A grading cache device and a grading cache method

Abstract

The present invention provides a grading and buffering device and a grading and buffering method. The grading and buffering device includes a feeding mechanism, a buffering rack, a handling mechanism and a discharging mechanism, wherein: there are N bins in the buffering rack, each bin buffers a battery box, and a number of battery cells of the same grade are stored in the battery box, and a grade label is provided on the battery box; the feeding mechanism conveys the battery box to the feeding station; the handling mechanism picks up n battery boxes from the feeding mechanism each time, and caches the picked n battery boxes into n bins in the buffering rack, where n is an integer less than N; the handling mechanism picks up a number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade from the buffering rack each time, and transports the picked battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the discharging mechanism; the discharging mechanism conveys the number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the next process station. The present invention realizes the full automation of feeding, grading and buffering, and discharging, and can realize the grading and buffering and discharging of multiple battery boxes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of solar cell production, in particular to a binning cache device and a binning cache method. Background Art

[0002] After the battery cells are loaded into the battery box, they need to be sorted by cell position. Existing cell sorting is typically performed by robots. The robots first sort the cells from the preceding conveyor line into bins and store them in bins. Once all cells are sorted and cached, the robots then remove cells of the same bin position from the bins and transport them to the next workstation. Due to the complex structure and large range of motion of the robot's grippers, existing cell sorting and caching systems are inefficient. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve at least one of the above technical problems, the present invention provides a file buffering device, the detailed technical solution of which is as follows:

[0004] A grading and caching device comprises: a loading mechanism, a caching rack, a transport mechanism and a unloading mechanism, wherein:

[0005] The cache rack is equipped with N silos, each of which is used to cache a battery box. The battery box contains several battery cells belonging to the same gear, and the battery box is equipped with a gear label.

[0006] The loading mechanism is configured to transport the battery boxes to be cached to a loading station close to the cache rack;

[0007] The transport mechanism is configured to pick up n battery boxes to be cached from the loading mechanism each time, and cache the picked up n battery boxes to be cached into n idle silos in the cache rack, where n is an integer less than N;

[0008] The transport mechanism is further configured to pick up a number of battery boxes belonging to the same gear from the buffer material rack each time, and transport the picked-up battery boxes belonging to the same gear to the unloading mechanism;

[0009] The unloading mechanism is configured to transport several battery boxes belonging to the same gear to the next workstation.

[0010] Through the cooperation of the loading mechanism, the transport mechanism and the unloading mechanism, the grading and caching device provided by the present invention realizes the full automation of loading, grading and caching and unloading, and the grading and caching device of the present invention can simultaneously realize grading and caching and unloading of multiple battery boxes.

[0011] In some embodiments, the loading mechanism includes a loading conveyor mechanism, a loading lifting mechanism, and a loading buffer rack, where: the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism is located at the loading station; the loading buffer rack is arranged above the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism, an inlet is provided at the bottom of the loading buffer rack, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the loading buffer rack; the loading lifting mechanism is connected to the loading buffer rack; when the loading conveyor mechanism conveys the battery boxes to be buffered to the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism, the loading lifting mechanism drives the battery boxes to rise so that the battery boxes enter the loading buffer rack from the inlet; the handling mechanism is configured to pick up n battery boxes to be buffered from the loading buffer rack.

[0012] A loading machine mechanism with a simple structure is provided, which can sequentially convey and stack n battery boxes to be buffered into the loading buffer rack, so as to ensure that the handling mechanism can pick up n battery boxes to be buffered from the loading mechanism each time.

[0013] In some embodiments, a first scanning mechanism is arranged at the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism, and the first scanning mechanism is used to scan the gear labels on the battery boxes conveyed to the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism to obtain the gear information of the battery boxes.

[0014] By arranging the first scanning mechanism, automatic identification of the gear information of the battery boxes to be buffered is realized.

[0015] In some embodiments, the unloading mechanism includes an unloading buffer rack, an unloading lifting mechanism, and an unloading conveyor mechanism, where: the loading end of the unloading conveyor mechanism is arranged close to the buffer rack; the unloading buffer rack is arranged above the loading end of the unloading conveyor mechanism, a discharge outlet is provided at the bottom of the unloading buffer rack, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the unloading buffer rack; the unloading lifting mechanism is connected to the unloading buffer rack; after the handling mechanism places a number of battery boxes with the same gear label picked up on the unloading buffer rack, the unloading lifting mechanism drives the battery boxes to descend, so that the battery boxes fall onto the loading end of the unloading conveyor mechanism in sequence; the unloading conveyor mechanism conveys the battery boxes to the next process station.

[0016] A simple-structured unloading mechanism is provided, which, through the cooperation of the unloading buffer rack, the unloading lifting mechanism, and the unloading conveyor mechanism, sequentially conveys a number of stacked battery boxes with the same gear label carried by the handling mechanism to the next process station.

[0017] In some embodiments, a second scanning mechanism is arranged at the loading end of the unloading conveyor mechanism, and the second scanning mechanism is used to scan the gear labels on the battery boxes falling from the unloading buffer rack to obtain the gear information of the battery boxes.

[0018] By arranging the second scanning mechanism, secondary identification and confirmation of the gear information of the battery boxes output by the unloading conveyor mechanism are realized.

[0019] In some embodiments, the handling mechanism includes a first translation mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a second translation mechanism, a rotating mechanism, and a pick-and-place mechanism, wherein: The lifting mechanism is connected to the driving end of the first translation mechanism, the second translation mechanism is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism, the rotating mechanism is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism, and the pick-and-place mechanism is connected to the driving end of the rotating mechanism. The first translation mechanism is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism to translate in the first horizontal direction, the lifting mechanism is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism to lift, the second translation mechanism is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism to translate in the second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, the rotating mechanism is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism to rotate, and the pick-and-place mechanism is used to pick and place the battery box.

[0020] Through the combined drive of the first translation mechanism, the lifting mechanism, the second translation mechanism, and the rotating mechanism, the pick-and-place mechanism can flexibly switch positions between the loading mechanism, the buffer rack, and the unloading mechanism, so as to pick up and transport the battery box.

[0021] In some embodiments, the rotating mechanism includes a connecting bracket and a rotating shaft. The connecting bracket is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism, and the rotating shaft is arranged on the connecting bracket in the vertical direction; the pick-and-place mechanism is connected to the rotating shaft, and the pick-and-place mechanism rotates when the rotating shaft rotates.

[0022] A rotating mechanism with a simple structure is provided, which drives the pick-and-place mechanism to rotate through the rotation of the rotating shaft.

[0023] In some embodiments, the pick-and-place mechanism includes n pick-and-place parts connected to the driving end of the rotating mechanism from top to bottom, and each pick-and-place part is used to pick up and place a battery box.

[0024] By setting the pick-and-place mechanism to include n pick-and-place parts, the pick-and-place mechanism can pick up and transport n battery boxes each time.

[0025] In some embodiments, the pick-and-place part includes a support plate, an adsorption plate driving mechanism, and an adsorption plate, wherein: The support plate is horizontally connected to the driving end of the rotating mechanism; the adsorption plate is slidably connected to the support plate and connected to the adsorption plate driving mechanism; the adsorption plate is used to adsorb the battery box, and the adsorption plate driving mechanism is used to drive the adsorption plate to translate on the support plate to pull the battery box adsorbed by the adsorption plate onto the support plate, and to push the battery box located on the support plate out of the support plate.

[0026] A specific implementation structure of the pick-and-place part is provided, which realizes the automatic pick-and-place of the battery sheet through the cooperation of the support plate, the adsorption plate driving mechanism, and the adsorption plate.

[0027] In some embodiments, a sensor is arranged on the side of the support plate, and the sensor is signal-connected to the control end of the adsorption plate driving mechanism.

[0028] By setting up a sensor, the in-place detection of the battery is achieved.

[0029] On the other hand, the present invention provides a grading and buffering method, which includes:

[0030] Controlling the feeding mechanism to convey the battery boxes to be buffered to the feeding station near the buffering rack. Among them, there are N bins on the buffering rack, and each bin is used to buffer one battery box. The battery box is used to store a number of battery wafers of the same grade, and a grade label is provided on the battery box;

[0031] Controlling the handling mechanism to pick up n battery boxes to be buffered from the feeding mechanism and buffer the picked n battery boxes to n bins in the buffering rack;

[0032] Controlling the handling mechanism to pick up a number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade from the buffering rack and transport the picked number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the discharging mechanism;

[0033] Controlling the discharging mechanism to convey a number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the next process station.

[0034] The grading and buffering method provided by the present invention realizes the whole process automation of feeding, grading and buffering, and discharging. Moreover, the grading and buffering method of the present invention can simultaneously realize the grading and buffering and discharging of multiple battery boxes.

[0035] In some embodiments, controlling the handling mechanism to pick up a number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade from the buffering rack and transport the picked number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the discharging mechanism includes:

[0036] When the number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade buffered in the buffering rack reaches n, controlling the handling mechanism to pick up n battery boxes belonging to the same grade from the buffering rack and transport the picked n battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the discharging mechanism; and

[0037] When the number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade buffered in the buffering rack has not reached n, and the buffering time of the battery box with the longest buffering time exceeds the predetermined duration, controlling the handling mechanism to pick up the battery box with the longest buffering time and the battery boxes with the same grade as the battery box with the longest buffering time and transport the picked battery boxes to the discharging mechanism.

[0038] It is realized that when the number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade buffered in the buffering rack reaches n, or the buffering time of the battery box with the longest buffering time exceeds the predetermined duration, the handling mechanism can be controlled to transport a number of battery boxes of the same grade in the buffering rack to the discharging mechanism.

[0039] In some embodiments, the loading mechanism includes a loading conveyor mechanism, a loading lifting mechanism, and a loading buffer rack. Among them, the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism is arranged close to the buffer rack. The loading buffer rack is arranged above the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism. The bottom of the loading buffer rack is provided with a feeding port, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the loading buffer rack. Controlling the loading mechanism to convey the battery boxes to be buffered to the loading station close to the buffer rack includes: controlling the loading conveyor mechanism to sequentially convey the battery boxes to be buffered towards the loading station; controlling the loading lifting mechanism to drive the battery boxes conveyed to the discharging end to rise, so that the battery boxes conveyed to the discharging end sequentially enter the loading buffer rack from the feeding port until the loading buffer rack is full of battery boxes.

[0040] By setting the loading mechanism, the loading mechanism can sequentially convey and stack n battery boxes to be buffered into the loading buffer rack, so as to ensure that the handling mechanism can pick up n battery boxes to be buffered from the loading mechanism each time.

[0041] In some embodiments, the unloading mechanism includes an unloading buffer rack, an unloading lifting mechanism, and an unloading conveyor mechanism. Among them, the loading end of the unloading conveyor mechanism is arranged close to the buffer rack; the unloading buffer rack is arranged above the loading end of the unloading conveyor mechanism. The bottom of the unloading buffer rack is provided with a discharging port, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the unloading buffer rack. Controlling the unloading mechanism to convey a plurality of battery boxes belonging to the same gear to the next process includes: controlling the unloading lifting mechanism to drive the battery boxes placed in the unloading buffer rack to descend, so that the battery boxes sequentially fall to the loading end of the unloading conveyor mechanism; controlling the unloading conveyor mechanism to convey the battery boxes to the next process.

[0042] By setting the unloading mechanism, the unloading mechanism can sequentially convey a plurality of stacked battery boxes with the same gear labels carried by the handling mechanism to the next process. Description of the Drawings

[0043] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the grading buffer device provided by the present invention from one perspective;

[0044] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the grading buffer device provided by the present invention from another perspective;

[0045] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the handling mechanism in the present invention from one perspective;

[0046] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the handling mechanism in the present invention from another perspective;

[0047] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the handling mechanism in the present invention after omitting some components;

[0048] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the pick-and-place mechanism in the present invention;

[0049] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of the pick-and-place part in the present invention;

[0050] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the loading mechanism of the present invention from one perspective;

[0051] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of the loading mechanism of the present invention from another perspective;

[0052] Figures 1 to 9 It includes:

[0053] Loading mechanism 10: Loading conveyor mechanism 11, loading lifting mechanism 12, loading buffer rack 13; [[ID=2&]]

[0054] Handling mechanism 20: First translation mechanism 21, lifting mechanism 22, second translation mechanism 23, rotation mechanism 24, pick-and-place mechanism 25, connection bracket 241, rotation shaft 242, pick-and-place part 251, support plate 2511, translation drive mechanism 2512, adsorption plate 2513, sensor 2514;

[0055] Buffer rack 30;

[0056] Unloading mechanism 40. Specific implementation

[0057] The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention can be made more obvious and understandable. The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0058] As Figures 1 to 2 shown, the grading buffer device provided by the present invention includes a loading mechanism 10, a buffer rack 30, a handling mechanism 20 and an unloading mechanism 40, wherein:

[0059] The buffer rack 30 is provided with N bins, each bin is used to buffer a battery box, and a number of battery wafers belonging to the same grade are stored in the battery box, and a grade label is provided on the battery box.

[0060] For example, in one embodiment, N is 800, that is, there are 800 bins in the buffer rack 30, and the battery wafers are divided into 108 different grades. The grade can represent the quality level of the battery wafers or the production batch of the battery wafers, etc. The present invention does not make special limitations. The grade label on the battery box is used for the grade of the battery wafers stored in the battery box.

[0061] Optionally, the gear tags can be readable and writable electronic tags. After several battery cells of the same gear are stored in a certain battery box, the gear information of the stored battery cells is written into the electronic tag of the battery box.

[0062] The feeding mechanism 10 is configured to convey the battery box to be buffered to the feeding station near the buffer rack 30.

[0063] The handling mechanism 20 is configured to pick up n battery boxes to be buffered from the feeding mechanism 10 each time, and buffer the n picked-up battery boxes to be buffered into n empty bins in the buffer rack 30, where n is an integer less than N.

[0064] For example, in one embodiment, n is 7, that is, the handling mechanism 20 picks up 7 battery boxes to be buffered from the feeding mechanism 10 each time and buffers the 7 picked-up battery boxes to be buffered into 7 empty bins in the buffer rack 30.

[0065] The handling mechanism 20 is further configured to pick up several battery boxes belonging to the same gear from the buffer rack 30 each time, and convey the picked-up several battery boxes belonging to the same gear to the discharging mechanism 40.

[0066] The discharging mechanism 40 is configured to convey several battery boxes belonging to the same gear carried by the handling mechanism 20 to the next process station.

[0067] In some optional embodiments, the grading and buffering device of the present invention grades the battery cells as follows:

[0068] Control the feeding mechanism 10 to convey the battery box to be buffered to the feeding station near the buffer rack 30.

[0069] Control the handling mechanism 20 to pick up n battery boxes to be buffered from the feeding mechanism each time, and buffer the n picked-up battery boxes to be buffered into n empty bins in the buffer rack, thus completing this round of buffering.

[0070] After completing this round of buffering, control the handling mechanism 20 to selectively perform the following operations according to different situations:

[0071] The first case : When the number of battery boxes belonging to the same gear buffered in the buffer rack 20 reaches n. For example, when the number of battery boxes belonging to the same gear buffered in the buffer rack 20 reaches 7.

[0072] At this time, it meets the grading and discharging condition. Control the handling mechanism 20 to pick up n battery boxes belonging to the same gear from the buffer rack 30, and convey the picked-up n battery boxes belonging to the same gear to the discharging mechanism 40.

[0073] The second case:The number of battery boxes belonging to the same gear cached in the buffer rack 20 has not reached n, but the caching time of the battery box with the longest caching time in the buffer rack 20 exceeds the predetermined duration.

[0074] At this time, control the handling mechanism 20 to pick up the battery box with the longest caching time and the battery boxes with the same gear as the battery box with the longest caching time from the buffer rack 30, and transport the picked-up battery boxes to the blanking mechanism 40.

[0075] In the second case, the number of battery boxes belonging to the same gear has not reached the predetermined quantity n. At this time, the grading blanking operation should not be performed. However, as is known to those skilled in the art, in some application scenarios, the quantities of battery boxes in different gears vary greatly, that is, the frequencies of appearance of battery boxes in different gears cached in the buffer rack 20 vary greatly. In the foregoing embodiment, among the 108-gear battery slices, the battery boxes of 24 of these gears appear with a relatively high frequency, reaching a total of 85%, while the battery boxes of the remaining 84 gears appear with a very low frequency, reaching a total of only 15%.

[0076] Therefore, during the caching process, it is very easy to occur that: the number of battery boxes with a low gear frequency cannot reach n within a long time, and these battery boxes with a low gear frequency always occupy the bins, resulting in no idle bins available for caching the battery boxes subsequently entering the buffer rack 30. To solve this problem, each battery box is timed after being cached in the buffer rack 30. When the caching duration of the battery box with the longest caching time reaches the predetermined duration, the timely discharging of this battery box and the battery boxes with the same gear as this battery box is implemented, thereby realizing the timely discharging of the battery boxes with a low gear frequency and ensuring the grading efficiency.

[0077] The third case : That is, neither of the first two cases is satisfied.

[0078] At this time, the handling mechanism 20 continues to perform the next round of caching until the first case or the second case appears.

[0079] Control the blanking mechanism 40 to convey n or fewer battery boxes belonging to the same gear transported by the handling mechanism 20 to the next process station.

[0080] It can be seen that through the cooperation of the loading mechanism 10, the handling mechanism 20 and the blanking mechanism 40, the grading caching device provided by the present invention realizes the full automation of loading, grading caching and blanking. Moreover, the grading caching device of the present invention can simultaneously realize the grading caching and blanking of multiple battery boxes, thereby improving the grading efficiency.

[0081] Such as Figure 8As shown, optionally, the loading mechanism 10 includes a loading conveyor mechanism 11, a loading lifting mechanism 12, and a loading buffer rack 13, where: the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism 11 is located at the loading station. The loading buffer rack 13 is arranged above the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism 11. The bottom of the loading buffer rack 13 is provided with a feeding port, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the loading buffer rack 13. The loading lifting mechanism 12 is connected to the loading buffer rack 13.

[0082] The loading process of the loading mechanism 10 is as follows:

[0083] Control the loading conveyor mechanism 11 to sequentially convey the battery boxes to be buffered to the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism 11.

[0084] Control the loading lifting mechanism 12 to drive the battery boxes conveyed to the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism 11 to rise, so that the battery boxes enter the loading buffer rack 13 from the feeding port of the loading buffer rack 13 until n battery boxes are filled in the loading buffer rack 13.

[0085] The handling mechanism 20 can pick up n stacked battery boxes to be buffered at one time from the loading buffer rack 13.

[0086] Optionally, a first scanning mechanism is arranged at the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism 10. The first scanning mechanism is used to scan the gear labels on the battery boxes conveyed to the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism 11 to obtain the gear information of the battery boxes. By arranging the first scanning mechanism, the automatic identification of the gears of the battery boxes to be buffered is realized. During the subsequent grading buffering and discharging processes, the control system controls the handling mechanism 20 to perform buffering and discharging operations according to the identified gears of the battery boxes.

[0087] Optionally, the discharging mechanism 40 adopts a mechanism substantially the same as that of the loading mechanism 10. Specifically, the discharging mechanism includes a discharging buffer rack, a discharging lifting mechanism, and a discharging conveyor mechanism, where: the feeding end of the discharging conveyor mechanism is close to the buffer rack. The discharging buffer rack is arranged above the feeding end of the discharging conveyor mechanism. The bottom of the discharging buffer rack is provided with a discharging port, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the discharging buffer rack. The discharging lifting mechanism is connected to the discharging buffer rack.

[0088] The handling mechanism 20 places a number of battery boxes with the same gear labels picked up into the discharging buffer rack.

[0089] The discharging process of the discharging mechanism 40 for the battery boxes is as follows:

[0090] Control the discharging lifting mechanism to drive the battery boxes to descend, so that the battery boxes in the discharging buffer rack fall onto the feeding end of the discharging conveyor mechanism 40 in sequence.

[0091] The blanking conveying mechanism 40 conveys the dropped battery boxes to the next working station in sequence.

[0092] Optionally, a second scanning mechanism is provided at the loading end of the blanking conveying mechanism. The second scanning mechanism is used to scan the gear labels on the battery boxes dropped from the blanking buffer rack to obtain the gear information of the battery boxes.

[0093] By providing the second scanning mechanism, the secondary identification and confirmation of the gear information of the battery boxes output by the blanking conveying mechanism are realized, ensuring the accuracy of grading.

[0094] As Figures 3 to 4 shown, optionally, the handling mechanism 20 includes a first translation mechanism 21, a lifting mechanism 22, a second translation mechanism 23, a rotating mechanism 24 and a pick-and-place mechanism 25, where:

[0095] The lifting mechanism 22 is connected to the driving end of the first translation mechanism 21. The second translation mechanism 23 is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism 22. The rotating mechanism 24 is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism 23. The pick-and-place mechanism 25 is connected to the driving end of the rotating mechanism.

[0096] The first translation mechanism 21 is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 25 to translate in the first horizontal direction (such as the X-axis direction). The lifting mechanism is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 25 to lift. The second translation mechanism is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 25 to translate in the second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction (such as the Y-axis direction). The rotating mechanism is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 25 to rotate. The pick-and-place mechanism 25 is used to pick and place battery boxes.

[0097] Through the combined drive of the first translation mechanism 21, the lifting mechanism 22, the second translation mechanism 23 and the rotating mechanism 24, the pick-and-place mechanism 25 can flexibly realize the position switching between the loading mechanism 10, each bin of the buffer rack 30 and the blanking mechanism 40, so as to realize the picking, buffering and blanking of the battery boxes.

[0098] As Figures 5 to 6 shown, optionally, the rotating mechanism 24 includes a connecting bracket 241 and a rotating shaft 242. Among them, the connecting bracket 241 is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism 23. The rotating shaft 242 is arranged on the connecting bracket 241 in the vertical direction. The pick-and-place mechanism is connected to the rotating shaft 242. When the rotating shaft 242 rotates, it drives the pick-and-place mechanism to rotate.

[0099] As Figure 6 shown, optionally, the pick-and-place mechanism 25 includes n (such as 7 in the figure) pick-and-place parts 251 connected to the rotating shaft 242 of the rotating mechanism 24 from top to bottom. Each pick-and-place part 251 is used to pick and place one battery box. Thus, the pick-and-place mechanism 25 can pick and carry n battery boxes at the same time.

[0100] As shown Figure 7 in the figure, optionally, the picking and placing part 251 includes a support plate 2511, a suction plate driving mechanism 2512 and a suction plate 2513, where: The support plate 2511 is horizontally connected to the rotating shaft 242 of the rotating mechanism 24. The suction plate 2513 is slidably connected to the support plate 2511 and connected to the suction plate driving mechanism 2512. The suction plate 2513 is used to adsorb the battery case, and the suction plate driving mechanism 2512 is used to drive the suction plate 2513 to translate on the support plate 2511 to pull the battery case adsorbed by the suction plate 2513 onto the support plate 2511, and to push out the battery case located on the support plate 2511 from the support plate 2511.

[0101] The picking process of the picking and placing mechanism 25 to pick up the battery cases to be cached from the loading mechanism 10 is as follows:

[0102] Under the combined drive of the first translation mechanism 21, the lifting mechanism 22, the second translation mechanism 23 and the rotating mechanism 24, the picking and placing mechanism 25 moves to the side of the loading buffer rack 13 of the loading mechanism 10 and makes each picking and placing part 251 contact a battery case to be cached. Each picking and placing part 251 synchronously picks up the corresponding battery case. Specifically: The suction plate driving mechanism 2512 pushes the suction plate 2513 out of the support plate 2511, and the suction plate 2513 adsorbs the battery case. Then, the suction plate driving mechanism 2512 drives the suction plate 2513 back to the initial position on the support plate 2511, thereby pulling the battery case adsorbed by the suction plate 2513 onto the support plate 2511.

[0103] The process of the picking and placing mechanism 25 caching the battery cases into the cache rack 30 or transporting the cached battery cases to the unloading mechanism 40 is as follows:

[0104] Under the combined drive of the first translation mechanism 21, the lifting mechanism 22, the second translation mechanism 23 and the rotating mechanism 24, the picking and placing mechanism 25 moves to the opening of one of the idle bins of the cache rack 30 or the side of the unloading buffer rack of the unloading mechanism 40. Each picking and placing part 251 synchronously picks up the corresponding battery case. Specifically: The suction plate driving mechanism 2512 pushes the suction plate 2513 out of the support plate 2511, so that the battery case adsorbed on the suction plate 2513 is pushed into the bin or the unloading buffer rack, and the suction plate 2513 immediately releases the battery case. Then, the suction plate driving mechanism 2512 drives the suction plate 2513 back to the initial position on the support plate 2511 to complete the reset of the suction plate 2513.

[0105] Optionally, a sensor 2514 is provided on the side of the support plate 2511 of the pick-and-place unit 251. The sensor 2514 is signal-connected to the control end of the suction plate driving mechanism 2512. After the battery box is pulled onto the support plate 2511, the sensor 2514 generates an induction signal, and the suction plate driving mechanism 2512 stops driving.

[0106] The present invention has been described in sufficient detail and with a certain degree of particularity above. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the descriptions in the embodiments are merely exemplary. All changes made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention should fall within the protection scope of the present invention. The scope of protection required by the present invention is defined by the claims described, rather than by the above descriptions in the embodiments.

Claims

1. A stepped caching device, characterized in that, The grading buffer device includes a feeding mechanism, a buffer rack, a handling mechanism and a discharging mechanism, where: There are N bins in the buffer rack, and each bin is used to buffer a battery box. The battery box is used to store a number of battery cells of the same grade, and a grade label is provided on the battery box; The feeding mechanism is configured to convey the battery box to be buffered to the feeding station near the buffer rack; The handling mechanism is configured to pick up n battery boxes to be buffered from the feeding mechanism each time, and buffer the n picked-up battery boxes to be buffered into n of the bins in the buffer rack, where n is an integer less than N; The handling mechanism is further configured to pick up a number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade from the buffer rack each time, and convey the picked-up number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the discharging mechanism; The discharging mechanism is configured to convey the number of battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the next process station; The handling mechanism includes a first translation mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a second translation mechanism, a rotating mechanism and a picking and placing mechanism, where: The lifting mechanism is connected to the driving end of the first translation mechanism, the second translation mechanism is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism, the rotating mechanism is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism, and the picking and placing mechanism is connected to the driving end of the rotating mechanism; The first translation mechanism is used to drive the picking and placing mechanism to translate in the first horizontal direction, the lifting mechanism is used to drive the picking and placing mechanism to lift, the second translation mechanism is used to drive the picking and placing mechanism to translate in the second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, the rotating mechanism is used to drive the picking and placing mechanism to rotate, and the picking and placing mechanism is used to pick and place battery boxes; The picking and placing mechanism includes n picking and placing parts connected to the driving end of the rotating mechanism from top to bottom, and each picking and placing part is used to pick and place a battery box; The picking and placing part includes a support plate, an adsorption plate driving mechanism and an adsorption plate, where: The support plate is horizontally connected to the driving end of the rotating mechanism; The adsorption plate is slidably connected to the support plate and connected to the adsorption plate driving mechanism; The adsorption plate is used to adsorb the battery box, and the adsorption plate driving mechanism is used to drive the adsorption plate to translate on the support plate to pull the battery box adsorbed by the adsorption plate onto the support plate, and push the battery box located on the support plate out of the support plate.

2. The hierarchical caching device according to claim 1, wherein The feeding mechanism includes a feeding conveyor, a feeding lifting mechanism and a feeding buffer rack, where: The discharging end of the feeding conveyor is located at the feeding station; The feeding buffer rack is arranged above the discharging end of the feeding conveyor. The bottom of the feeding buffer rack is provided with a feeding port, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the feeding buffer rack; The feeding lifting mechanism is connected to the feeding buffer rack; When the feeding and conveying mechanism conveys the battery box to be cached to the discharging end of the feeding and conveying mechanism, the feeding lifting mechanism drives the battery box to rise so that the battery box enters the feeding buffer rack from the feeding port. The handling mechanism is configured to pick up n battery boxes to be cached from the feeding buffer rack.

3. The hierarchical caching device according to claim 2, wherein A first scanning mechanism is arranged at the discharging end of the feeding and conveying mechanism. The first scanning mechanism is used to scan the grade label on the battery box conveyed to the discharging end of the feeding and conveying mechanism to obtain the grade information of the battery box.

4. The multi-gear caching device according to claim 1, wherein, The discharging mechanism includes a discharging buffer rack, a discharging lifting mechanism and a discharging conveying mechanism, where: The feeding end of the discharging conveying mechanism is arranged close to the buffer rack. The discharging buffer rack is arranged above the feeding end of the discharging conveying mechanism. An outlet is arranged at the bottom of the discharging buffer rack. At least n battery boxes can be stacked in the discharging buffer rack. The discharging lifting mechanism is connected to the discharging buffer rack. After the handling mechanism places several battery boxes with the same grade label picked up on the discharging buffer rack, the discharging lifting mechanism drives the battery boxes to descend so that the battery boxes fall onto the feeding end of the discharging conveying mechanism in sequence. The discharging conveying mechanism conveys the battery box to the next working station.

5. The grading cache device according to claim 4, wherein A second scanning mechanism is arranged at the feeding end of the discharging conveying mechanism. The second scanning mechanism is used to scan the grade label on the battery box falling from the discharging buffer rack to obtain the grade information of the battery box.

6. The hierarchical caching device according to claim 1, wherein The rotating mechanism includes a connecting bracket and a rotating shaft. Among them, the connecting bracket is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism, and the rotating shaft is arranged on the connecting bracket in the vertical direction. The picking and placing mechanism is connected to the rotating shaft. When the rotating shaft rotates, it drives the picking and placing mechanism to rotate.

7. The hierarchical caching device according to claim 1, wherein Sensors are arranged on the side of the support plate. The sensors are signal-connected to the control end of the adsorption plate driving mechanism.

8. A grading cache method, characterized in that, It is implemented by the grading and buffering device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The grading and buffering method includes: Controlling the feeding mechanism to convey the battery box to be cached to the feeding working station close to the buffer rack. Among them, N bins are arranged on the buffer rack, and each bin is used to cache one battery box. The battery box is used to store several battery chips of the same grade, and a grade label is arranged on the battery box. Controlling the handling mechanism to pick up n battery boxes to be cached from the feeding mechanism and cache the n picked-up battery boxes to be cached into n bins in the buffer rack. Controlling the handling mechanism to pick up several battery boxes belonging to the same grade from the buffer rack and transport the picked-up several battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the discharging mechanism. Controlling the discharging mechanism to convey the several battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the next working station.

9. The hierarchical caching method according to claim 8, wherein, The controlling the handling mechanism to pick up several battery boxes belonging to the same grade from the buffer rack and transport the picked-up several battery boxes belonging to the same grade to the discharging mechanism includes: When the number of battery boxes belonging to the same gear cached in the cache rack reaches n, control the handling mechanism to pick up n battery boxes belonging to the same gear from the cache rack and transport the picked n battery boxes belonging to the same gear to the blanking mechanism; and When the number of battery boxes belonging to the same gear cached in the cache rack does not reach n, and the caching time of the battery box with the longest caching time exceeds a predetermined duration, control the handling mechanism to pick up the battery box with the longest caching time and the battery box with the same gear as the battery box with the longest caching time from the cache rack and transport the picked battery boxes to the blanking mechanism.

10. The hierarchical caching method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The loading mechanism includes a loading conveyor mechanism, a loading lifting mechanism, and a loading cache rack. Among them, the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism is arranged close to the cache rack, the loading cache rack is arranged above the discharging end of the loading conveyor mechanism, a feeding port is arranged at the bottom of the loading cache rack, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the loading cache rack; The control of the loading mechanism to transport the battery boxes to be cached to the loading station close to the cache rack includes: Controlling the loading conveyor mechanism to sequentially transport the battery boxes to be cached towards the loading station; Controlling the loading lifting mechanism to drive the battery boxes transported to the discharging end to rise, so that the battery boxes transported to the discharging end sequentially enter the loading cache rack from the feeding port until the loading cache rack is full of battery boxes.

11. The hierarchical caching method according to claim 8, wherein The blanking mechanism includes a blanking cache rack, a blanking lifting mechanism, and a blanking conveyor mechanism. Among them, the loading end of the blanking conveyor mechanism is arranged close to the cache rack; the blanking cache rack is arranged above the loading end of the blanking conveyor mechanism, a discharging port is arranged at the bottom of the blanking cache rack, and at least n battery boxes can be stacked in the blanking cache rack; The control of the blanking mechanism to transport several battery boxes belonging to the same gear to the next process includes: Controlling the blanking lifting mechanism to drive the battery boxes placed in the blanking cache rack to descend, so that the battery boxes sequentially fall to the loading end of the blanking conveyor mechanism; Controlling the blanking conveyor mechanism to transport the battery boxes to the next process.

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