Tab adsorption mechanism and control method

Abstract

This invention discloses an electrode adsorption mechanism and control method. The mechanism includes an X-axis module, a Y-axis module mounted on the movable end of the X-axis module, and a first suction cup assembly and a direction detection rotation assembly mounted on the movable end of the Y-axis module. The first suction cup assembly is used to transfer the electrode from the material box to a rigid table, and the direction detection rotation assembly is used to transfer the electrode from the rigid table to the soldering station. The direction detection rotation assembly includes a rotating component, and a second suction cup assembly and a contact sensor fixed together at the lower end of the rotating component. The second suction cup assembly and the contact sensor simultaneously press down on the electrode a preset distance, and the contact electrical signal obtained by the contact sensor controls the rotating component to rotate 180°. The beneficial effect of this invention is that by controlling the rotating component to rotate 180° or not to rotate according to the contact electrical signal obtained by the contact sensor, the electrode after direction correction is finally sent to the soldering station, effectively improving the accuracy of detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of tab direction recognition, and in particular to a tab adsorption mechanism and a control method. Background Art

[0002] When lithium-ion batteries are produced, multiple layers of positive and negative electrodes need to be welded to the corresponding external tabs to form the lead-out conductors of the battery. Before welding, the external tabs need to be affixed with heat-meltable tab glue at the heat-sealed head position (upper and lower sides). Figure 1 As shown, the heat sealing between the outer pole ear and the aluminum-plastic film is achieved. However, because the upper and lower surfaces of one side of the outer pole ear are affixed with pole ear glue, the thickness of one side with the pole ear glue is greater than the other side. The more the outer pole ears are stacked in the material box, the greater the inclination angle, and the outer pole ears are easily turned over inside the material box, resulting in the failure of the subsequent adsorption and transfer process, affecting the production rhythm. In order to overcome the problem caused by the uneven thickness of the outer pole ears, in the existing outer pole ear loading process, the adjacent outer pole ears are generally turned upside down 180° and stacked in the material box, and the direction of the outer pole ears is judged by machine vision. After the pole ears are sucked, they are rotated and corrected, and the corrected outer pole ears are placed on the welding table.

[0003] However, stacking multiple external tabs together can easily cause visual interference, and existing machine vision algorithms will still make mistakes in direction judgment, leading to welding errors and waste. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a tab adsorption mechanism and a control method, which mainly solves the problem that machine vision recognition is prone to misjudgment.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] The first aspect of the present invention proposes a tab adsorption mechanism, comprising an X-axis module, a Y-axis module installed at the movable end of the X-axis module, and a first suction cup assembly and a direction detection rotating assembly installed at the movable end of the Y-axis module, wherein the first suction cup assembly is used to transfer the tab from a material box to a hard table top, and the direction detection rotating assembly is used to transfer the tab from the hard table top to a welding table, and the direction detection rotating assembly comprises a rotating member, and a second suction cup assembly and a contact sensor jointly fixed at the lower end of the rotating member, wherein the second suction cup assembly and the contact sensor simultaneously press down a preset distance toward the tab, and control the rotating member to spin 180° or not spin according to the contact electrical signal obtained by the contact sensor.

[0007] In some embodiments, the direction detection rotation assembly also includes a first fixed plate fixedly connected to the movable end of the Y-axis module, the other end of the first fixed plate is vertically fixed to the connecting plate, the other end of the connecting plate is vertically fixed to the second fixed plate, and the rotating member is fixedly connected to the second fixed plate.

[0008] In some embodiments, the rotating member includes a rotating seat and a rotating cylinder, and the rotating seat and the rotating cylinder are respectively arranged on both sides of the second fixed plate, a rotating shaft is arranged at the axial position of the rotating seat, a gear is fixedly connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft, the second suction cup assembly and the contact sensor are fixedly connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and the upper end surface of the movable end of the rotating cylinder is arranged with a rack meshing with the gear.

[0009] In some embodiments, the second suction cup assembly includes a suction cup bracket fixed at the lower end of the rotating seat, a suction cup fixing block is installed at the lower end of the suction cup bracket, suction cups are respectively installed at two distal ends of the suction cup fixing block, and the middle part of the suction cup fixing block extends away from the suction cup bracket to form a sensor fixing block, the contact sensor is installed on the sensor fixing block, and the suction cup and the contact sensor are located in the same plane.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rotating shaft is a hollow structure, a swivel joint is installed at the upper end of the rotating shaft, a diverter block is installed at the lower end of the rotating seat, the air outlet of the diverter block is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and the air inlet of the diverter block is connected to the negative pressure port of the suction cup.

[0011] In some embodiments, a buffer seat is fixed to one end of the second fixing plate away from the connecting plate, and a buffer is provided on a side of the buffer seat close to the rack.

[0012] In some embodiments, the contact sensor is a single displacement sensor.

[0013] In some embodiments, the touch sensor is a pair of resistive probes.

[0014] The second aspect of the present invention proposes a method for detecting and controlling the rotation of a tab direction, which is used for the tab adsorption mechanism using a displacement sensor, and includes the following steps: the second suction cup assembly and the displacement sensor are simultaneously pressed down toward the tab by a preset distance, and the displacement amount is obtained by the displacement sensor. If the displacement amount is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is the correct direction, the rotating part does not spin, and is transferred to the welding table through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module. If the displacement amount is less than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is the opposite direction, and the rotating part is controlled to spin 180°, and then transferred to the welding table through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module.

[0015] The third aspect of the present invention proposes another method for detecting and controlling the rotation of the pole lug direction, which is used for the above-mentioned pole lug adsorption mechanism using a resistance probe, comprising the following steps: the second suction cup assembly and the resistance probe are simultaneously pressed down toward the pole lug by a preset distance, and the resistance value is obtained by the resistance probe. If the resistance value is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the pole lug is in the correct direction, then the rotating part does not spin, and is transferred to the welding station through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module. If the resistance value is less than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the pole lug is in the opposite direction, then the rotating part is controlled to spin 180°, and then transferred to the welding station through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: by arranging a first suction cup assembly and a direction detection rotating assembly on both sides of the movable end of the Y-axis module, the first suction cup assembly is used to transfer the pole ear from the material box to the hard table surface to prepare for subsequent contact detection, and then the second suction cup assembly and the contact sensor are used to simultaneously press down the pole ear by a preset distance, and the rotating part is controlled to spin 180° or not spin according to the contact electrical signal obtained by the contact sensor, and finally the pole ear with the corrected direction is sent to the welding station, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of the detection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after the tab is glued;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure between the tab adsorption mechanism and the material box, the hard table and the welding table disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the tab adsorption mechanism disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of a direction detection rotating assembly disclosed in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Among them: 1-X-axis module, 2-Y-axis module, 3-first suction cup assembly, 4-direction detection rotating assembly, 5-material box, 6-hard table, 7-welding table, 401-rotating part, 402-second suction cup assembly, 403-contact sensor, 404-first fixed plate, 405-connecting plate, 406-second fixed plate, 407-buffer seat, 408-buffer, 4011-rotating seat, 4012-rotating cylinder, 4013-rotating shaft, 4014-gear, 4015-rack, 4016-swivel joint, 4017-diverter block, 4021-suction cup bracket, 4022-suction cup fixing block, 4023-suction cup, 4024-sensor fixing block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer and more specific, the content of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for the convenience of description, only the parts related to the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, rather than all the contents.

[0023] Embodiment 1

[0024] This embodiment proposes a tab adsorption mechanism, such as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, it includes an X-axis module 1, a Y-axis module 2 installed at the movable end of the X-axis module 1, and a first suction cup assembly 3 and a direction detection rotating assembly 4 installed at the movable end of the Y-axis module 2. The first suction cup assembly 3 is used to transfer the pole ear from the material box 5 to the hard table 6, and the direction detection rotating assembly 4 is used to transfer the pole ear from the hard table 6 to the welding table 7. The direction detection rotating assembly 4 includes a rotating member 401, and a second suction cup assembly 402 and a contact sensor 403 jointly fixed at the lower end of the rotating member 401. The second suction cup assembly 402 and the contact sensor 403 simultaneously press down a preset distance toward the pole ear, and control the rotating member to rotate 180° according to the contact electrical signal obtained by the contact sensor 403.

[0025] In this embodiment, a first suction cup assembly 3 and a direction detection rotating assembly 4 are arranged on both sides of the movable end of the Y-axis module 2, and the first suction cup assembly 3 is used to transfer the pole ear from the material box 5 to the hard table surface 6 to prepare for subsequent contact detection. Then, the second suction cup assembly 402 and the contact sensor 403 are used to simultaneously press down the pole ear by a preset distance, and the rotating part is controlled to spin 180° or not spin according to the contact electrical signal obtained by the contact sensor 403. Finally, the pole ear with the corrected direction is sent to the welding station 7, which effectively improves the accuracy of the detection.

[0026] The above-mentioned direction detection rotating assembly 4 can be any device including a rotating member 401, a second suction cup assembly 402 and a contact sensor 403. This embodiment provides a reference example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the direction detection rotating assembly 4 also includes a first fixed plate 404 fixedly connected to the movable end of the Y-axis module 2, the other end of the first fixed plate 404 is vertically fixed to the connecting plate 405, the other end of the connecting plate 405 is vertically fixed to the second fixed plate 406, the rotating member 401 is fixedly connected to the second fixed plate 406, and the rotating member 401 is still in the same straight line with the first fixed plate 404 after installation.

[0027] In a better solution, Figure 4As shown, the rotating member 401 includes a rotating seat 4011 and a rotating cylinder 4012, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the second fixed plate 406, a rotating shaft 4013 is arranged at the axial position of the rotating seat 4011, a gear 4014 is fixedly connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 4013, a second suction cup assembly 402 and a contact sensor 403 are fixedly connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 4013, and a rack 4015 meshing with the gear 4014 is arranged on the upper end surface of the movable end of the rotating cylinder 4012. In this scheme, the rack 4015 is driven to move linearly by the rotating cylinder 4012, thereby driving the gear 4014 to rotate, driving the rotating shaft 4013, the second suction cup assembly 402 and the contact sensor 403 to rotate synchronously, and realizing the rotation of the pole ear.

[0028] Note that the above-mentioned rotary cylinder 4012 is named because it contributes to the final rotational property of the device. It is actually a linear cylinder and cannot directly provide torque.

[0029] In a better solution, Figure 4 As shown, the second suction cup assembly 402 includes a suction cup bracket 4021 fixed at the lower end of the rotating seat 4011, a suction cup fixing block 4022 is installed at the lower end of the suction cup bracket 4021, and suction cups 4023 are installed at the two distal ends of the suction cup fixing block 4022, and the middle part of the suction cup fixing block 4022 extends away from the suction cup bracket 4021 to form a sensor fixing block 4024, and the contact sensor 403 is installed on the sensor fixing block 4024, and the suction cup 4023 and the contact sensor 403 are located in the same horizontal plane. In this scheme, the two suction cups 4023 are in the same straight line, but the two suction cups 4023 and the contact sensor 403 cannot be in the same straight line to adapt to the structure of the pole ear after the glue is applied. When the suction cup 4023 presses down to absorb one side of the pole ear, the contact sensor 403 will contact the other side of the pole ear, which is manifested as only one of the suction cup 4023 and the contact sensor 403 can contact the pole ear glue at the same time.

[0030] In a better solution, Figure 4 As shown, the rotating shaft 4013 is a hollow structure, a swivel joint 4016 is installed at the upper end of the rotating shaft 4013, a diverter block 4017 is installed at the lower end of the rotating seat 4011, the air outlet of the diverter block 4017 is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 4013, and the air inlet of the diverter block 4017 is connected to the negative pressure port of the suction cup 4023. This solution reduces the volume of the device by setting the rotating shaft 4013 as a hollow structure and connecting the diverter block 4017 with the rotating shaft.

[0031] Considering that the rack 4015 may be over-propelled by the thrust of the rotating cylinder 4012, it is optional, such as Figure 4As shown, a buffer seat 407 is fixed on one end of the second fixed plate 406 away from the connecting plate 405, and a buffer 408 is provided on the side of the buffer seat 407 close to the rack 4015. The buffer 408 limits the final reachable position of the rack 4015 on the one hand, and also provides a certain buffer.

[0032] As another important invention of the present invention, the above-mentioned contact sensor 403 can be selected as a single displacement sensor, and the contact sensor 403 can also be selected as a pair of resistance probes.

[0033] Embodiment 2

[0034] The present embodiment discloses a method for detecting and controlling the rotation of a tab direction, which is used for the tab adsorption mechanism using a displacement sensor, and includes the following steps: the second suction cup assembly 402 and the displacement sensor are simultaneously pressed down toward the tab by a preset distance, and the displacement amount is obtained by the displacement sensor. If the displacement amount is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is the correct direction, and the rotating member 401 does not spin, and is transferred to the welding station 7 through the X-axis module 1 and the Y-axis module 2. If the displacement amount is less than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is the opposite direction, and the rotating member 401 is controlled to spin 180°, and then transferred to the welding station 7 through the X-axis module 1 and the Y-axis module 2.

[0035] Embodiment 3

[0036] A method for detecting and controlling the rotation of a tab direction is used for the tab adsorption mechanism using a resistance probe, comprising the following steps: a second suction cup assembly and a resistance probe are simultaneously pressed down toward the tab by a preset distance, and a resistance value is obtained by the resistance probe. If the resistance value is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is in the correct direction, and the rotating member 401 does not spin, and is transferred to the soldering station 7 through the X-axis module 1 and the Y-axis module 2. If the resistance value is less than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is in the opposite direction, and the rotating member 401 is controlled to spin 180°, and then transferred to the soldering station 7 through the X-axis module 1 and the Y-axis module 2.

[0037] Working principle:

[0038] When the tab is loaded onto the welding station 7 for welding, the side of the adhesive must be close to the welding area, and the direction of the tab needs to be determined and corrected.

[0039] When the tabs are welded to the battery core, the side with the tab glue must be welded, and the tabs in the material box 5 are stacked in an interlaced manner, resulting in half of the outer tabs being in the opposite direction to the requirements. At this time, it is necessary to first determine the direction of the outer tabs, correct the direction, and then load the material. The first way to implement this mechanism in the structure of tab adsorption and loading is to use a high-precision displacement sensor to measure the height difference between the tab glue-attached part and the unattached part, determine the direction of the outer tab, and correct the direction through a rotating mechanism before loading. Another implementation method is that a pair of probes are provided in the structure of the outer tab adsorption and loading. During adsorption, the probes are used to contact the outer tabs. When contacting the tab glue, the two probes are not connected because the tab glue is insulated, and are in an open circuit state; when contacting the tabs, because the positive and negative outer tabs are made of aluminum and copper-plated nickel, respectively, the two probes are connected, which is a pass state. Thereby, the direction of the outer tab is determined, and the direction is corrected through a rotating mechanism before loading.

[0040] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable ordinary technicians in the field to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and they cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made based on the essence of the content of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tab adsorption mechanism, characterized in that: It includes an X-axis module, a Y-axis module installed at the movable end of the X-axis module, and a first suction cup assembly and a direction detection rotating assembly installed at the movable end of the Y-axis module, wherein the first suction cup assembly is used to transfer the tab from the material box to the hard table, and the direction detection rotating assembly is used to transfer the tab from the hard table to the welding table, and the direction detection rotating assembly includes a rotating member, and a second suction cup assembly and a contact sensor jointly fixed at the lower end of the rotating member, wherein the second suction cup assembly and the contact sensor are simultaneously pressed down toward the tab by a preset distance, and the rotating member is controlled to spin 180° or not to spin according to the contact electrical signal obtained by the contact sensor; The direction detection rotating assembly also includes a first fixed plate fixedly connected to the movable end of the Y-axis module, the other end of the first fixed plate is vertically fixed to the connecting plate, the other end of the connecting plate is vertically fixed to the second fixed plate, and the rotating member is fixedly connected to the second fixed plate; The rotating member comprises a rotating seat and a rotating cylinder, wherein the rotating seat and the rotating cylinder are respectively arranged on both sides of the second fixed plate, a rotating shaft is arranged at the axial center position of the rotating seat, a gear is fixedly connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft, the second suction cup assembly and the contact sensor are fixedly connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and a rack meshing with the gear is arranged on the upper end surface of the movable end of the rotating cylinder; The second suction cup assembly includes a suction cup bracket fixed at the lower end of the rotating seat, a suction cup fixing block is installed at the lower end of the suction cup bracket, suction cups are installed at two distal ends of the suction cup fixing block, and the middle part of the suction cup fixing block extends away from the suction cup bracket to form a sensor fixing block. The contact sensor is installed on the sensor fixing block, and the suction cup and the contact sensor are located in the same plane.

2. The tab adsorption mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating shaft is a hollow structure, a swivel joint is installed at the upper end of the rotating shaft, a diverter block is installed at the lower end of the rotating seat, the air outlet of the diverter block is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft, and the air inlet of the diverter block is connected to the negative pressure port of the suction cup.

3. The tab adsorption mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A buffer seat is fixed on one end of the second fixing plate away from the connecting plate, and a buffer is arranged on one side of the buffer seat close to the rack.

4. The tab adsorption mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact sensor is a single displacement sensor.

5. The tab adsorption mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact sensor is a pair of resistance probes.

6. A method for detecting and controlling the rotation of a tab direction, used for the tab adsorption mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: the second suction cup assembly and the displacement sensor are simultaneously pressed down toward the tab by a preset distance, and the displacement amount is obtained by the displacement sensor. If the displacement amount is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is the correct direction, and the rotating part does not spin, and is transferred to the welding station through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module. If the displacement amount is less than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is the opposite direction, and the rotating part is controlled to spin 180°, and then is transferred to the welding station through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module.

7. A method for detecting and controlling the rotation of a tab direction, used for the tab adsorption mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: the second suction cup assembly and the resistance probe are simultaneously pressed down toward the tab by a preset distance, and the resistance value is obtained by the resistance probe; if the resistance value is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is in the correct direction, and the rotating part does not spin, and is transferred to the soldering station through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module; if the resistance value is less than the preset value, it is determined that the current direction of the tab is in the opposite direction, and the rotating part is controlled to spin 180°, and then is transferred to the soldering station through the X-axis module and the Y-axis module.

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