Battery cell feeding device and string welding machine

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery cell loading device and a string welding machine, wherein the battery cell loading device is used to lay battery cells onto a welding conveyor device, and includes two picking mechanisms, which are configured to alternately pick up battery cells from a battery cell removal station and lay the picked up battery cells onto the welding conveyor device, wherein: when one picking mechanism picks up a battery cell from the battery cell removal station, the other picking mechanism lays the picked up battery cell onto the welding conveyor device. By providing two groups of picking mechanisms and controlling the two groups of picking mechanisms to alternately pick up battery cells from the battery cell removal station and lay the picked up battery cells onto the welding conveyor device, the battery cell loading device of the present invention greatly improves the efficiency of battery cell loading.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of battery production, in particular to a battery cell feeding device and a string welding machine. Background Art

[0002] Before the battery cells are soldered together, the battery cells stored at the cell removal station need to be placed on the welding conveyor by a cell loading device. Traditional cell loading devices only have a pick-up mechanism, which has low loading efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the technical problem of low loading efficiency in conventional cell loading devices, the first aspect of the present invention provides a cell loading device, the specific technical solution of which is as follows:

[0004] A battery cell loading device is used to place battery cells onto a welding conveyor device, which includes two picking mechanisms. The two picking mechanisms are configured to alternately pick up battery cells from a battery cell removal station and place the picked up battery cells onto the welding conveyor device, wherein: when one picking mechanism picks up a battery cell from the battery cell removal station, the other picking mechanism places the picked up battery cell onto the welding conveyor device.

[0005] By providing two sets of picking mechanisms and controlling the two sets of picking mechanisms to alternately pick up battery cells from the battery cell picking station and placing the picked battery cells onto the welding conveyor device, the battery cell loading device of the present invention greatly improves the battery cell loading efficiency.

[0006] In some embodiments, the picking mechanism includes a moving mechanism and a battery cell picking portion, wherein: the battery cell picking portion is connected to the driving end of the moving mechanism, the battery cell picking portion is used to pick up the battery cells, and the moving mechanism is used to drive the battery cell picking portion to move.

[0007] The cell picking portion is driven to move by a moving mechanism, and the cell picking portion switches positions between the cell picking station and the welding conveyor device, thereby loading the cell at the cell picking station onto the welding conveyor device.

[0008] In some embodiments, the moving mechanism includes a first translation mechanism, a lifting mechanism and a mounting bracket, wherein: the lifting mechanism is connected to the driving end of the first translation mechanism, the mounting bracket is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism, and the battery cell picking part is installed on the mounting bracket; the first translation mechanism is used to drive the battery cell picking part to translate in a first horizontal direction, the first horizontal direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the welding conveying device, and the lifting mechanism drives the battery cell picking part to rise and fall.

[0009] By setting up the first translation mechanism, the translation drive of the cell picking part is realized, so that the cell picking part can move back and forth between the cell picking station and the welding conveyor device. By setting up the lifting mechanism, the lifting drive of the cell picking part is realized.

[0010] In some embodiments, a second translation mechanism is provided on the mounting bracket, and the battery cell picking part is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism. The second translation mechanism is used to drive the battery cell picking part to translate in a second horizontal direction, and the second horizontal direction is parallel to the conveying direction of the welding conveying device.

[0011] By setting up a second translation mechanism, when the battery cell picking part moves to the welding conveyor device, the second translation mechanism can drive the battery cell picking part to translate in the conveying direction of the welding conveyor device, thereby ensuring that the battery cell can be accurately placed at the target placement position.

[0012] In some embodiments, the picking mechanism further includes a tool picking portion connected to the driving end of the moving mechanism in parallel with the battery cell picking portion, and the tool picking portion is used to pick up the solder ribbon pressing tool.

[0013] By setting up a tooling pickup part, the battery cell loading device can press the battery cells and welding ribbons against the tooling and stack them on the welding conveyor device at the same time, thereby improving the production efficiency of the battery string.

[0014] In some embodiments, the distance between the battery cell picking portion and the tool picking portion is configured to be adjustable.

[0015] By configuring the distance between the battery cell picking part and the tooling picking part to be adjustable, compatibility with battery cells of different sizes is achieved.

[0016] In some embodiments, the cell picking portion includes a first suction cup assembly for adsorbing the cell; and / or the tooling picking portion includes a second suction cup assembly or an electromagnet for adsorbing the solder strip and pressing the tooling.

[0017] By setting up the battery cell picking part and the tooling picking part, the battery cell and the welding ribbon pressing tooling are respectively absorbed.

[0018] The present invention also provides a string welding machine, which includes the battery cell loading device, welding tape traction device, welding conveyor device and welding device described in any of the above embodiments, wherein: the battery cell loading device is used to lay battery cells on the welding conveyor device; the welding tape traction device is used to lay welding tape segments on the welding conveyor device, and make the welding tape segments stacked on the corresponding battery cells; the welding conveyor device transports the stacked battery cells and welding tape segments to the welding station; the welding device is arranged at the welding station, and is used to weld the stacked battery cells and welding tape segments into a string.

[0019] Through the cooperation of the battery cell feeding device, welding ribbon traction device, welding conveying device and welding device, the string welding machine realizes the automatic welding of battery strings.

[0020] In some embodiments, the weld ribbon traction device includes a cutter mechanism, a first weld ribbon traction mechanism, a second weld ribbon traction mechanism and a weld ribbon laying mechanism, wherein: the first weld ribbon traction mechanism and the second weld ribbon traction mechanism are configured to alternately clamp the weld ribbon at a traction station located in front of the cutting station, and pull the clamped weld ribbon to a transfer station located after the cutting station, wherein: when the first weld ribbon traction mechanism pulls the clamped weld ribbon to the transfer station, the second weld ribbon traction mechanism clamps the weld ribbon at the traction station, and the cutter mechanism cuts the weld ribbon at the cutting station to obtain a weld ribbon segment; when the second weld ribbon traction mechanism pulls the clamped weld ribbon to the transfer station, the first weld ribbon traction mechanism clamps the weld ribbon at the traction station, and the cutter mechanism cuts the weld ribbon at the cutting station to obtain a weld ribbon segment; the weld ribbon laying mechanism is used to clamp the weld ribbon pulled to the transfer station by the first weld ribbon traction mechanism or the second weld ribbon traction mechanism; and lay the obtained weld ribbon segment onto the welding conveying device.

[0021] The ribbon traction device is equipped with two ribbon traction mechanisms, which alternately clamp the ribbon at the traction station ahead of the cutter mechanism and haul it to the subsequent transfer station. While one ribbon traction mechanism is hauling the previous section of ribbon to the transfer station, the other ribbon traction mechanism can simultaneously clamp the next section of ribbon at the traction station, without having to wait for the cutter mechanism to cut the ribbon. Furthermore, since the ribbon in front of the cutter mechanism is already clamped by the ribbon traction mechanism at the traction station, the cutter mechanism can cut the ribbon without having to wait for the ribbon clamping mechanism to clamp it. Compared to traditional ribbon traction devices, this ribbon traction device significantly improves the efficiency of ribbon traction and placement.

[0022] The welding strip laying mechanism includes a third welding strip traction mechanism and a fourth welding strip traction mechanism, which alternately clamp the welding strip from the transfer station and lay the welding strip segment onto the welding conveyor device.

[0023] The third welding strip traction mechanism and the fourth welding strip are used to alternately clamp the welding strip from the transfer station, and the welding strip segment is laid to the welding conveying device, thereby further improving the laying efficiency of the welding strip.

[0024] In some embodiments, the welding ribbon traction device further includes a welding ribbon lifting mechanism arranged between the cutting station and the transfer station; the welding ribbon lifting mechanism is used to lift the welding ribbon pulled to the transfer station by the first welding ribbon traction mechanism or the second welding ribbon traction mechanism.

[0025] By setting up the welding ribbon lifting mechanism, the welding ribbon guided to the transfer station is lifted and supported to prevent the welding ribbon from falling.

[0026] In some embodiments, the welding conveying device includes a base, a stepping platform, a fixed platform and a conveyor belt, wherein: the stepping platform is movably connected to the base; the fixed platform is fixedly connected to the base, the welding station is located on the fixed platform, and the upper surface of the fixed platform and the upper surface of the stepping platform are in the same plane; the conveyor belt is arranged on the fixed platform and the stepping platform, and the battery cells and welding ribbon segments are stacked on the conveyor belt located on the stepping platform, and the conveyor belt is configured to transport a predetermined number of stacked battery cells and welding ribbon segments to the welding station; the stepping platform is configured to be able to step toward or away from the fixed platform, and after each battery cell is stacked on the conveyor belt, the stepping platform steps a predetermined distance away from the fixed platform until a predetermined number of battery cells are stacked on the conveyor belt.

[0027] By setting up a stepping platform, the conveyor belt does not need to step towards the welding station during the loading process. A predetermined number of battery cells can be continuously loaded to the placement position on the conveyor belt, so that the conveyor belt can synchronously step the predetermined number of battery cells loaded thereon to the welding station. Under the premise of realizing synchronous welding of multiple battery cells, the heating consistency of each battery cell is guaranteed, thereby improving the welding effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a cell loading device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the picking mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention at one viewing angle;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the picking mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a string welding machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention at one viewing angle;

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a string welding machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a welding ribbon pulling device in a first working state according to an embodiment of the present invention at one viewing angle;

[0034] Figure 7 2. It is a structural schematic diagram of the welding ribbon pulling device in the first working state according to an embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0035] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the welding ribbon pulling device in the second working state according to an embodiment of the present invention at one viewing angle;

[0036] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of a welding conveying device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figures 1 to 9 Included are:

[0038] Picking mechanism 10: first translation mechanism 11, lifting mechanism 12, mounting bracket 13, second translation mechanism 14, cell picking unit 15, tooling picking unit 16;

[0039] The welding ribbon traction device 20 includes a cutter mechanism 21, a first welding ribbon traction mechanism 22, a second welding ribbon traction mechanism 23, a third welding ribbon traction mechanism 24, and a fourth welding ribbon traction mechanism 25;

[0040] Welding conveyor device 30: base 31, stepping platform 32, fixed platform 33, conveyor belt 34;

[0041] Pulling station A, cutting station B, transfer station C. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0043] Before the battery cells are soldered together, the battery cells stored at the cell removal station need to be placed on the welding conveyor by a cell loading device. Traditional cell loading devices only have a pick-up mechanism, which has low loading efficiency.

[0044] In view of this, the present invention provides a cell loading device for placing cells onto a welding conveyor device, which can significantly improve the efficiency of cell loading. Figure 1 As shown, the battery cell loading device provided by the present invention includes two picking mechanisms 10, which are configured to alternately pick up battery cells from the battery cell picking station and place the picked battery cells on the welding conveyor device.

[0045] When one picking mechanism 10 moves to the cell removal station, the other picking mechanism 10 moves to the top of the welding conveyor. In this way, when one picking mechanism 10 picks up a cell from the cell removal station, the other picking mechanism 10 places the picked cell onto the welding conveyor.

[0046] Compared with the traditional battery cell loading device, the battery cell loading device of the present invention greatly improves the battery cell loading efficiency.

[0047] Optional, such as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the picking mechanism 10 includes a moving mechanism and a cell picking unit 15, wherein the cell picking unit 15 is connected to the driving end of the moving mechanism, and the moving mechanism is used to drive the cell picking unit to move, thereby realizing the position switching of the cell picking unit 15 between the cell removal station and the welding conveyor. When the moving mechanism drives the cell picking unit 15 to move to the cell removal station, the cell picking unit 15 picks up the cell from the cell removal station. When the moving mechanism drives the cell picking unit 15 to move to the welding conveyor, the cell picking unit 15 places the cell onto the welding conveyor.

[0048] Optionally, the moving mechanism includes a first translation mechanism 11, a lifting mechanism 12 and a mounting bracket 13, wherein the lifting mechanism 12 is connected to the driving end of the first translation mechanism 11, the mounting bracket 13 is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism 12, and the battery cell picking unit 15 is mounted on the mounting bracket 13. The first translation mechanism 11 is used to drive the battery cell picking unit 15 to move in a first horizontal direction (such as a first horizontal direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction of the welding conveyor device. Figure 1 The lifting mechanism 12 is used to drive the battery cell picking part 15 to move upward and downward.

[0049] Optional, such as Figure 2 As shown, the mounting bracket 13 is further provided with a second translation mechanism 14, and the cell picking portion 15 is connected to the driving end of the second translation mechanism 14. The second translation mechanism 14 is used to drive the cell picking portion 15 to move in a second horizontal direction parallel to the conveying direction of the welding conveyor device (such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 The Y-axis direction in the image is used for translation.

[0050] When the battery cell picking part 15 moves from the cell picking station to the top of the welding conveyor device under the drive of the first translation mechanism 11, the second translation mechanism 14 can drive the battery cell picking part 15 to translate parallel to the conveying direction of the welding conveyor device, thereby ensuring that the battery cell can be accurately placed at the target placement position on the welding conveyor device to adapt to the placement requirements of different positions.

[0051] As those skilled in the art know, before welding the battery string, it is necessary to stack a welding ribbon pressing tool on each battery cell to press the welding ribbon onto the battery cell. In traditional battery cell string welding, after the battery cells and welding ribbons are laid out, the welding ribbon pressing tool is moved to the battery cell by an additional tooling transport device, which not only increases the battery string welding cost, but also reduces the production efficiency of the battery string. In view of this, if Figures 2 to 3As shown, the gripping mechanism 10 in this embodiment of the present invention optionally further includes a fixture pickup portion 16 connected to the driving end of the moving mechanism in parallel with the cell pickup portion 15. The fixture pickup portion 16 is used to pick up the solder ribbon pressing fixture. In this way, the gripping mechanism 10 can simultaneously stack the cell and the solder ribbon pressing fixture onto the welding conveyor, thereby improving the production efficiency of the battery string.

[0052] Optionally, the spacing between the cell picking portion 15 and the tooling picking portion 16 is configured to be adjustable, thereby ensuring that the cell picking portion 15 can pick up cell sheets of different sizes and ensuring that the cell sheets do not touch the solder ribbon pressing tooling on the tooling picking portion 16 .

[0053] In order to adjust the distance between the battery cell picking part 15 and the tooling picking part 16, optionally, the battery cell picking part 15 and the tooling picking part 16 are installed side by side on a mounting plate, wherein the tooling picking part 16 is fixedly installed on the mounting plate, and the battery cell picking part 15 is slidably installed on the mounting plate, and the battery cell picking part 15 is pushed to slide close to or away from the tooling picking part 16, so that the distance between the battery cell picking part 15 and the tooling picking part 16 can be adjusted.

[0054] Optionally, the cell pickup unit 15 includes a first suction cup assembly, through which the cell pickup unit 15 picks up the cell. The tooling pickup unit 16 includes a second suction cup assembly or an electromagnet, through which the tooling pickup unit 16 picks up the solder strip pressing tool.

[0055] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the present invention further provides a stringer, which includes a cell loading device including two pickup mechanisms 10, a welding ribbon pulling device 20, a welding conveying device 30 and a welding device according to any one of the above embodiments, wherein:

[0056] The two picking mechanisms 10 of the cell loading device alternately place the cells onto the welding conveyor device 30 .

[0057] The welding ribbon pulling device 20 is used to lay the welding ribbon segments onto the welding conveyor device and to make the welding ribbon segments overlap on the corresponding battery cells.

[0058] The welding conveyor device 30 conveys the stacked battery cells and welding ribbon segments to the welding station.

[0059] The welding device is set at the welding station and is used to weld the stacked battery cells and welding ribbon segments into strings.

[0060] Through the cooperation of the battery cell feeding device, the welding ribbon pulling device 20, the welding conveying device 30 and the welding device, the string welding machine realizes automatic welding of battery strings.

[0061] Traditional ribbon pulling devices pull the ribbon as follows: The pulling mechanism is controlled to clamp the ribbon after the cutter mechanism and pull it to a predetermined position. The ribbon clamping mechanism is then controlled to clamp the ribbon before the cutter mechanism. Finally, the cutter mechanism is controlled to cut the ribbon to obtain a predetermined length. Next, the pulling mechanism is controlled to clamp the ribbon after the cutter mechanism and pull the next length of ribbon.

[0062] That is, the cutter mechanism must wait for the ribbon clamping mechanism to clamp the ribbon before it can cut the ribbon, and the traction mechanism must wait for the cutter mechanism to cut the ribbon before it can traction the next section of ribbon. Frequent waiting makes the ribbon traction efficiency of the traditional ribbon traction device low.

[0063] In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a novel welding ribbon pulling device, which is used to pull and lay the welding ribbon, and can significantly improve the laying efficiency of the welding ribbon.

[0064] like Figures 6 to 8 As shown, the welding ribbon pulling device 20 in the embodiment of the present invention includes a cutting mechanism 21, a first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22, a second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 and a welding ribbon laying mechanism, wherein:

[0065] The first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22 and the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 are configured to alternately clamp the welding ribbon at the pulling station A located before the cutting station B, and pull the clamped welding ribbon to the transfer station C located after the cutting station B, wherein:

[0066] When the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22 pulls the clamped welding ribbon to the transfer station C, the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 clamps the welding ribbon at the pulling station A, and the cutter mechanism 21 cuts the welding ribbon at the cutting station B to obtain welding ribbon segments.

[0067] When the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 pulls the clamped welding ribbon to the transfer station C, the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22 clamps the welding ribbon at the pulling station A, and the cutter mechanism 21 cuts the welding ribbon at the cutting station B to obtain welding ribbon segments.

[0068] In order to enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand the specific process of the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22 and the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 alternately pulling the welding ribbon, the following will continue with the Figure 6 and Figure 8 , the working process of the first welding ribbon traction mechanism 22 and the second welding ribbon traction mechanism 23 is described in more detail.

[0069] Before officially starting the ribbon pulling, it is necessary to pull the free end of the ribbon from the ribbon roll and position it at the pulling station A. Then start the ribbon pulling operation as follows:

[0070] The first welding strip pulling mechanism 22 clamps the free end of the welding strip from the pulling station A and pulls the clamped welding strip to the transfer station C. At the same time, the second welding strip pulling mechanism 23 moves to the pulling station A and clamps the welding strip. Figure 6 As shown, the second welding strip pulling mechanism 23 and the first welding strip pulling mechanism 22 clamp the welding strip from the front and back sides of the cutting station B at the same time.

[0071] The cutter mechanism 21 cuts the welding ribbon at the cutting station B, thereby obtaining a welding ribbon segment. At this time, the new free end of the welding ribbon is clamped in the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23.

[0072] Then, the second ribbon pulling mechanism 23 pulls the clamped ribbon to the transfer station C. At the same time, the first ribbon pulling mechanism 22 releases the ribbon segment and moves to the pulling station A to clamp the ribbon. Figure 8 As shown, the first welding strip pulling mechanism 22 and the second welding strip pulling mechanism 23 clamp the welding strip from the front and back sides of the cutting station B at the same time.

[0073] The cutter mechanism 21 cuts the welding ribbon at the cutting station B, thereby obtaining another welding ribbon segment. At this time, the new free end of the welding ribbon is clamped in the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22.

[0074] By repeatedly performing the above-mentioned pulling and cutting processes, welding ribbon segments can be obtained alternately, and the welding ribbon segments are pulled to the transfer station C.

[0075] As can be seen, in the welding ribbon pulling device of the embodiment of the present invention, the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22 and the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 alternately clamp the welding ribbon at the pulling station A in the front track of the cutter mechanism 21 and pull the welding ribbon to the transfer station C in the back track. In particular, when one welding ribbon pulling mechanism pulls the previous welding ribbon section to the transfer station C, the other welding ribbon pulling mechanism can simultaneously clamp the next welding ribbon section at the pulling station A without waiting for the cutter mechanism to cut the welding ribbon. In addition, because the welding ribbon in the front track of the cutter mechanism 21 has already been clamped by the welding ribbon pulling mechanism at the pulling station A, the cutter mechanism 21 can cut the welding ribbon without waiting for the welding ribbon clamping mechanism to clamp the welding ribbon.

[0076] The welding ribbon laying mechanism is used to clamp the welding ribbon pulled to the transfer station C by the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22 or the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 , and lay the obtained welding ribbon segment onto the welding conveyor device 30 .

[0077] That is, when the first and second ribbon pulling mechanisms 22 and 23 pull the ribbon to the transfer station C, the ribbon laying mechanism receives and clamps the free end of the ribbon, and then pulls and lays the cut ribbon segment onto the welding conveyor 30. Of course, when the ribbon laying mechanism clamps the ribbon, the ribbon may not have been cut yet, or it may have been cut.

[0078] Continue to refer Figures 6 to 8 As shown, in order to promptly receive and lay the welding ribbon pulled by the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism 22 and the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism 23 and improve the transfer efficiency, the welding ribbon laying mechanism optionally includes a third welding ribbon pulling mechanism 24 and a fourth welding ribbon pulling mechanism 25, which alternately clamp the welding ribbon from the transfer station C and pull and lay the welding ribbon segment onto the welding conveyor device 30.

[0079] Optionally, the ribbon pulling device further includes a ribbon lifting mechanism 26 disposed between the cutting station B and the transfer station C. When the first and second ribbon pulling mechanisms 22, 23 pull the ribbon to the transfer station C, the ribbon lifting mechanism 26 lifts the ribbon upward, thereby supporting it and preventing it from falling. Optionally, a ribbon guide groove is provided on the supporting surface of the ribbon lifting mechanism 26 to guide the ribbon and prevent it from horizontally deviating.

[0080] As those skilled in the art are aware, a conventional welding conveyor system consists of only a welding platform mounted with a conveyor belt. This conveyor belt is driven by a stepper motor. To ensure that the conveyor belt near the cell loading device remains unloaded to allow for the placement of the next cell, the stepper motor drives the conveyor belt to advance toward the welding station once each time the cell loading device places the current cell at the placement position. Each step is roughly the width of a cell.

[0081] The welding device waits until a predetermined number of cells have arrived at the welding station before performing the welding operation. Traditional welding conveyor systems have the following problems: cells that arrive first must wait for cells that arrive later. These cells are heated significantly longer than those that arrive later, resulting in poor welding results. Furthermore, the welding conveyor system cannot continuously load cells during the welding process, affecting cell loading efficiency.

[0082] In order to solve this problem, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a new type of welding conveying device, which is used to convey battery cells and welding strips, and can synchronously convey a predetermined number of battery cells loaded thereon to the welding station, thereby ensuring the heating consistency of each battery cell and improving the welding effect.

[0083] like Figure 9 As shown, the welding conveying device 30 in the embodiment of the present invention includes a base 31, a stepping platform 32, a fixed platform 33 and a conveyor belt 34, wherein:

[0084] The stepping platform 32 is movably connected to the base 31 , the fixed platform 33 is fixedly connected to the base 31 , the welding station is located on the fixed platform 33 , and the upper surface of the fixed platform 33 and the upper surface of the stepping platform 32 are in the same plane.

[0085] The conveyor belt 34 is disposed on the fixed platform 33 and the stepping platform 32 , and the battery cells and the solder ribbon segments are stacked on the conveyor belt 34 located on the stepping platform 32 .

[0086] After a predetermined number of cells are stacked, the conveyor belt 34 transports the stacked cells and the welding ribbon segments to the welding station at once.

[0087] In order to stack a predetermined number of battery cells onto the conveyor belt 4 , the stepping platform 32 is configured to be able to move in steps toward or away from the fixed platform 33 .

[0088] During the stacking process of a predetermined number of battery cells, each time a battery cell is stacked, the stepping platform 32 steps away from the fixed platform 33 by a predetermined distance, thereby returning the conveyor belt 34, which is at the cell placement position, to an empty state to receive the next battery cell. The predetermined distance that the stepping platform 32 steps away from the fixed platform 33 each time matches the width of a battery cell.

[0089] The two picking mechanisms 10 , the third welding ribbon pulling mechanism 24 and the fourth welding ribbon pulling mechanism 25 alternately stack the battery cells and welding ribbon segments onto the conveyor belt 34 until a predetermined number of battery cells are stacked.

[0090] After a predetermined number of cells are stacked, the stepping platform 32 steps back toward the fixed platform 33 , and the conveyor belt 34 transports the stacked cells and the welding ribbon segments as a whole to the welding station.

[0091] Then, the stepping platform 32 steps away from the fixed platform 33 again to start stacking a predetermined number of battery cells of the next batch.

[0092] By providing a stepping platform 32 that can move in steps toward or away from the fixed platform 33, during the battery cell stacking process, each time a battery cell is stacked, the stepping platform 32 steps a predetermined distance away from the fixed platform 33. This ensures that after the current battery cell is stacked, the conveyor belt 34 at the cell placement position immediately returns to the idle device to smoothly stack the next battery cell.

[0093] Therefore, by using the welding conveying device in this embodiment, during the loading process, the conveyor belt 34 does not need to step toward the welding station, and a predetermined number of battery cells can be continuously loaded onto the conveyor belt 34, so that the conveyor belt 34 can synchronously transport the predetermined number of battery cells loaded thereon to the welding station, ensuring the heating consistency of each battery cell and improving the welding effect.

[0094] The present invention has been described above in sufficient detail with certain particularities. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the descriptions in the embodiments are merely illustrative, and that all modifications that do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection claimed in the present invention is defined by the appended claims, not by the foregoing description of the embodiments.

Claims

1. A battery cell loading device for placing battery cells onto a welding conveyor device, characterized in that: The battery cell loading device includes two picking mechanisms, which are configured to alternately pick up battery cells from the battery cell removal station and place the picked up battery cells on the welding conveyor device, wherein: when one of the picking mechanisms picks up a battery cell from the battery cell removal station, the other picking mechanism places the picked up battery cell on the welding conveyor device; The picking mechanism includes a moving mechanism and a battery cell picking portion, wherein: The battery cell picking-up portion is connected to the driving end of the moving mechanism, the battery cell picking-up portion is used to pick up the battery cell, and the moving mechanism is used to drive the battery cell picking-up portion to move; The moving mechanism includes a first translation mechanism, a lifting mechanism and a mounting bracket, wherein: The lifting mechanism is connected to the driving end of the first translation mechanism, the mounting bracket is connected to the driving end of the lifting mechanism, and the battery cell picking unit is mounted on the mounting bracket; The first translation mechanism is used to drive the cell picking portion to translate in a first horizontal direction, the first horizontal direction being perpendicular to the conveying direction of the welding conveyor device, and the lifting mechanism drives the cell picking portion to move up and down; The mounting bracket is provided with a second translation mechanism, the cell picking portion is connected to a driving end of the second translation mechanism, and the second translation mechanism is used to drive the cell picking portion to translate in a second horizontal direction, and the second horizontal direction is parallel to the conveying direction of the welding conveyor device; The picking mechanism further includes a tool picking portion connected to the driving end of the moving mechanism in parallel with the battery cell picking portion, and the tool picking portion is used to pick up the welding ribbon pressing tool.

2. The battery cell loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the battery cell picking portion and the tool picking portion is configured to be adjustable.

3. The battery cell loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell picking portion includes a first suction cup assembly for adsorbing the battery cell; And / or, the tool picking portion includes a second suction cup assembly or an electromagnet for sucking the welding ribbon and pressing the tool.

4. A string welding machine, characterized in that, The stringer comprises a cell loading device, a welding ribbon pulling device, a welding conveying device and a welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The battery cell loading device is used to place battery cells onto the welding conveyor device; The welding ribbon pulling device is used to lay the welding ribbon segments to the welding conveyor device, and make the welding ribbon segments overlap on the corresponding battery cells; The welding conveyor device conveys the stacked battery cells and welding ribbon segments to the welding station; The welding device is arranged at the welding station and is used to weld the stacked battery cells and welding ribbon segments into a string.

5. The stringer according to claim 4, wherein: The welding ribbon traction device includes a cutting mechanism, a first welding ribbon traction mechanism, a second welding ribbon traction mechanism and a welding ribbon laying mechanism, wherein: The first welding ribbon pulling mechanism and the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism are configured to alternately clamp the welding ribbon at a pulling station located before the cutting station, and pull the clamped welding ribbon to a transfer station located after the cutting station, wherein: When the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism pulls the clamped welding ribbon to the transfer station, the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism clamps the welding ribbon at the pulling station, and the cutter mechanism cuts the welding ribbon at the cutting station to obtain the welding ribbon segment; When the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism pulls the clamped welding ribbon to the transfer station, the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism clamps the welding ribbon at the pulling station, and the cutter mechanism cuts the welding ribbon at the cutting station to obtain the welding ribbon segment; The welding ribbon laying mechanism is used to clamp the welding ribbon pulled to the transfer station by the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism or the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism; and lay the obtained welding ribbon segment onto the welding conveying device.

6. The stringer according to claim 5, wherein: The welding strip laying mechanism includes a third welding strip traction mechanism and a fourth welding strip traction mechanism, and the third welding strip traction mechanism and the fourth welding strip traction mechanism alternately clamp the welding strip from the transfer station and lay the welding strip segment onto the welding conveyor device.

7. The stringer according to claim 5, wherein: The welding ribbon pulling device further includes a welding ribbon lifting mechanism provided between the cutting station and the transferring station; The welding ribbon lifting mechanism is used to lift the welding ribbon pulled to the transfer station by the first welding ribbon pulling mechanism or the second welding ribbon pulling mechanism.

8. The stringer according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that: The welding conveying device includes a base, a stepping platform, a fixed platform and a conveyor belt, wherein: The stepping platform is movably connected to the base; The fixed platform is fixedly connected to the base, the welding station is located on the fixed platform, and the upper surface of the fixed platform and the upper surface of the stepping platform are in the same plane; The conveyor belt is arranged on the fixed platform and the stepping platform, and the battery cells and the welding ribbon segments are stacked on the conveyor belt located on the stepping platform. The conveyor belt is configured to transport a predetermined number of stacked battery cells and welding ribbon segments to the welding station; The stepping platform is configured to be able to step toward or away from the fixed platform. After each battery cell is stacked on the conveyor belt, the stepping platform steps a predetermined distance away from the fixed platform until the predetermined number of battery cells are stacked on the conveyor belt.

Images