A multifunctional clamping device for end plates and insulating covers of battery modules

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and the insulating cover of a battery cell module, which solves the technical problem in the prior art of using multiple sets of clamps to achieve different states of the end plate and the insulating cover, resulting in a high cost of the clamps. The device comprises a connecting arm for connecting to a robot arm; a base plate connected to the connecting arm; a clamping module, which is arranged on the side of the base plate away from the connecting arm. The clamping module comprises a combined clamping unit and an insulating cover adsorption unit arranged at intervals. The combined clamping unit is used to clamp the end plate alone or to clamp the stacked end plate and the insulating cover in combination. The insulating cover adsorption unit is used to adsorb the insulating cover. A set of clamping devices is used to realize the clamping operation of the end plate and the insulating cover in different states. A production line only needs a set of multifunctional clamping devices using the present application and a set of corresponding robot arms to realize related work in the assembly operation of the end plate and the insulating cover.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of new energy battery preparation equipment, and in particular to a multifunctional clamping device for an end plate and an insulating cover of a battery cell module. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, my country has vigorously developed the new energy industry. With the vigorous development of the new energy vehicle industry, the demand for power battery production capacity has increased, and the convenience, efficiency and safety of related supporting automation equipment have also become crucial.

[0003] Before the battery cell module is fully processed, it is composed of multiple battery cells, which are mechanically stacked and arranged in sequence by humans or robots. The arranged battery cell module needs to have end plates and insulating covers inserted at both ends. In the past, the manufacturing process of inserting the end plates and insulating covers separately was adopted, but this will make it difficult to ensure the consistency of the components inserted first when subsequent components are inserted, which in turn affects the performance of the battery cell. Therefore, a common insertion method is generally adopted now. Since the end plate and the insulating cover are two different materials, they need to be loaded from different loading lines, and then the two are positioned and stacked on the positioning device, and then inserted into the end position of the battery cell module in a stacked state at the same time. In the existing technology, the end plate, insulating cover and the stacked state of the end plate and insulating cover are treated as three products, and three different clamps are used for clamping. The cost of the clamp usually includes the cost of the clamp itself and the cost of the matching robot arm. This leads to a significant increase in the cost of the clamp required for production. In order to reduce costs, it is necessary to use more efficient clamps. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on the above description, the present invention provides a multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and insulating cover of a battery cell module to solve the technical problem in the prior art of using multiple sets of clamps to achieve different states of the end plate and insulating cover, resulting in high clamp costs.

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

[0006] A multifunctional clamping device for an end plate and an insulating cover of a battery cell module, comprising:

[0007] A connecting arm, used for connecting with a robot arm;

[0008] a substrate connected to the connecting arm;

[0009] A clamping module is arranged on the side of the substrate away from the connecting arm. The clamping module includes a combined clamping unit and an insulating cover adsorption unit arranged at intervals. The combined clamping unit is used to clamp the end plate alone or to clamp the stacked end plate and insulating cover in combination. The insulating cover adsorption unit is used to adsorb the insulating cover.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0011] The multifunctional clamping device provided by the present application is connected to the robot arm by a connecting arm, and a combined clamping unit and an insulating cover adsorption unit are arranged on the base plate, wherein the combined clamping unit clamps the end plate individually or clamps the stacked end plate and insulating cover in combination according to actual needs, and the insulating cover adsorption unit is used to adsorb the insulating cover individually. A set of clamping devices is used to realize the clamping operation of the end plate and the insulating cover under different states. A production line only needs a set of multifunctional clamping devices using the present application and a set of corresponding robot arms to realize the related work in the assembly operation of the end plate and the insulating cover.

[0012] On the basis of the above technical solution, the present invention can also be improved as follows.

[0013] Furthermore, two clamping modules are provided on the substrate, the connecting arm is connected to the middle part of the substrate, the two clamping modules are arranged in parallel along the first axial direction of the substrate, and the combined clamping unit and the insulating cover adsorption unit of each clamping module are arranged at intervals along the second axial direction of the substrate, and the first axial direction and the second axial direction are both parallel to the substrate surface and perpendicular to each other.

[0014] Furthermore, the combined clamping unit includes an end plate clamping assembly and an insulating cover pressing assembly, the end plate clamping assembly includes a finger cylinder and two clamping members, the finger cylinder is installed on the base plate and has two pistons that can approach or move away from each other in a first axial direction, the clamping members are connected to the pistons one by one and are used to cooperate in clamping the end of the end plate, and the insulating cover pressing assembly is used to fix the insulating cover to the side of the end plate clamped by the two clamping members.

[0015] Furthermore, the clamping member includes a connecting arm and a clamping arm arranged in a right-angle structure, the connecting arm is arranged along a first axial direction, and the clamping arm extends in a direction perpendicular to the base plate and is located at ends of the two connecting arms that are away from each other.

[0016] Furthermore, a first buffer pad is provided on the opposite side of the clamping arm.

[0017] Furthermore, the insulating cover clamping assembly includes two clamping structures, each of the clamping structures having a first driving member, a second driving member, a sliding mounting seat and a clamping arm, the sliding mounting seat being slidably mounted on the connecting arm along a first axial direction, one end of the clamping arm being slidably mounted on the sliding mounting seat along a second axial direction, and the other end extending along the length direction of the clamping arm, the first driving member being used to drive the sliding mounting seat to slide, and the second driving member being used to drive the clamping arm to slide.

[0018] Furthermore, a second buffer pad is provided on the opposite side of the pressing arm.

[0019] Furthermore, the clamping structure also includes a limiting rod and a limiting fork, one end of the limiting rod is connected to the clamping arm, the limiting fork is arranged on the sliding mounting seat, the limiting fork has a limiting groove arranged along the first axial direction, and the other end of the limiting rod extends into the limiting groove.

[0020] Furthermore, each of the clamping modules also includes a straightening assembly, which includes a straightening cylinder and a straightening member. The straightening cylinder is fixed on the base plate, and the straightening member is arranged at the driving end of the straightening cylinder. The straightening cylinder can drive the straightening member to move closer to or away from the base plate, and the side of the straightening member away from the base plate has a straightening plane corresponding to the side end of the end plate and the insulating cover.

[0021] Furthermore, the pushing assembly and the insulating cover adsorption unit are respectively located on both sides of the combined clamping unit along the second axial direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a multifunctional clamping device for a battery module end plate and an insulating cover provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the front view structure;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the clamping module in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a combined clamping unit in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the clamping member in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the insulation cover pressing assembly in the embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a state in which a combined clamping unit clamps a stacked end plate and an insulating cover in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the end plate and the insulating cover in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To facilitate understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings provide embodiments of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0032] It will be understood that spatial relational terms such as "under", "beneath", "below", "under", "above", "above", etc., may be used herein to describe the relationship of an element or feature shown in the figures to other elements or features. It will be understood that in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, spatial relational terms also include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, the element or feature described as "under the other elements" or "under it" or "below it" will be oriented as "on" the other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary terms "under" and "under" may include both upper and lower orientations. In addition, the device may also include alternative orientations (e.g., rotated 90° or other orientations), and the spatial descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0033] It should be noted that when an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or connected to the other element through an intermediate element. In the following embodiments, "connection" should be understood as "electrical connection", "communication connection", etc., if the connected circuits, modules, units, etc. can transmit electrical signals or data to each other.

[0034] When used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" may also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "include / comprise" or "have" and the like specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0035] The embodiment of the present application provides a multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and the insulating cover of a battery module, which is mainly used to clamp the battery module under various working conditions. Figure 8 The end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 are shown. Figure 1 Combine Figure 7As shown, it includes a connecting arm 10 , a base plate 20 and a clamping module 30 .

[0036] The connecting arm 10 is used to connect to a robot arm (not shown in the figure). The connecting arm is a hollow cylindrical structure, and a flange is provided at its end to be fixed to the robot arm.

[0037] In this embodiment, the base plate 20 is a rectangular plate, which serves as a supporting structure for the entire multifunctional clamping device.

[0038] The clamping module 30 is the main working part of the clamping device. At least one is provided on the side of the substrate 20 away from the connecting arm 10. In this embodiment, in order to improve working efficiency, two clamping modules 30 are provided on the substrate 20. The connecting arm 10 is connected to the middle of the substrate 20. The two clamping modules 30 are arranged along the first axial direction of the substrate 20 (i.e. Figure 2 X-axis direction) are arranged in parallel.

[0039] The clamping module 30 includes a combined clamping unit 310 and an insulating cover adsorption unit 320 arranged at intervals. The combined clamping unit 310 is used to clamp the end plate 100 alone or to clamp the stacked end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 in combination. The insulating cover adsorption unit 320 is used to adsorb the insulating cover 200. The combined clamping unit 310 and the insulating cover adsorption unit 320 of each clamping module 30 are arranged along the second axial direction of the substrate 20 (i.e. Figure 2 The X-axis and Y-axis are parallel to the surface of the substrate 20 and perpendicular to each other.

[0040] Among them, combined Figures 3 to 6 As shown, the combined clamping unit 310 includes an end plate clamping assembly 311 and an insulation cover pressing assembly 314 .

[0041] Specifically, the end plate clamping assembly 311 includes a finger cylinder 312 and two clamping members 313. The finger cylinder 312 is installed on the base plate 20 and has two pistons 3121 that can approach or move away from each other in the first axial direction. The clamping members 313 are connected to the pistons 3121 one by one and are used to cooperate with the left and right ends of the end plate 100 to clamp the end plate 100. The insulating cover 312 clamping assembly is used to fix the insulating cover 200 to the side of the end plate 100 clamped by the two clamping members 313.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present application, the clamping member 313 includes a connecting arm 3131 and a clamping arm 3132 arranged in a right-angle structure, the connecting arm 3131 is arranged along the X-axis, the clamping arm 3132 extends in a direction perpendicular to the substrate 20 and is located at the opposite ends of the two connecting arms 3131, that is, the two connecting arms 3131 extend to the left and right sides respectively, and the clamping arms 3132 are respectively located at the left and right ends of the left and right connecting arms.

[0043] The end plate clamping assembly 311 is a common pneumatic clamping structure, that is, when the two pistons 3121 of the finger cylinder 312 move away from each other, the clamping structure opens, and when they move closer together, the clamping structure clamps. It is used to clamp the end plate 100 alone or to clamp part of the end plate 100 when the end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 are stacked.

[0044] In order to effectively protect the side surface of the end plate 100 , a first buffer pad 3133 is provided on the opposite side of the clamping arm 3132 .

[0045] The insulating cover pressing assembly 314 includes two pressing structures, each of which has a first driving member 3141 , a second driving member 3142 , a sliding mounting seat 3143 and a pressing arm 3144 .

[0046] The sliding mounting seat 3143 is slidably mounted on the connecting arm 10 along the X-axis, and one end of the clamping arm 3144 is slidably mounted on the sliding mounting seat 3143 along the Y-axis. In this application, the above-mentioned sliding mounting is realized by a linear slide rail, and the other end extends along the length direction of the clamping arm 3132, that is, the clamping arm 3144 is arranged parallel to the clamping arm 3132. The first driving member 3141 is used to drive the sliding mounting seat 3143 to slide, and the second driving member 3142 is used to drive the clamping arm 3144 to slide.

[0047] The insulating cover clamping assembly 314 can determine the position of the clamping arm 3144 according to actual working requirements. For example, when the end plate clamping assembly 311 is required to clamp the end plate 100 from the end plate feeding line, at this time, the first driving member 3141 drives the sliding mounting seat 3143 to move away from each other, and the second driving member 3142 drives the clamping arm 3144 to move away from the clamping arm 3132, so that the end plate 100 can be clamped out of the working space separately. When it is necessary to clamp the stacked end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 in combination, after the end plate 100 is clamped, the first driving member 3141 drives the sliding mounting seat 3143 to move closer to each other, and the second driving member 3142 drives the clamping arm 3144 to move closer to the clamping arm 3132. The end of the clamping arm 3144 presses the insulating cover 200 onto the plate surface of the end plate 100. Figure 7 shown.

[0048] In order to effectively protect the side surface of the insulating cover 200 , a second buffer pad 3145 is provided on the side opposite to the pressing arm 3144 .

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, in order to effectively limit the movement range of the clamping arm 3144, the clamping structure also includes a limiting rod 3146 and a limiting fork 3147. One end of the limiting rod 3146 is connected to the clamping arm 3132, and the limiting fork 3147 is arranged on the 3143 sliding mounting seat 3143. The limiting fork 3147 has a limiting groove arranged along the first axial direction. The other end of the limiting rod 3146 extends into the limiting groove. The limiting rod can only move within the range limited by the limiting groove, thereby ensuring that the clamping arm 3144 slides within the predetermined movement range.

[0050] In an embodiment of the present application, the insulation cover adsorption unit 320 includes a mounting frame 321 and an insulation cover suction cup 322 connected to the mounting frame 321, and the insulation cover is adsorbed separately by the insulation cover suction cup.

[0051] Since there is no stable connection structure between the end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 when they are inserted into the battery cell module, the end plate 100 or the insulating cover 200 may be misplaced and become uneven during the insertion process. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, each clamping module 30 also includes a straightening component 330, and the straightening component 330 includes a straightening cylinder 331 and a straightening member 332. The straightening cylinder 331 is fixed on the substrate 20, and the straightening member 332 is arranged at the driving end of the straightening cylinder 331. The straightening cylinder 331 can drive the straightening member 332 to approach or move away from the substrate 20. The side of the straightening member 332 away from the substrate 20 has a straightening plane 3321 corresponding to the side end of the end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200.

[0052] When the end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 are inserted into the battery cell module, the pushing cylinder 331 drives the pushing member 332 close to the base plate 20, and the pushing plane 3321 pushes the end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 into the gap at the end of the battery cell module, and ensures that the side end surface is flat with the battery cell module.

[0053] The present application adopts a set of clamping devices to realize the clamping operation of the end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 in different states. Specifically, the end plate clamping assembly 311 can realize the clamping of the end plate 100 and take materials from the end plate loading line when working alone, and the insulating cover adsorption unit 320 can realize the adsorption of the insulating cover and take materials from the insulating cover loading line when working alone. The individually clamped end plate 100 and the individually adsorbed insulating cover 200 can be moved to the positioning device, and the end plate and the insulating cover are placed in the positioning device and the positioning operation is completed. Then, the end plate clamping assembly 311 and the insulating cover pressing assembly 314 can work in combination to remove the stacked end plate 100 and the insulating cover 200 from the positioning device and insert them into the battery cell module. A production line only needs a set of multifunctional clamping devices using the present application and a set of corresponding robot arms to realize the related work in the end plate and insulating cover assembly operation, which greatly saves the cost of the fixture.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multifunctional clamping device for a battery module end plate and an insulating cover, characterized in that: include: A connecting arm, used for connecting with a robot arm; a substrate connected to the connecting arm; A clamping module is provided on a side of the base plate away from the connecting arm, the clamping module comprising a combined clamping unit and an insulating cover adsorption unit arranged at intervals, the combined clamping unit being used to clamp the end plate alone or to clamp the stacked end plate and insulating cover in combination, and the insulating cover adsorption unit being used to adsorb the insulating cover; The combined clamping unit includes an end plate clamping assembly and an insulating cover pressing assembly, the end plate clamping assembly includes a finger cylinder and two clamping members, the finger cylinder is mounted on the base plate and has two pistons that can move closer to or farther away from each other in a first axial direction, the clamping members are connected to the pistons in a one-to-one correspondence and are used to cooperate in clamping the end of the end plate, and the insulating cover pressing assembly is used to fix the insulating cover to the side of the end plate clamped by the two clamping members; The insulating cover clamping assembly includes two clamping structures, each of which has a first driving member, a second driving member, a sliding mounting seat and a clamping arm. The sliding mounting seat is slidably mounted on the connecting arm along the first axial direction, one end of the clamping arm is slidably mounted on the sliding mounting seat along the second axial direction, and the other end extends along the length direction of the clamping arm. The first driving member is used to drive the sliding mounting seat to slide, and the second driving member is used to drive the clamping arm to slide.

2. The multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and insulation cover of the battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two clamping modules are provided on the substrate, the connecting arm is connected to the middle part of the substrate, the two clamping modules are arranged in parallel along the first axial direction of the substrate, and the combined clamping unit and the insulating cover adsorption unit of each clamping module are arranged at intervals along the second axial direction of the substrate. The first axial direction and the second axial direction are both parallel to the substrate surface and perpendicular to each other.

3. The multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and insulation cover of the battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping member includes a connecting arm and a clamping arm arranged in a right-angle structure. The connecting arm is arranged along a first axial direction. The clamping arm extends in a direction perpendicular to the base plate and is located at ends of the two connecting arms that are away from each other.

4. The multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and the insulating cover of the battery module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The opposite side of the clamping arm has a first buffer pad.

5. The multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and the insulating cover of the battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opposite side of the clamping arm has a second buffer pad.

6. The multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and insulation cover of the battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping structure also includes a limiting rod and a limiting fork, one end of the limiting rod is connected to the clamping arm, the limiting fork is arranged on the sliding mounting seat, the limiting fork has a limiting groove arranged along the first axial direction, and the other end of the limiting rod extends into the limiting groove.

7. The multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and insulation cover of the battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the clamping modules also includes a straightening assembly, which includes a straightening cylinder and a straightening member. The straightening cylinder is fixed on the base plate, and the straightening member is arranged at the driving end of the straightening cylinder. The straightening cylinder can drive the straightening member to move closer to or away from the base plate. The side of the straightening member away from the base plate has a straightening plane corresponding to the side end of the end plate and the insulating cover.

8. The multifunctional clamping device for the end plate and the insulating cover of the battery module according to claim 7, characterized in that: The pushing assembly and the insulating cover adsorption unit are respectively located on both sides of the combined clamping unit along the second axial direction.

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