preferably, a slide rail seat 18 parallel to it is arranged on the front side of the guide rail seat I 16. A linear slide rail (not shown in the figure) is installed in the slide rail seat 18, and the loading platform 11 is connected with the slider on the linear slide rail to play a guiding role during the movement of the loading platform 11.

[0052] After the frame 94 containing components such as the bracket 92 and the cover plate 93 is pushed from the loading platform 11 into the bin 22, in order to be able to push the components out of the frame 94 and realize the feeding to the assembling mechanism 4, a plurality of pushing cylinders I 19 corresponding to the bins 22 are arranged side by side on one side of the frame placement position 12, and the pushing cylinders I 19 can push the components in the frame 94 to the discharging seat 31.

[0053] An end plate 110 is installed on the front side of the loading platform 11. The pushing cylinders I 19 are installed on the end plate 110, and their piston rods pass through the end plate 110 and are connected with a pushing plate 111. Each pushing cylinder I 19 corresponds to one bin 22, so as to realize the synchronous pushing out of the components in each frame 94.

[0054] Since multiple layers of components can be placed in the frame 94, in order to be able to push each layer of components onto the discharging seat 31, the lifting mechanism 2 further includes a gantry I 23 and a linear movement device II installed on the vertical beams on both sides of the gantry I 23, and the material rack 21 can move up and down on the linear movement device II.

[0055] Specifically, the linear moving device II includes a guide rail base II 24 and a ball screw II (not shown in the figure) installed inside the guide rail base II. Both sides of the material rack 21 are respectively connected to the nut slider base II of the ball screw II, and the rotation of the ball screw II drives the lifting of the material rack 21.

[0056] In order to drive the rotation of the ball screw II, a motor II 25 is installed on the cross beam of the gantry I 23. The top of the ball screw II is connected to a gear box 26. The motor II 25 is drivingly connected to the two gear boxes 26 through a two-way output reduction box, a transmission shaft, and a coupling, so as to drive the synchronous rotation of the two ball screws II through the motor II 25.

[0057] The setting of the blanking seat 31 is to facilitate the assembly mechanism 4 to grab parts for assembly operations. The blanking mechanism 3 further includes a blanking platform 33. A sliding seat 34 is installed on the blanking platform 33, and the blanking seats 31 are respectively arranged on the sliding seat 34.

[0058] In this embodiment, three bins 22 are arranged side by side in the material rack 21. Correspondingly, three blanking seats 31 are also provided. Two of them are used to place the brackets 92, and the other is used to place the cover plates 93.

[0059] Among them, the blanking seat 31 for placing the bracket 92 is composed of two relatively arranged L-shaped seat plates, and a limiting baffle is arranged at the inner edge of the front end of the seat plate to prevent the bracket 92 from falling during pushing.

[0060] The blanking seat 31 for placing the cover plate 93 is a groove seat structure with an open rear side. In order to keep the same height as the other two blanking seats 31, a raising seat is arranged at the bottom of the groove seat.

[0061] A limiting plate is arranged at the top of the blanking seat 31, which can ensure that the assembly mechanism 4 can only grab one part each time, ensuring the progress of assembly.

[0062] In order to adjust the distance between the blanking seat 31 and the material rack 21, a moving seat cylinder 35 is installed below the sliding seat 34. The moving seat cylinder 35 can drive the sliding seat 34 to move back and forth.

[0063] The moving seat cylinder 35 is installed at the bottom of the sliding seat 34. The piston rod of the moving seat cylinder 35 is connected to the blanking platform 33. In order to support and guide the sliding seat 34, sliding frames 36 installed on the blanking platform 33 are arranged on both sides of the moving seat cylinder 35, and the sliding seat 34 can slide back and forth on the sliding frames 36.

[0064] Specifically, the sliding frame 36 includes a sliding frame seat and sliding shafts arranged on the sliding frame seat. The sliding seat 34 is installed on the sliding shafts through linear bearings and moves back and forth under the drive of the moving seat cylinder 35.

[0065] During assembly, first, the gripper I 42 is used to grasp a bracket 92 and place it on the support seat 52 opposite to the feeding mechanism 3. Then, the battery cell suction block 43 is used to suck the battery cell and pre-assemble it with the bracket 92 on the support seat 52. After the battery cell is placed, the gripper I 42 then grasps another bracket 92 and pre-assembles it with the battery cell, thus clamping the battery cell between the two brackets 92. In order to assemble the battery cell and the two brackets 92 in place and facilitate the subsequent assembly of the cover plate 93, the clamping seat 32 includes an L-shaped frame 37 installed on the feeding platform 33 and extending forward, and clamping cylinders 38 installed on the L-shaped frame 37 in a front-to-back direction opposite to each other. The end of the piston rod of the clamping cylinder 38 is installed with a clamping plate 39.

[0066] The clamping cylinders 38 are arranged in pairs. The piston rods of the two clamping cylinders 38 on the same side are connected to the same clamping plate 39. The two pre-assembled brackets 92 and the battery cell are moved between the two clamping plates 39 driven by the support seat 52. By driving the clamping plate 39 to move towards each other through the clamping cylinders 38, the three are assembled in place.

[0067] In order to realize the automatic grasping and assembly of the battery cell, the bracket 92 and the cover plate 93, the assembly mechanism 4 further includes a gantry II 44, and a rotating seat 45 that can move forward and backward, left and right, and up and down on the gantry II 44. The material taking frame 41 is rotatably installed below the material taking frame 41.

[0068] When the battery cell is matched with the bracket 92, the two brackets 92 are placed front to back, and the battery cell is located between the two brackets 92. When the material taking seat is in the state of placing the battery cell, the two claw arms of the gripper I 42 are arranged front to back. When it is necessary to grasp the bracket 92 or the cover plate 93 again, the gripper I 42 needs to rotate 90°, that is, the two claw arms are arranged left to right, so as to clamp the left and right ends of the bracket 92 or the cover plate 93. Therefore, the function of the rotating seat 45 is to facilitate the rotation of the material taking frame 41.

[0069] Specifically, a hollow rotary table 46 is installed on the rotating seat 45. The material taking frame 41 is located below the rotating seat 45 and is connected to the hollow rotary table 46. A servo motor (not shown in the figure) is installed above the hollow rotary table 46. By driving the hollow rotary table 46 to work through the servo motor, the rotation of the material taking frame 41 is driven.

[0070] The hollow rotary table 46 can be selected but not limited to the hollow rotary table of model MTN120-18 produced by Chuansheng Electromechanical Company.

[0071] In order to realize the forward and backward, left and right, and up and down movement of the rotating seat 45, a linear movement device III is installed on the cross beam of the gantry II 44, and an upper hanging frame 47 that can move left and right is installed on the linear movement device III.

[0072] Specifically, the linear moving device III includes a guide rail base III 48 and a ball screw III (not shown in the figure) installed in the guide rail III. One end of the ball screw III is connected to a motor III (not shown in the figure). The upper hanging bracket 47 is connected to the nut slider base III of the ball screw III. By driving the ball screw III to rotate with the motor III, the left - right movement of the upper hanging bracket 47 is realized.

[0073] A linear moving device IV is installed on the upper hanging bracket 47, and a lower hanging bracket 49 capable of moving up and down is installed on the linear moving device IV.

[0074] Specifically, the linear moving device IV includes a guide rail base IV 410 and a ball screw IV (not shown in the figure) installed in the guide rail IV. One end of the ball screw IV is connected to a motor IV (not shown in the figure). The lower hanging bracket 49 is connected to the nut slider base IV of the ball screw IV. By driving the ball screw IV to rotate with the motor IV, the up - down movement of the lower hanging bracket 49 is realized.

[0075] A linear moving device V is installed on the lower hanging bracket 49, and the rotating seat 45 can move back and forth on the linear moving device V.

[0076] Specifically, the linear moving device V includes a guide rail base V 411 and a ball screw V (not shown in the figure) installed in the guide rail V. One end of the ball screw V is connected to a motor V (not shown in the figure). The rotating seat 45 is connected to the nut slider base V of the ball screw V. By driving the ball screw V to rotate with the motor V, the back - and - forth movement of the rotating seat 45 is realized.

[0077] The battery cells between the two brackets 92 are arranged in a matrix. In order to be able to grasp a row of battery cells each time to cooperate with the bracket 92, a plurality of arc - shaped battery cell grooves 412 are arranged side - by - side on the lower surface of the battery cell suction block 43, and magnets are installed in the battery cell grooves 412.

[0078] The battery cells are adsorbed by the magnets, and then the battery cells are moved to the support seat 52 for assembly with the bracket 92.

[0079] After the battery cells are moved in place, in order to be able to push out the battery cells to cooperate with the bracket 92, a battery cell push plate 413 is arranged on the front side of the battery cell suction block 43. A battery cell push rod 414 corresponding to the battery cell groove 412 is arranged on the rear side of the battery cell push plate 413. A push - material cylinder II 415 connected to it is installed on the front side of the battery cell push plate 413.

[0080] The support seat 52 is located on the outer ring surface of the turntable 51. When the support seat 52 faces the feeding mechanism 3, the assembly of the lithium - battery pack 91 is completed. In order to realize the rotation of the support seat 52 driving the lithium - battery pack 91, and thus continue with subsequent operations such as structural inspection, welding, and performance testing, the turntable mechanism 5 further includes a base 53 installed below the turntable 51, and the base 53 is in rotational fit with the turntable 51.

[0081] Specifically, the base 53 is connected to the turntable 51 through a slewing bearing 54, that is, the inner ring of the slewing bearing 54 is connected to the base 53, and the outer ring of the gear is connected to the turntable 51. A rotary motor 55 is installed at the rear side of the base 53, and the top end of the output shaft of the rotary motor 55 is connected with a driving gear 56. The driving gear 56 meshes with the outer ring of the gear. By driving the driving gear 56 and the outer ring of the gear to rotate through the rotary motor 55, the rotation of the turntable 51 is realized.

[0082] In this embodiment, the turntable 51 has a six-sided columnar structure, and each processing position corresponds to one side of the turntable 51 respectively.

[0083] When the lithium battery pack 91 is in the processing or detection state, in order to prevent the turntable 51 from rotating, positioning pin holes 57 distributed in a ring shape are arranged at the bottom of the turntable 51, and a positioning cylinder 58 is installed on the base 53. The top end of the piston rod of the positioning cylinder 58 is installed with a positioning pin 59 that cooperates with the positioning pin holes 57.

[0084] In this embodiment, each positioning pin hole 57 corresponds to one side of the turntable 51. When the lithium battery pack 91 is in the processing or detection state, the piston rod of the positioning cylinder 58 extends out, driving the positioning pin 59 to be locked in the corresponding positioning pin hole 57.

[0085] Since the battery cells are arranged in a matrix, in order to enable the support seat 52 to automatically cooperate with the structure detection mechanism 6, the welding mechanism 7 and the performance detection mechanism 8, so as to realize comprehensive structure detection, welding and other operations, the support seat 52 can move up and down and horizontally on the outer ring surface of the turntable 51.

[0086] A linear movement device VI is installed on the outer ring surface of each side of the turntable 51, and a connecting plate 510 capable of horizontal movement is installed on the linear movement device VI.

[0087] Specifically, the linear movement device VI includes a guide rail seat VI 511 and a ball screw VI (not shown in the figure) installed in the guide rail seat VI 511. One end of the ball screw VI is connected with a motor VI (not shown in the figure). The connecting plate 510 is connected with the nut slider seat VI of the ball screw VI. The motor VI drives the ball screw VI to rotate, so as to realize the horizontal movement of the connecting plate 510.

[0088] A linear movement device VII is installed on the connecting plate 510, and the support seat 52 can move up and down on the linear movement device VII.

[0089] Specifically, the linear moving device VII includes a guide rail base VII 512 and a ball screw VII (not shown in the figure) installed inside the guide rail base VII 512. One end of the ball screw VII is connected to a motor VII (not shown in the figure). The support base 52 is connected to the nut slider base VII of the ball screw VII. The motor VII drives the ball screw VII to rotate, thereby realizing the up and down movement of the support base 52.

[0090] The support base 52 has a U-shaped groove structure perpendicular to the direction of the linear moving device VI.

[0091] On the rear sides of the inner walls on both sides of the support base 52, there are limit notches for placing one of the brackets 92. The setting of the limit notches can prevent the brackets 92 from being limited when the battery cells are pushed in. In the front side of the limit notches, there are slots for placing the second bracket 92. Telescopic balls are provided on both the limit notches and the slots, which facilitates the press-fitting when the brackets 92 cooperate with the battery cells.

[0092] In order to be able to perform structural detection on the assembled lithium battery pack 91, the structural detection mechanism 6 includes two vision detection heads 61 arranged oppositely, and the two vision detection heads 61 can move towards each other.

[0093] The structural detection mechanism 6 further includes a column I 62 and a seat frame I 63 installed on the top of the column I 62. Two linear moving devices VIII located on the same straight line are installed inside the seat frame I 63. The vision detection heads 61 are respectively installed on the linear moving devices VIII and can move towards each other.

[0094] Specifically, the linear moving device VIII includes two guide rail bases VIII 64 installed on the inner top wall of the seat frame I 63 and ball screws VIII (not shown in the figure) installed inside each guide rail base VIII 64. The end of the ball screw VIII is connected to a motor VIII (not shown in the figure). The vision detection head 61 is connected to the nut slider base VIII of the ball screw VIII through a hanger. The two motors VIII can drive the two vision detection heads 61 to move towards each other or away from each other.

[0095] The movement of the vision detection heads 61 towards each other or away from each other can adjust the focal length to ensure the detection effect.

[0096] In the detection instrument connected to the vision detection head 61, there are stored the patterns of qualified products and various defective samples, such as problems like missing battery cells and defective nickel sheets. The support base 52 moves the lithium battery pack 91 between the two vision detection heads 61. The two sides of the lithium battery pack 91 are simultaneously detected through the vision detection heads 61. During the detection process, by comparing the image of the lithium battery pack 91 being detected with the pre-stored patterns, it is determined whether the lithium battery pack 91 is a qualified product. If it is a defective product, the specific problem situation is determined to facilitate subsequent classification and processing.

[0097] Preferably, the vision detection head 61 is the detection head of a CCD detection device.

[0098] The CCD detection device can be selected but is not limited to the CCD detection device of Keyence Corporation with the model numbers: camera CA-H500M, lens CA-LH8, and controller CV-X350F.

[0099] Since the battery cells of each lithium battery pack 91 are distributed in a matrix and the quantity is large, in order to further improve the working efficiency, at least two welding mechanisms 7 are provided and are adjacent to each other.

[0100] In this embodiment, there are two adjacent welding mechanisms 7, which can allocate the welding of each lithium battery pack 91. For example, the first welding mechanism 7 welds the upper half of the battery cells, while the second welding mechanism 7 welds the lower half of the battery cells. In this way, the time for each welding step can be reduced and the processing efficiency can be improved.

[0101] In order to facilitate the support seat 52 to carry the lithium battery pack 91 into the welding station, the welding mechanism 7 includes two welding heads 71 arranged oppositely, and the two welding heads 71 can move towards each other.

[0102] The welding mechanism 7 further includes a column II 72, and a seat frame II 73 installed on the top of the column II 72. Two linear movement devices IX located on the same straight line are installed in the seat frame II 73, and the welding heads 71 are respectively installed on the linear movement devices IX and can move towards each other.

[0103] Specifically, the linear movement device IX includes two guide rail seats IX 74 installed on the inner top wall of the seat frame II 73, and ball screw IX (not shown in the figure) installed in the guide rail seats IX 74. One end of each ball screw IX is connected with a motor IX (not shown in the figure). The welding head 71 is correspondingly connected to the nut slider seat IX of the ball screw IX. By the motor IX, the two welding heads 71 can be driven to move towards each other or away from each other.

[0104] In the initial state, the support seat 52 carries the lithium battery pack 91 with the structure detection completed and moves it between the two welding heads 71. The two welding heads 71 move towards each other to the welding position. Through the horizontal and vertical movement of the support seat 52, the welding of both ends of each battery cell to the corresponding nickel sheet can be realized by the welding heads 71.

[0105] The linear movement device is not limited to the cooperation of the above ball screw and motor, and other linear drive mechanisms can also be used, such as the cooperation of a linear motor and a linear guide rail.

[0106] Preferably, the welding head 71 is a resistance welding head 71.

[0107] During the assembly process of the lithium battery pack 91, the nickel plates may be uneven. To avoid affecting subsequent welding, the welding mechanism 7 further includes two leveling plates 75 arranged oppositely, and the two leveling plates 75 can move towards each other.

[0108] Two oppositely arranged leveling cylinders 76 are installed in the seat frame II 73. Claw II 77 is installed at the piston rod end of each leveling cylinder 76, and the leveling plate 75 is clamped on the claw II 77.

[0109] The claw can be a pneumatic cylinder claw. The cylinder is a double-acting cylinder, and a claw arm is installed on the piston rod on each side of the double-acting cylinder. The clamping of components or the leveling plate 75 is achieved by the retraction of the piston rod.

[0110] To enable the lithium battery seat to directly enter the welding step after leveling, the leveling plate 75 is arranged side by side with the welding head 71.

[0111] To achieve the performance detection of the lithium battery pack 91, the performance detection mechanism 8 includes a lithium battery performance detection system. The lithium battery performance detection system includes a detection box 81 and two detection connectors 82 that can move up and down and are connected to the detection box 81.

[0112] The performance detection mechanism 8 further includes a column III 83 and a seat frame III 84 installed at the top of the column III 83. The detection box 81 is installed on the seat frame III 84. The detection connector 82 is located inside the seat frame III 84, and a lifting cylinder 85 is arranged above the detection connector 82. The lifting cylinder 85 can drive the detection connector 82 to move up and down.

[0113] When the support seat 52 is driven by the turntable 51 to rotate to the lower part of the detection connector 82, the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 85 extends to drive the detection connector 82 to move downwards, and is docked with the positive and negative electrodes on the cover plate 93 of the lithium battery pack 91, so as to achieve the detection of various performances of the lithium battery pack 91.

[0114] The lithium battery performance detection system can be, but is not limited to, the lithium battery performance detection system with the model TD2200 of Tongda Ceke Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.

[0115] To be able to laser mark the qualified lithium battery pack 91, a marking cylinder 86 is also installed on the seat frame III 84, and a laser marking machine 87 is installed at the inner end of the piston rod of the marking cylinder 86.

[0116] After the performance detection is completed, the qualified products are translated under the drive of the linear moving device VI and moved to the lower part of the laser marking machine 87, and the laser marking operation can be realized.

[0117] The structures of the turntable 51, the support base 52 on the turntable 51, and each functional mechanism (structure detection mechanism 6, welding mechanism 7, and performance detection mechanism 8) on the periphery of the turntable 51 are not limited to the manners disclosed in the above embodiments. The shapes of the turntable 51 and the support base 52 can be adjusted according to specific processing requirements, and other functional mechanisms can be replaced or added.

[0118] During the processing of the lithium battery pack 91, a loading device such as a sling is used to place a material frame 94 containing components such as a bracket 92 or a cover plate 93 on the material frame placement position 12, and then it is successively pushed into the material bin 22. The bracket 92 and the cover plate 93 are pushed onto the material placement seat 31 by a pushing cylinder. The gripper grabs the bracket 92 and the cover plate 93 from the material placement seat 31, and the battery cell suction block 43 sucks the battery cells from the battery cell sorting machine, so as to complete the assembly on the support base 52 opposite to the feeding mechanism 3 in cooperation with the clamping seat 32. After the assembly is completed, the lithium battery pack 91 is driven by the turntable 51 to move to the structure detection station, and the structure of the lithium battery pack 91 is detected by two opposite vision detection heads 61. If it is detected that the lithium battery pack 91 is a qualified product or only has the situation of uneven nickel sheets, the turntable 51 continues to drive the lithium battery pack 91 into the welding station. For qualified products, welding is directly carried out. If there is a situation of uneven nickel sheets, welding is also carried out after leveling. If problems such as missing battery cells occur during the structure detection, the lithium battery pack 91 is directly taken out from the support base 52 located at the structure detection station by a manipulator, which is convenient for subsequent unified maintenance and the continuous processing of the subsequent lithium battery pack 91.

[0119] After the welding of the lithium battery pack 91 is completed, it enters the performance detection station for various performance detections. If the detection is qualified, laser marking is directly carried out, and then it is transferred to the ultrasonic welding station of the lithium battery pack 91 shell. If the detection is unqualified, the lithium battery pack 91 is also taken off the support base 52 located at the performance detection station by a manipulator and sent to other maintenance steps.

[0120] The present invention can automatically realize steps such as feeding, material feeding, assembly, structure detection, leveling, welding, and performance detection in the processing of the lithium battery pack 91, with high automation degree, improving the processing efficiency, ensuring the processing efficiency of the lithium battery pack 91, and reducing the production cost. And defective products can be directly taken out during the processing without stopping the machine for error correction, further ensuring the processing efficiency.

[0121] Taking the above ideal embodiments of the present invention as an inspiration, through the above description, relevant staff can completely make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical idea of this invention. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the content in the specification, and its technical scope must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic production line for lithium battery packs, characterized in that, including a loading mechanism (1), the loading mechanism (1) including a loading platform (11) capable of moving left and right; a lifting mechanism (2), the lifting mechanism (2) including a rack (21) located on the front side of the loading platform (11) and capable of moving up and down, and a plurality of bins (22) arranged side by side in the rack (21); a discharging mechanism (3), the discharging mechanism (3) including a discharging seat (31) correspondingly arranged in front of the bin (22), and a clamping seat (32) located on one side of the discharging seat (31); an assembling mechanism (4), the assembling mechanism (4) including a picking rack (41) located above the discharging mechanism (3) and capable of moving forward and backward, left and right, up and down and horizontally rotating, and a jaw I (42) and a battery cell suction block (43) are installed below the picking rack (41); a turntable mechanism (5), the turntable mechanism (5) including a turntable (51) arranged in front of the discharging mechanism (3), and a plurality of supporting seats (52) installed on the outer ring surface of the turntable (51); a material frame (94) located on the loading platform (11) can be pushed into the bin (22), and the parts in the material frame (94) located in the bin (22) can be pushed onto the discharging seat (31); a structure detection mechanism (6), a welding mechanism (7) and a performance detection mechanism (8) are sequentially arranged around the outside of the turntable mechanism (5), and the turntable (51) drives the supporting seat (52) to rotate and sequentially cooperate with the assembling mechanism (4), the structure detection mechanism (6), the welding mechanism (7) and the performance detection mechanism (8); a material frame placement position (12) is arranged on the loading platform (11), a frame moving cylinder (13) is arranged at the rear side of the material frame placement position (12), and the frame moving cylinder (13) can push the material frame (94) in the material frame placement position (12) into the bin (22); a plurality of pushing cylinders I (19) corresponding to the bins (22) are arranged side by side on one side of the material frame placement position (12), and the pushing cylinders I (19) can push the parts in the material frame (94) onto the discharging seat (31); the welding mechanism (7) includes two welding heads (71) arranged oppositely, and the two welding heads (71) can move towards each other.

2. The automatic production line for lithium battery packs according to claim 1, wherein the discharging mechanism (3) further includes a discharging platform (33), a sliding seat (34) is installed on the discharging platform (33), and the discharging seats (31) are respectively arranged on the sliding seat (34); a seat moving cylinder (35) is installed below the sliding seat (34), and the seat moving cylinder (35) can drive the sliding seat (34) to move forward and backward.

3. The automatic production line for lithium battery packs according to claim 2, wherein the clamping seat (32) includes an L-shaped frame (37) installed on the discharging platform (33) and extending forward, and clamping cylinders (38) oppositely installed in the front-rear direction on the L-shaped frame (37), and a clamping plate (39) is installed at the end of the piston rod of the clamping cylinder (38).

4. The automatic production line for lithium battery packs according to claim 1, wherein, The assembly mechanism (4) further includes a gantry II (44) and a rotating seat (45) capable of moving back and forth, left and right, and up and down on the gantry II (44). The material taking frame (41) is rotatably installed below the rotating seat (45).

5. The automatic production line of the lithium battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The turntable mechanism (5) further includes a base (53) installed below the turntable (51). The base (53) is in rotational fit with the turntable (51). The support seat (52) is capable of moving up and down and horizontally on the outer ring surface of the turntable (51).

6. The automatic production line for lithium battery packs according to claim 1, wherein, The structure detection mechanism (6) includes two relatively arranged visual detection heads (61), and the two visual detection heads (61) can move towards each other.

7. The automatic production line for lithium battery packs according to claim 1, wherein At least two welding mechanisms (7) are provided and are distributed adjacent to each other.

8. The automatic production line for lithium battery packs according to claim 7, wherein, The welding mechanism (7) further includes two relatively arranged flattening plates (75), and the two flattening plates (75) can move towards each other. The flattening plate (75) is arranged side by side with the welding head (71).

9. The automatic production line for lithium battery packs according to claim 1, wherein, The performance detection mechanism (8) includes a lithium battery performance detection system. The lithium battery performance detection system includes a detection box (81) and two detection connectors (82) connected to the detection box (81) and capable of moving up and down.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Power battery laser welding equipment

    CN107150172A

  • Lithium battery pack automatic production line

    CN215146602U