Battery cell envelope production ring and battery production system

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of battery production, in particular to a battery cell film production ring line and a battery production system. The battery cell film production ring line comprises a magnetic suspension conveying line, a Mylar film side plate feeding unit, a battery cell feeding unit, a film wrapping unit and a discharging unit. The magnetic suspension conveying line comprises a conveying line body and a mover. The conveying line body is surrounded to form a closed ring line, and a hollow passage is formed below the conveying line body, which connects the inside and outside of the conveying line body. Alternatively, the conveying line body is surrounded to form an open ring line with a notch part. The conveying line body comprises an upper return line and a lower return line arranged below the upper return line. The notch part is arranged between the two ends of the upper return line and the two ends of the lower return line, and connects the inside and outside of the conveying line body. The battery cell film production ring line and the battery production system improve the space utilization of the battery cell film production ring line, facilitate feeding and discharging of each station, and shorten the feeding and discharging path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery manufacturing technology, and in particular to a cell coating production line and battery manufacturing system. Background Technology

[0002] With the long-term development of electronic devices, the market demand for prismatic blade batteries has increased dramatically. Most high-speed production lines in the industry achieve high capacity by stacking more workstations. At the same time, the transfer of products between workstations has become a bottleneck for the equipment. In addition, the equipment occupies a large area, and the workstations and stations are numerous and densely distributed, making maintenance and repair inconvenient. How to solve the above technical problems and improve the capacity of prismatic blade battery production lines has become an urgent problem to be solved in this field.

[0003] For example, current production lines for packaging Mylar films for prismatic blade batteries have many assembly steps, resulting in long production line distances and making the return of assembly fixtures difficult. Current fixture return typically employs two methods: one is a double-layer conveyor line (e.g., in factories with limited space), where a fixture return line of the same length as the production conveyor line is placed above or below it, and the fixtures returned via this line are then sent back to the production conveyor line for further processing, thus creating a cycle. The other method is a loop conveyor (e.g., in factories with larger space), where the production conveyor line and the fixture return line form a closed loop. However, both methods require a large area, have low space utilization, and require loading and unloading at each station on the production conveyor line to detour through the closed loop conveyor line, impacting production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a cell coating production loop line and battery production system, thereby solving the technical problems in the prior art where the capacity of the Mylar film production line for square blade battery packs needs to be increased, and the space utilization rate of the fixtures is low when they are conveyed by double-layer conveyor lines or by loop conveyor lines, and the loading and unloading of materials at each station of the production conveyor line requires detouring around the closed-loop conveyor line, which affects the production efficiency.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this application, a battery cell coating production loop is provided, comprising a magnetic levitation conveyor line, a Mylar film side plate loading unit, a battery cell loading unit, a coating unit, and a unloading unit; the magnetic levitation conveyor line comprises a conveyor body and a mover, the mover being able to move along the conveyor body under the magnetic induction of the conveyor body; the conveyor body is arranged to form a closed loop, and a hollow channel is formed below the conveyor body, the hollow channel connecting the interior and exterior of the conveyor body; the Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor body;

[0006] Alternatively, the conveyor line may be configured as an open loop with a notch. The conveyor line includes an upper return line and a lower return line located below the upper return line. Both ends of the upper return line and both ends of the lower return line are provided with connecting parts. The mover switches positions between the upper and lower return lines via the connecting parts. The notch is provided between the two ends of the upper and lower return lines, and the notch connects the interior and exterior of the conveyor line. The Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line.

[0007] In any of the above technical solutions, further, when the conveyor line is arranged to form a closed loop, at least one side of the closed loop has a recess that is recessed into itself; the hollow channel is formed below the recess.

[0008] Alternatively, when the conveyor line is arranged to form an open loop, a first connection part is provided at the first end of the upper return line and the lower return line, and a second connection part is provided at the second end of the upper return line and the lower return line. The mover moves along the upper return line to the first connection part, the first connection part moves the mover to the lower return line, the mover descends to the lower return line and moves along the lower return line to the second connection part, and the second connection part moves the mover to the upper return line.

[0009] In any of the above technical solutions, the Mylar film side plate loading unit further includes a side plate loading mechanism, a Mylar film feeding mechanism, and a first heat-melting mechanism arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line; the side plate loading mechanism includes a side plate hopper and a side plate robot, the side plate robot being able to grip the side plate from the side plate hopper onto the mover; the Mylar film feeding mechanism includes a Mylar film hopper and a Mylar film robot, the Mylar film robot being able to grip the Mylar film from the Mylar film hopper onto the mover; the first heat-melting mechanism is able to heat-melt and fix the Mylar film and the side plate together.

[0010] In any of the above technical solutions, the cell loading unit further includes a cell loading mechanism and an end plate insertion mechanism arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line; the cell loading mechanism includes a cell loading station and a cell robot, and when the mover carrying Mylar film and side plate flows into the cell loading station, the cell robot can grab the cell to be processed to the predetermined position of the mover; the end plate insertion mechanism includes an end plate hopper and an end plate robot, and the end plate robot can grab the end plate from the end plate hopper and insert the end plate onto the tab of the cell to be processed.

[0011] In any of the above technical solutions, the coating unit further includes a second hot-melt mechanism, a coating mechanism, a third hot-melt mechanism, a fourth hot-melt mechanism, and an adhesive applicator arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line; when the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the second hot-melt mechanism, the second hot-melt mechanism can act on the bottom surface of the battery cell to be processed to heat-melt and fix the Mylar film to the bottom surface of the battery cell to be processed; when the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the coating mechanism, the coating mechanism can bend the portion of the Mylar film that extends beyond the battery cell to be processed sequentially along the outer contour of the battery cell to be processed, so that the Mylar film... The membrane covers the battery cell to be processed for at least one week; when the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the third hot-melt mechanism, the third hot-melt mechanism can act on the top surface of the battery cell to be processed to heat-melt and fix the Mylar membrane to the top surface of the battery cell to be processed; when the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the fourth hot-melt mechanism, the fourth hot-melt mechanism can act on the side of the seam where the Mylar membrane of the battery cell to be processed is located to heat-melt and fix the two ends of the Mylar membrane to the side of the seam respectively; when the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the adhesive applicator, the adhesive applicator can apply insulating adhesive to the outside of the seam of the Mylar membrane.

[0012] In any of the above technical solutions, the number of adhesive application mechanisms is multiple sets, and the multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line, and at least one of the multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms is a spare adhesive application mechanism.

[0013] In any of the above technical solutions, the wrapping unit further includes a first visual inspection unit and a second visual inspection unit disposed downstream of the adhesive application mechanism; the first visual inspection unit is capable of detecting the application quality of the insulating adhesive; the second visual inspection unit is disposed downstream of the first visual inspection unit and is capable of detecting the quality of the hot melt fixing point.

[0014] In any of the above technical solutions, the unloading unit further includes a scanning and error-correcting device, a first dust removal device, and an unloading gripping device arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line; the scanning and error-correcting device includes at least one scanning unit, a defective product storage unit, and a defective product robot arm; the scanning unit can identify the code of the battery cell to be processed and the corresponding code of the mover after passing through the scanning and error-correcting device; the defective product robot arm can transfer the unqualified battery cell to be processed from the mover to the defective product storage unit; the first dust removal device can perform dust removal treatment on the battery cell to be processed after completing the coating process; the unloading gripping device is set at the unloading station and can remove qualified battery cells to be processed from the conveyor line.

[0015] In any of the above technical solutions, the cell coating production loop further includes a branch line buffer mechanism located upstream of the feeding unit and a second dust removal device located upstream of the Mylar film side plate feeding unit; the branch line buffer mechanism includes a branch line buffer vertical silo and a buffer robot, the buffer robot being able to transfer qualified cells to be processed from the mover to the branch line buffer vertical silo; the second dust removal device being able to remove dust from the returned mover.

[0016] According to a second aspect of this application, a battery production system is provided, including the cell coating production loop as described above.

[0017] In any of the above technical solutions, the battery cell loading unit and the unloading unit are respectively located at both ends of the conveyor line in the first direction.

[0018] According to the battery cell coating production loop of this application, the battery cell coating production loop includes a magnetic levitation conveyor line, a Mylar film side plate loading unit, a battery cell loading unit, a coating unit, and a unloading unit. The magnetic levitation conveyor line includes a conveyor body and a mover, the mover being able to move along the conveyor body under the magnetic induction of the conveyor body.

[0019] The conveyor line is arranged to form a closed loop, and a hollow channel is formed below the conveyor line to connect the inside and outside of the conveyor line. The Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the wrapping unit, and the unloading unit are arranged in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveyor line.

[0020] Alternatively, the conveyor line can be configured as an open loop with a notch. The conveyor line includes an upper return line and a lower return line located below the upper return line. Both ends of the upper and lower return lines are equipped with connecting parts, and the mover switches positions between the upper and lower return lines through the connecting parts. Notches are provided between the two ends of the upper and lower return lines, which connect the interior and exterior of the conveyor line. The Mylar film side plate loading unit, the cell loading unit, the wrapping unit, and the unloading unit are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line.

[0021] Based on the above technical features, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows:

[0022] The battery cell coating production loop of this application, on the one hand, replaces the traditional conveyor belt conveyor with a magnetic levitation conveyor loop, and integrates the transport and processing of the assembly line moving fixture. Utilizing the high flexibility, intelligence, modularity, high speed, and high acceleration characteristics of the magnetic levitation system, it effectively improves the transmission efficiency between various workstations on the battery assembly line. On the other hand, the conveyor line body forms a closed loop, and a hollow channel is formed below the conveyor line body, which connects the inside and outside of the conveyor line body (or, the conveyor line body forms an open loop with notches, and notches are provided between the two ends of the upper return line and between the two ends of the lower return line, the notches connecting the conveyor...). (Internal and external conduction of the feed line); Thus, after the mover sequentially passes the battery cell to be processed through the Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit, the mover can be conveyed again to the position of the Mylar film side plate loading unit via the production loop (closed loop / open loop) to realize the circulation of the mover. Compared with the existing conveying method, the above-mentioned hollow channel or gap can facilitate the entry of personnel or materials into the space enclosed by the closed conveyor line. Not only can the space enclosed by the closed loop be used to store materials, improving the space utilization rate of the battery cell coating production loop, but it also facilitates the loading and unloading of materials at each station and shortens the loading and unloading path.

[0023] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the cell coating production loop of this application under a first example;

[0026] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 Enlarged schematic diagram of part A;

[0027] Figure 3 Show Figure 1 Enlarged schematic diagram of part B;

[0028] Figure 4 Show Figure 1 Enlarged schematic diagram of part C;

[0029] Figure 5A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the cell coating production loop of this application is shown in a second example.

[0030] Figure 6 Show Figure 5 Enlarged schematic diagram of part A;

[0031] Figure 7 Show Figure 5 Enlarged schematic diagram of part B;

[0032] Figure 8 Show Figure 5 Enlarged schematic diagram of part C.

[0033] Icons: 10 - First segment; 20 - Second segment; 30 - Third segment; 40 - Fourth segment; 50 - Fifth segment; 51 - Logistics channel; 60 - Sixth segment; 70 - Seventh segment; 80 - Eighth segment; 90 - Turntable section; 110 - Upper return line; 104 - AGV trolley; 105 - First connecting section; 106 - Second connecting section;

[0034] 100-Side plate loading mechanism; 101-Side plate material storage; 102-Side plate robot; 200-Mylar film loading mechanism; 201-Mylar film material storage; 202-Mylar film robot; 203-Mylar film placement area; 204-Side plate placement area; 300-First hot melt mechanism; 400-Cell loading mechanism; 500-End plate insertion mechanism; 501-End plate material storage; 502-End plate robot; 503-End plate preparation area; 600-Second hot melt mechanism; 700-Wrapping mechanism; 800-Third hot melt mechanism; 900-Fourth hot melt mechanism; 1000-Adhesive application mechanism; 1001 - Rubber strip material warehouse; 1100 - First vision inspection department; 1200 - Second vision inspection department; 1300 - Scanning and error correction device; 1302 - Defective product storage department; 1303 - Defective product robot arm; 1400 - First dust removal device; 1500 - Material feeding and gripping device; 1600 - Branch line buffer mechanism; 1601 - Branch line buffer vertical warehouse; 1602 - Buffer robot arm; 1700 - Second dust removal device; 18 - Inspection and maintenance passage; 19 - Waste area; 1801 - Maintenance station; 1802 - Moving robot arm; L1 - First direction; L2 - Second direction. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following detailed embodiments are provided to help the reader gain a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of this application. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely illustrative and is not limited to the order set forth herein; changes that will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of this application are possible, except for operations that must occur in a specific order. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of features known in the art may be omitted.

[0036] The features described herein may be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein have been provided merely to illustrate some of the many feasible ways of implementing the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein that will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application.

[0037] Throughout the specification, when an element (such as a layer, region, or substrate) is described as being "on" another element, "connected to" another element, "bonded to" another element, "on" another element, or "covering" another element, it may be directly "on" another element, "connected to" another element, "bonded to" another element, "on" another element, or "covering" another element, or there may be one or more other elements in between. In contrast, when an element is described as being "directly on" another element, "directly connected to" another element, "directly bonded to" another element, "directly on" another element, or "directly covering" another element, there may be no other elements in between.

[0038] As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any one of the relevant items listed and any combination of any two or more items.

[0039] Although terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used herein to describe individual components, assemblies, regions, layers, or parts, these components, assemblies, regions, layers, or parts are not limited by these terms. Rather, these terms are used only to distinguish one component, assembly, region, layer, or part from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the examples described herein, the first component, assembly, region, layer, or part referred to as the second component, assembly, region, layer, or part may also be referred to as the second component, assembly, region, layer, or part.

[0040] For ease of description, spatial relation terms such as “above,” “upper,” “below,” and “lower” are used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another, as shown in the accompanying drawings. Such spatial relation terms are intended to include not only the orientation depicted in the drawings but also different orientations of the device during use or operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is flipped, an element described as being “above” or “upper” relative to another element will subsequently be “below” or “lower” relative to that other element. Therefore, the term “above” includes both “above” and “below” orientations depending on the spatial orientation of the device. The device may also be positioned in other ways (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relation terms used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0041] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing various examples only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” enumerate the stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof.

[0042] Variations in the shapes shown in the accompanying drawings may occur due to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, the examples described herein are not limited to the specific shapes shown in the accompanying drawings, but include changes in shape that may occur during manufacturing.

[0043] The features of the examples described herein can be combined in various ways that will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application. Furthermore, although the examples described herein have a wide variety of constructions, other constructions are possible, as will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application.

[0044] The first aspect of this application provides a cell coating production loop line, thereby solving the technical problems in the prior art where the production capacity of Mylar film production lines for square blade battery packs urgently needs to be increased, and the space utilization rate of fixtures is low when they are conveyed by double-layer conveyor lines or by loop conveyor lines, and the loading and unloading of materials at each station of the production conveyor line requires detouring around the closed-loop conveyor line, which affects the production efficiency.

[0045] The following reference Figures 1 to 8 Detailed description of a cell coating production loop according to some embodiments of this application.

[0046] The battery cell coating production loop of this application includes a magnetic levitation conveyor line, a Mylar film side plate loading unit, a battery cell loading unit, a coating unit, and a unloading unit. The magnetic levitation conveyor line includes a conveyor body and a mover, which can move along the conveyor body under the magnetic induction of the conveyor body.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown in the first example of a cell coating production loop, the conveyor line is arranged to form a closed loop, and a hollow channel is formed below the conveyor line to connect the inside and outside of the conveyor line; the Mylar film side plate loading unit, cell loading unit, coating unit and unloading unit are arranged in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveyor line.

[0048] Or, such as Figure 5 As shown (a second example of a cell coating production loop), the conveyor line is arranged as an open loop with a notch. The conveyor line includes an upper return line and a lower return line located below the upper return line. Both ends of the upper return line and both ends of the lower return line are provided with connecting parts. The mover switches positions between the upper return line and the lower return line through the connecting parts. Notches are provided between the two ends of the upper return line and between the two ends of the lower return line, which connect the inside and outside of the conveyor line. The Mylar film side plate loading unit, the cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line.

[0049] Combining the two examples of the battery cell coating production loop above, on the one hand, this application replaces the traditional conveyor belt conveyor with a magnetic levitation conveyor loop, and integrates the transport and processing of the assembly line moving fixture. Utilizing the high flexibility, intelligence, modularity, high speed, and high acceleration characteristics of the magnetic levitation system, it effectively improves the transmission efficiency between various workstations on the battery assembly line. On the other hand, the conveyor line body forms a closed loop, and a hollow channel is formed below the conveyor line body, which connects the inside and outside of the conveyor line body (or, the conveyor line body forms an open loop with notches, with notches between the two ends of the upper return line and between the two ends of the lower return line). The opening connects the inside and outside of the conveyor line. Thus, after the mover sequentially passes the Mylar film side plate loading unit, the cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit, the mover can be transported again to the Mylar film side plate loading unit via the production loop (closed loop / open loop) to achieve the circulation of the mover. Compared with the existing conveying method, the above-mentioned hollowed-out channel / gap makes it easier for personnel or materials to enter the space enclosed by the closed conveyor line. This not only allows the space enclosed by the closed loop to store materials and improves the space utilization rate of the cell coating production loop, but also facilitates loading and unloading at each station and shortens the loading and unloading path.

[0050] It should be noted that the aforementioned magnetic levitation transport line can be understood as a magnetic levitation transport device that uses the principle of magnetic levitation to achieve transmission (for example, the magnetic levitation transport device and magnetic levitation transport line disclosed in Chinese patent document CN220299746U). The transmission principle and transmission structure of this device are existing technologies in the field and will not be described in detail here.

[0051] In the embodiments of this application, such as Figures 1 to 8 As shown, in the conveying direction perpendicular to the conveyor line, the size of the mover is larger than the width of the conveyor line, so that both ends of the mover extend beyond the conveyor line. In this way, on the one hand, the carrying space for the operation can be expanded; on the other hand, when the battery cell to be processed is placed on the mover, the battery cell to be processed can extend relative to the conveyor line, so that the processing equipment on the conveyor line can act on the battery cell to be processed.

[0052] Based on this, when the battery cell to be processed is placed on the mover, the two poles of the battery cell to be processed are positioned opposite each other at both ends of the battery cell in a predetermined direction. The predetermined direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor line. In other words, when the battery cell to be processed is placed on the mover, the two poles (i.e., the positive pole and the negative pole) of the battery cell to be processed can extend out to both sides of the conveyor line in a direction perpendicular to its conveying direction.

[0053] As an example, the aforementioned mover may include a conveying section and a fixture section connected to each other. The mover is conveyed and connected to the aforementioned conveyor line via the conveying section, and the fixture section is used to place the aforementioned battery cell to be processed. Correspondingly, the dimension of the fixture section in the conveying direction perpendicular to the closed conveyor line may be larger than the width of the conveyor line to ensure the stability of the mover carrying the battery cell to be processed.

[0054] The following will refer to Figures 1 to 4 A first example of the cell coating production loop of this application is described in detail, and references are made to... Figures 5 to 8 A second example of the cell coating production loop of this application is described in detail.

[0055] like Figures 1 to 4 In the first example, when the conveyor line is arranged to form a closed loop in the cell coating production loop:

[0056] In a closed loop, at least one side of the closed loop has a recess that curves inward, and a perforated channel is formed below the recess. As an example, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the closed loop can form a U-shape, and a hollow channel can be formed below the concave part of the U-shape. Thus, the U-shaped closed loop can not only adapt to the shape of most factory buildings, but also further reduce the area occupied by the closed loop conveyor line. Therefore, the area saved by the concave part of the U-shape can be used as a logistics channel 51 outside the loop (e.g., Figure 1As shown, the hollow channel can be the hollow area at the bottom of the loop line, through which personnel or materials can enter the hollow channel (and storage area) via the logistics channel 51, in order to further improve the space utilization of the closed-loop conveyor line.

[0057] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the U-shaped closed loop includes a first segment 10, a second segment 20, a third segment 30, a fourth segment 40, a fifth segment 50, a sixth segment 60, a seventh segment 70, and an eighth segment 80 connected sequentially. The first segment 10, the third segment 30, the fifth segment 50, and the seventh segment 70 all extend along a first direction L1, while the second segment 20, the fourth segment 40, and the sixth segment 60 all extend along a second direction L2. The second direction L2 is perpendicular to the first direction L1. Therefore, a hollow channel can be formed below the fifth segment 50.

[0058] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, any two connected segments of the first segment 10, the second segment 20, the third segment 30, the fourth segment 40, the fifth segment 50, the sixth segment 60, the seventh segment 70, and the eighth segment 80 are connected via a turntable 90.

[0059] Optionally, the aforementioned turntable 90 may be a rotary disk driven by a rotary motor.

[0060] The specific structures of the Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit in the closed loop of this application will be described in detail below.

[0061] In the first example of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the Mylar film side plate loading unit includes side plate loading mechanisms 100 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. Figure 1 middle Its arrangement is on the first section 10), Mylar membrane feeding mechanism 200 (Mylar membrane feeding mechanism 200) Figure 1 middle It is arranged on the first section 10) and the first hot melt mechanism 300 (first hot melt mechanism 300) Figure 1 middle It is arranged on the second section 20).

[0062] Among them, such as Figure 2 As shown, the side plate loading mechanism 100 includes a side plate storage bin 101 for storing side plates and a side plate robot 102. When an empty mover is delivered to the side plate loading mechanism 100, the side plate robot 102 can grab the side plate from the side plate storage bin 101 onto the mover.

[0063] Among them, such as Figure 2As shown, the Mylar film feeding mechanism 200 includes a Mylar film storage bin 201 for storing Mylar film and a Mylar film robot 202 (Mylar film, also known as Mylar film). After the side plate feeding mechanism 100 completes its operation, when the mover is conveyed to the Mylar film feeding mechanism 200, the Mylar film robot 202 can grab the Mylar film from the Mylar film storage bin 201 onto the mover.

[0064] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, after the Mylar film feeding mechanism 200 completes its operation, when the mover is conveyed to the first heat-melting mechanism 300, the first heat-melting mechanism 300 can heat-melt and fix the Mylar film and the side plate.

[0065] In this example, not shown in the figure, the first hot-melt mechanism 300 can be a hot-melt machine. This machine can include a heating head and a moving mechanism that drives the heating head. When the hot-melt machine starts working, the moving mechanism drives the heating head to act on the Mylar film, causing the Mylar film to partially melt under the action of the heating head and adhere to the object to be fixed (e.g., a side plate, a battery cell to be processed), thus fixing the Mylar film. It should be noted that the hot-melt machine is a prior art product, and its driving structure and hot-melt principle are also prior art, and will not be described further here.

[0066] In this example, such as Figure 1 As shown, both the Mylar film silo 201 and the side plate silo 101 can be located inside the first section 10. Thus, the first section 10 and the fifth section 50 face each other, and the aforementioned perforated channel can directly connect to the Mylar film silo 201 and the side plate silo 101. After personnel or materials enter the perforated channel through the logistics channel 51, materials can be directly added to the side plate silo 101 and the Mylar film silo 201. This greatly saves space in the battery cell coating production line and improves the space utilization rate of the battery cell coating production line.

[0067] Optionally, this application may also include an AGV trolley that can enter the hollow channel from the aforementioned logistics channel 51 to achieve automated feeding of the Mylar film material storage 201 and the side plate material storage 101.

[0068] Optionally, the Mylar membrane robot 202 and the side plate robot 102 mentioned above can each include multiple gripping stations, so that the Mylar membrane side plate loading unit can simultaneously feed multiple sets of materials, thereby improving the material feeding efficiency.

[0069] See also Figure 1 In the first example of this application, the battery cell loading unit includes battery cell loading mechanisms 400 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. Figure 1 ①, which is arranged on the second section 20) and the end plate mechanism 500 (end plate mechanism 500) Figure 1(In section ②, it is placed on the third section 30).

[0070] The battery cell loading mechanism 400 includes a battery cell loading station and a battery cell robot. When the mover carrying the Mylar film and side plate is transported to the battery cell loading station, the battery cell robot can grab the battery cell to be processed and place it at the predetermined position of the mover.

[0071] Among them, such as Figure 3 As shown, the end plate insertion mechanism 500 includes an end plate storage 501 (end plate storage 501) Figure 1 In the middle ③) and end plate robot 502, after the cell feeding mechanism 400 completes its operation, when the mover is conveyed to the end plate insertion mechanism 500, the end plate robot 502 can grab the end plate of the end plate material library 501 and insert the end plate onto the tab of the cell to be processed.

[0072] It should be noted that the battery cells to be processed at the battery cell loading station can be understood as battery cells whose positive / negative tabs have been pre-welded to their corresponding top covers. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the end plate robot 502 can grip the end plate and place it on the outside of the positive or negative tab of the battery cell to be processed, so as to realize the plate insertion action of the positive or negative tab.

[0073] In this example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the end plate storage 501 can be located outside the space enclosed by the conveyor line so that the end plates of the end plate storage 501 can be directly loaded by the AGV trolley.

[0074] See also Figure 1 In the first example of this application, the coating unit includes a second heat-sealing mechanism 600 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. Figure 1 (4, which is arranged on the third section 30), coating mechanism 700 (coating mechanism 700) Figure 1 (⑤, which is arranged on the fourth section 40), the third hot melt mechanism 800 (the third hot melt mechanism 800) Figure 1 (Center ⑥, which is arranged on the fourth section 40), the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900 (the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900) Figure 1 (In section ⑦, which is arranged on the fifth section 50) and the adhesive applicator 1000 (adhesive applicator 1000) Figure 1 (In section ⑧, it is placed on the sixth section, 60).

[0075] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, when the mover is conveyed to the processing area of ​​the second heat-sealing mechanism 600, the second heat-sealing mechanism 600 can act on the bottom surface of the battery cell to be processed to heat-seal and fix the Mylar film to the bottom surface of the battery cell to be processed, so as to facilitate the positioning of the Mylar film in the downstream coating process. Similarly, the above-mentioned second heat-sealing mechanism 600 can also be the above-mentioned heat-sealing machine.

[0076] In this example, the second hot-melt mechanism 600 may include multiple hot-melt machines, which may be arranged sequentially along the conveying direction so that the second hot-melt mechanism 600 can simultaneously perform bottom hot-melt fixing of multiple batteries to be processed, thereby improving the production efficiency and capacity of the cell coating production line.

[0077] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, when the moving part is conveyed to the processing area of ​​the coating mechanism 700, the coating mechanism 700 can sequentially bend the portion of the Mylar film extending beyond the cell to be processed along the outer contour of the cell, so that the Mylar film covers the cell to be processed at least once. It should be noted that this coating device can be a Mylar film coating equipment for cells, which is existing equipment in the art, and its structure and coating principle are existing technologies in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0078] In this example, there can be multiple coating devices, and each coating device can be equipped with multiple coating stations, so that the cell coating production line can perform coating processes on multiple batteries to be processed at the same time, thereby improving the production efficiency and capacity of the cell coating production line.

[0079] In this example, as Figure 1 As shown, the number of the coating station, the number of hot melt machines included in the second hot melt mechanism 600, the number of end plate insertion mechanisms 500, and the number of gripping stations of the Mylar film side plate feeding unit (as well as the number of each operating station in subsequent processes; in other words, multiple operating stations in each subsequent process can also be set sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. The principle and beneficial effects are similar to the setting of multiple operating stations in the above process, and will not be elaborated further later) can all be set accordingly. The corresponding setting of the quantities here can be understood as the quantities of several items being equal, or it can be understood as the quantities of any two of several items being integer multiples of each other (the integer multiples here include 1, 2, ... N times, where N is a positive integer), so as to ensure the maximization of the capacity utilization of the battery cell coating production loop.

[0080] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, when the mover is conveyed to the processing area of ​​the third heat-sealing mechanism 800, the third heat-sealing mechanism 800 can act on the top surface of the battery cell to be processed to heat-seal and fix the Mylar film to the top surface of the battery cell, so that the fourth heat-sealing mechanism 900 below can fix the Mylar film seam. Similarly, the third heat-sealing mechanism 800 can also be the heat-sealing machine described above.

[0081] Among them, such as Figure 1As shown, when the mover is conveyed to the processing area of ​​the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900, the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900 can act on the side of the seam where the Mylar film of the battery cell to be processed is located, so as to heat-melt and fix the two ends of the Mylar film to the side of the seam, thereby realizing the fixation of the Mylar film.

[0082] It should be noted that the seam of the aforementioned Mylar film can be located on the side determined by both the thickness direction and the length direction (i.e., the predetermined direction) of the battery cell to be processed. That is, the seam side is on the side determined by both the thickness direction and the length direction (i.e., the predetermined direction) of the battery cell to be processed.

[0083] In this example, as Figure 1 As shown, the aforementioned fourth hot-melt mechanism 900 may include two sets of hot-melt machines, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the width direction of the battery cell to be processed (i.e., when the mover enters the operating position of the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900, the two sets of hot-melt machines are respectively arranged on both sides of the mover in the conveying direction), so that the hot-melt mechanism can act on the joint side of the battery cell to be processed and the other side of the battery cell to be processed that is opposite to the joint side, so as to further improve the connection stability between the Mylar film and the battery cell.

[0084] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, when the moving part is conveyed to the processing area of ​​the adhesive applicator 1000, the adhesive applicator 1000 can apply insulating adhesive to the outside of the seam of the Mylar film. It should be noted that the adhesive applicator 1000 is a technical and existing device, and its adhesive applicator principle and structure are existing technology in the field, and will not be described in detail here.

[0085] In this example, as Figure 1 As shown, the number of the above-mentioned adhesive application mechanism 1000 can be multiple sets. Multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000 are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. At least one of the multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000 is a spare adhesive application mechanism 1000. In this way, when at least one of the multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000 needs to be replaced or repaired, it can be replaced by the spare adhesive application mechanism 1000 to ensure that the battery cell coating production line does not need to be stopped when replacing adhesive or repairing. Figure 1 The diagram shows eight sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000, with four sets in standby and four in use.

[0086] In this example, as Figure 1 As shown, the adhesive strips of the adhesive applicator 1000 can be stored in the adhesive strip storage 1001. The adhesive strip storage 1001 can be located in a recessed area. On the one hand, the logistics channel 51 can easily replenish the adhesive strip storage 1001 with materials at any time. On the other hand, the adhesive strip storage 1001 can easily feed materials to the adhesive applicator 1000 at any time. This further improves the space utilization rate of the battery cell coating production line.

[0087] See also Figure 1 In embodiments of this application, the coating unit further includes a first visual inspection unit 1100 disposed downstream of the adhesive applicator 1000 (e.g., Figure 4 (as shown) and second vision detection unit 1200 (second vision detection unit 1200) Figure 1 middle It is placed on the seventh section, 70).

[0088] Among them, such as Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the first visual inspection unit 1100 is capable of detecting the adhesion quality of the insulating adhesive. Optionally, the first visual inspection unit 1100 can be an image acquisition device, such as a CCD camera.

[0089] In this example, the first visual inspection unit 1100 can be mounted above the seventh segment 70 so that the inspection device can capture image information of the battery cell to be inspected by taking pictures in the first time, thereby realizing the inspection of the adhesion quality of the insulating adhesive.

[0090] The second vision detection unit 1200 is located downstream of the first vision detection unit 1100, and the second vision detection unit 1200 is capable of detecting the quality of the hot-melt fixing point.

[0091] In this example, not shown in the figure, the second visual inspection unit 1200 may include multiple image acquisition devices, which correspond to the top surface, bottom surface and two sides of the battery cell to be processed, respectively, to acquire information on the hot melt fixing points of the top surface, bottom surface and two sides of the battery cell to be processed.

[0092] See also Figure 1 In the first example of this application, the unloading unit includes scanning and error correction devices 1300 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. Figure 1 middle It is arranged on the seventh section 70), the first dust removal device 1400 (the first dust removal device 1400) Figure 1 middle It is arranged on the seventh section 70) and the material feeding gripper 1500 (material feeding gripper 1500) Figure 1 middle It is placed on section 80.

[0093] Among them, such as Figure 4As shown, the scanning and error correction device 1300 includes at least one scanning unit, a defective product storage unit 1302, and a defective product robot arm 1303. The scanning unit can identify the code of the battery cell to be processed and the corresponding mover code after passing through the scanning and error correction device 1300, thereby determining whether there is an error in the correspondence between the mover of the battery cell coating production line and the battery cell to be processed, and further determining whether there is a program error in the battery cell coating production line. As an example, the scanning unit can be a barcode scanner or other barcode scanning and identification device.

[0094] When defective products are found, the defective product robot 1303 can automatically transfer the unqualified cells to the defective product storage section 1302 to unload the defective products.

[0095] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, the first dust removal device 1400 can perform dust removal on the battery cells to be processed after the coating process has been completed.

[0096] In this example, the first dust removal device 1400 can be a negative pressure adsorption device to remove dust from the surface of the battery cell to be processed by negative pressure adsorption. However, it is not limited to this. As long as the dust on the surface of the battery cell to be processed can be removed, the first dust removal device 1400 can also be other methods, such as electrostatic dust removal, mechanical cleaning, etc.

[0097] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, the unloading gripper 1500 is installed at the unloading station, and the unloading gripper 1500 can remove qualified battery cells to be processed from the conveyor line.

[0098] In this example, the unloading gripper 1500 may include an unloading robot for removing qualified battery cells from the conveyor line. As an example, the unloading gripper 1500 may also include an removal chute, which may be arranged perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor line and extend from the top of the conveyor line to the outside of the space enclosed by the conveyor line, so as to facilitate the unloading robot gripping the qualified battery cells and moving them to the outside of the conveyor line.

[0099] See also Figure 1 In the first example of this application, the cell coating production loop also includes a branch buffer mechanism 1600 disposed upstream of the feeding unit. Figure 1 middle It is located inside the loop) and the second dust removal device 1700 is located upstream of the Mylar membrane side plate loading unit. Figure 1 middle It is placed on the first section 10).

[0100] Among them, such as Figure 4As shown, the branch line buffer mechanism 1600 includes a branch line buffer storage unit 1601 and a buffer robot 1602. The buffer robot 1602 can automatically transfer qualified battery cells to be processed to the branch line buffer storage unit 1601. Thus, when there are more battery cells to be processed on the conveyor line than the unloading robot can grasp, the excess battery cells can be stored in the branch line buffer storage unit 1601. Furthermore, when there are fewer battery cells to be processed on the conveyor line than the unloading robot can grasp, the battery cells to be processed in the branch line buffer storage unit 1601 can be added to the conveyor line for the unloading robot to grasp and unload, thereby improving the overall processing efficiency.

[0101] In this example, such as Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the branch line buffer storage unit 1601 and the buffer robot 1602 are set in the space enclosed by the sixth section 60, the seventh section 70 and the eighth section 80, which further improves the space utilization of the battery cell coating production loop.

[0102] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, the second dust removal device 1700 is capable of removing dust from the returning mover. The second dust removal device 1700 is located upstream of the Mylar membrane side plate loading unit to remove dust from the returning mover, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the mover before use. It should be noted that the dust removal structure and principle of this second dust removal device 1700 are similar to those of the first dust removal device 1400 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0103] Furthermore, in the first example of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the battery cell coating production loop also includes a motor repair department.

[0104] The motor maintenance section is located on the downstream side of the feeding unit (motor maintenance section) Figure 1 middle (It is arranged on the eighth section 80). The moving part maintenance unit may include a moving part robot 1802 and a maintenance station 1801. The maintenance station 1801 is located on one side of the conveyor line. The moving part robot 1802 can grasp the moving part and move it between the conveyor line and the maintenance station 1801 to perform maintenance on the moving part that has malfunctioned under the conveyor line.

[0105] Optionally, the cell loading unit and the unloading unit are respectively located at opposite ends of the conveyor line in the first direction L1. This ensures that the cells to be processed in the cell coating production loop flow along the first direction L1, so as to coordinate with the other production loops.

[0106] In summary, the battery cell coating production loop of this application (first example) improves the conveying efficiency between various stations on the battery assembly line by replacing the traditional conveyor belt with a magnetic levitation conveyor loop. The integrated design of the moving jig and processing system utilizes the high flexibility, intelligence, modularity, high speed, and high acceleration of the magnetic levitation system. Furthermore, the conveyor line forms a closed loop, with a hollow channel beneath it connecting the interior and exterior of the conveyor line. This allows for efficient and efficient transport of the battery cell coating to the machine. After the battery cell passes through the Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit in sequence, the mover can be conveyed again to the Mylar film side plate loading unit via the closed loop to realize the circulation of the mover. Compared with the existing conveying method, the above-mentioned hollow channel makes it easier for personnel or materials to enter the space enclosed by the closed conveyor line. This not only makes it possible to store materials inside the space enclosed by the closed loop, improving the space utilization rate of the battery cell coating production loop, but also facilitates the loading and unloading of materials at each station and shortens the loading and unloading path.

[0107] like Figures 5 to 8 As shown, in the second example, when the cell coating production loop is arranged to form an open loop:

[0108] In the second example of this application, such as Figure 5 As shown, the conveyor line may include an upper return line 110 and a lower return line (overlapping with the upper return line 110, therefore not shown). The lower return line is located below the upper return line 110. For example, the upper return line 110 may be arranged on the second floor of a factory site, while the lower return line is arranged on the first floor. Using two layers of return lines allows sufficient space at the line switching point, facilitating subsequent material transport. Both the upper and lower return lines have connecting parts at their ends. The moving part switches positions between the upper and lower return lines via the connecting parts. The connecting parts can be, for example, connecting platforms, lifting platforms, elevators, or other devices that can be used for lifting and transmitting displacement of the moving part. The connecting parts can be devices existing in the prior art, which will not be elaborated here. Thus, using two layers of return lines, the moving part can return from one end of the upper return line 110 to the other by lifting, achieving repeated movement. The Mylar film side plate feeding unit, the battery cell feeding unit, the wrapping unit, and the unloading unit are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line.

[0109] like Figure 5As shown, in this example, the conveyor line is arranged in an open loop with a notch for conveying external materials. The open loop also includes a material transport channel 51, which passes through the notch and connects to the interior of the loop. In this example, the material transport channel 51 can be a transport channel for an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) 104, which transports necessary materials, such as side panels or Mylar film rolls. Furthermore, in this example, there are two mutually perpendicular material transport channels 51, and the arrows marked on the material transport channels 51 indicate the direction of movement of the AGV 104.

[0110] like Figure 5 As shown, in this example, the first ends of the upper return line 110 and the lower return line are provided with a first connecting part 105, and the second ends of the upper return line 110 and the lower return line are provided with a second connecting part 106. The moving part moves along the upper return line 110 to the first connecting part 105, the first connecting part 105 moves the moving part to the lower return line, and the moving part descending to the lower return line moves along the lower return line to the second connecting part 106, the second connecting part 106 moves the moving part to the upper return line 110, thus realizing the reciprocating motion of the moving part. In addition, since Figure 5 The diagram shows the upper return line 110, therefore in Figure 5 The arrows shown indicate the direction of motion of the mover in the upper return line 110. When the mover descends to the lower return line, it needs to return to the second end of the upper return line 110, so the direction of motion of the mover in the lower return line is opposite to the direction of motion in the upper return line 110.

[0111] Preferably, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in this example, since both the upper return line 110 and the lower return line are arranged in a ring structure with notches, the entire production line is a production line with curved sections. The curved sections are equipped with turntable sections 90 to assist the moving parts in achieving steering motion. Preferably, the turntable section 90 can be a rotary disk driven by a rotary motor.

[0112] For ease of understanding, the following text... Figure 5 The numbers S1-S20, marked with circles, represent the production process of this battery cell coating production line.

[0113] S1 is the loading of the battery cell to be processed; S2 is the lifting and return position of the mover; S3 is the loading of the side plate; S4 is the loading of the Mylar film; S5 is the hot-melt welding of the Mylar film and the side plate; S6 is the transportation of the end plate by AGV trolley 104; S7 is the end plate hopper; S8 is the loading of the end plate; S9 is the bottom hot-melt welding of the battery cell; S10 is the wrapping of the Mylar film; S11 is the top hot-melt welding of the battery cell; S12 is the sealing of the Mylar film and the side hot-melt welding; S13 is the sealing and adhesive application; S14 is the adhesive application detection and hot-melt detection; S15 is the discharge of defective products; S16 is the dust removal of the battery cell; S17 is the buffer storage; S18 is the maintenance channel; S19 is the lifting and return position of the mover; S20 is the unloading of the battery cell.

[0114] Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that in this example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the open loop is rectangular, with a notch in part of the rectangular loop. Thus, the rectangular open loop can not only adapt to the shape of most factory buildings, but the notch in the rectangular open loop can also serve as a logistics channel 51 outside the loop (e.g., Figure 5 As shown, personnel or materials can enter the interior of the loop and the storage area through the logistics channel 51 to further improve the space utilization of the closed-loop conveyor line.

[0115] Specifically, such as Figure 5 As shown, both the upper and lower return lines of the open loop include a first segment 10, a second segment 20, a third segment 30, and a fourth segment 40 connected sequentially. The first segment 10 and the third segment 30 extend along a first direction L1, while the second segment 20 and the fourth segment 40 extend along a second direction L2. The second direction L2 is perpendicular to the first direction L1. Therefore, a gap can be formed in the first segment 10.

[0116] Among them, the adhesive applicator 1000 can be set on the third section 30, the adhesive strip material library 1001 is set on the inner side of the third section 30, the end plate insertion mechanism 500 can be set on the second section 20, the end plate preparation area 503 is set on the inner side of the second section 20, and the Mylar film feeding mechanism 200 and the side plate feeding mechanism 100 can be set on the first section 10.

[0117] Thus, a waste area 19 can be set at the location of the gap, and in this example, the logistics channel has two mutually perpendicular logistics channels 51. The arrows marked on the logistics channels 51 indicate the direction of movement of the AGV trolley 104. The logistics channel 51 extending along the second direction L2 can directly feed the adhesive applicator 1000 and the adhesive strip storage 1001, while the logistics channel 51 extending along the first direction L1 can directly feed the end plate insertion mechanism 500 and the end plate preparation area 503.

[0118] Optionally, the cell loading mechanism 400 and the unloading unit (unloading gripper 1500) are respectively located at both ends of the conveyor line in the first direction L1. This ensures that the cells to be processed in the cell coating production loop flow along the first direction L1, so as to cooperate with the other production loops.

[0119] In the second example of this application, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in this example, the Mylar film side plate feeding unit includes a side plate feeding mechanism 100, a Mylar film feeding mechanism 200 and a first heat-melting mechanism 300 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line (wherein, the first heat-melting mechanism 300 is arranged on the second section 20).

[0120] Specifically, such as Figure 6 As shown, the side plate loading mechanism 100 includes a side plate storage 101 and a side plate robot 102, which can transfer the side plates of the side plate storage 101 to the moving part.

[0121] The Mylar film feeding mechanism 200 includes a Mylar film storage 201 and a Mylar film robot 202. The Mylar film robot 202 can transfer the Mylar film from the Mylar film storage 201 to the mover. After the side plate feeding mechanism 100 and the Mylar film feeding mechanism 200 have completed their operations, when the mover moves to the first heat-sealing mechanism 300, the first heat-sealing mechanism 300 can heat-seale and fix the Mylar film to the side plate.

[0122] Preferably, such as Figure 5 As shown in this example, the side plates feeding mechanism 100 and the Mylar film feeding mechanism 200 are respectively provided with a side plate placement area 204 and a Mylar film placement area 203 for storing side plates and Mylar films, which facilitates feeding.

[0123] In this example, not shown in the figure, the first hot-melt mechanism 300 can be a hot-melt machine. This machine can include a heating head and a moving mechanism that drives the heating head. When the hot-melt machine starts working, the moving mechanism drives the heating head to act on the Mylar film, causing the Mylar film to partially melt under the action of the heating head and adhere to the object to be fixed (e.g., a side plate, a battery cell to be processed), thus fixing the Mylar film. It should be noted that the hot-melt machine is a prior art product, and its driving structure and hot-melt principle are also prior art, and will not be described further here.

[0124] Preferably, there can be multiple side panel robots 102 and multiple Mylar membrane robots 202. Multiple side panel robots 102 and multiple Mylar membrane robots 202 can realize the simultaneous feeding of multiple groups of materials, thereby improving the material feeding efficiency.

[0125] Preferably, such as Figure 5 and Figure 7As shown, in this example, the battery cell loading unit may include a battery cell loading mechanism 400 and an end plate insertion mechanism 500 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line (the battery cell loading mechanism 400 and the end plate insertion mechanism 500 may be arranged on the second section 20). Specifically, the battery cell loading mechanism 400 includes a battery cell loading position and a battery cell robot. When the mover carrying the Mylar film and side plate moves to the battery cell loading position, the battery cell robot can transfer the battery cell to be processed to the predetermined position of the mover.

[0126] The end-plate insertion mechanism 500 includes an end-plate storage 501 and an end-plate robot 502. The end-plate robot 502 can grasp the end plates from the end-plate storage 501 and insert them onto the tabs of the battery cell to be processed. It should be noted that the battery cell to be processed, loaded at the battery cell loading position, can be understood as a cell whose positive / negative tabs have been pre-welded to their corresponding top covers. Figure 7 As shown, the end plate robot 502 can clamp the end plate and place it on the outside of the tab / negative tab of the battery cell to be processed, so as to realize the tab / negative tab insertion action.

[0127] Preferably, the end plate insertion mechanism 500 further includes an end plate preparation area 503 disposed on the inner side of the logistics channel 51, the end plate preparation area 503 being used to store end plates as preparation materials.

[0128] Preferably, such as Figure 5 As shown, in this example, the coating unit includes a second hot-melt mechanism 600, a coating mechanism 700, a third hot-melt mechanism 800, a fourth hot-melt mechanism 900, and an adhesive applicator 1000 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line (wherein, the second hot-melt mechanism 600 is disposed on the second section 20, and the coating mechanism 700, the third hot-melt mechanism 800, the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900, and the adhesive applicator 1000 are all disposed on the third section 30). Specifically, when the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the second hot-melt mechanism 600, the second hot-melt mechanism 600 is used to hot-melt and fix the Mylar film to the bottom surface of the battery cell to be processed, so as to facilitate the positioning of the Mylar film in the downstream coating process. Similarly, the second hot-melt mechanism 600 can also be the aforementioned hot-melt machine.

[0129] Preferably, in this example, the second hot-melt mechanism 600 may include multiple hot-melt machines, which may be arranged sequentially along the conveying direction so that the second hot-melt mechanism 600 can simultaneously perform bottom hot-melt fixing of multiple batteries to be processed, thereby improving production efficiency and capacity.

[0130] When the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the coating mechanism 700, the coating mechanism 700 can sequentially bend the portion of the Mylar film extending beyond the cell to be processed along the outer contour of the cell, so that the Mylar film covers the cell to be processed at least once. It should also be noted that the coating mechanism 700 can be a Mylar film coating device for cells, which is existing equipment in the art, and its structure and coating principle are existing technologies in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0131] Preferably, in this example, the coating mechanism 700 may include multiple coating devices, and each coating device may be equipped with multiple coating stations, so that the production line can perform coating processes on multiple batteries to be processed at the same time, thereby improving production efficiency and capacity.

[0132] When the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the third heat-sealing mechanism 800, the third heat-sealing mechanism 800 can act on the top surface of the battery cell to be processed. The third heat-sealing mechanism 800 is used to heat-seal and fix the Mylar film to the top surface of the battery cell to be processed, so that the fourth heat-sealing mechanism 900 below can fix the Mylar film seam. Similarly, the third heat-sealing mechanism 800 can also be the heat-sealing machine described above.

[0133] When the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900, the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900 can act on the side of the seam where the Mylar film of the battery cell to be processed is located, so as to heat-melt and fix the two ends of the Mylar film to the side of the seam respectively, thereby realizing the separate fixation of the two ends of the Mylar film.

[0134] Preferably, in this example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900 may include two sets of hot-melt machines, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the width direction of the battery cell to be processed (that is, when the mover enters the operating position of the fourth hot-melt mechanism 900, the two sets of hot-melt machines are respectively arranged on both sides of the mover in the conveying direction), so that the hot-melt mechanism can act on the joint side of the battery cell to be processed and the other side of the battery cell to be processed opposite to the joint side, so as to further improve the connection stability between the Mylar film and the battery cell.

[0135] When the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the adhesive applicator 1000, the adhesive applicator 1000 can apply insulating adhesive to the seams of the Mylar film. Furthermore, it should be noted that the adhesive applicator 1000 can be existing equipment in the art, and its adhesive applicator principle and setup are existing technologies in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0136] Preferably, in this example, such as Figure 5As shown, there can be multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000. These multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000 are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. At least one set of adhesive application mechanisms 1000 is a spare adhesive application mechanism 1000. In this way, when at least one of the multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000 needs to be replaced or repaired, it can be replaced by the spare adhesive application mechanism 1000 to ensure that the closed loop line for replacing adhesive or repairing the battery cell coating does not need to be stopped. Figure 5 The diagram shows eight sets of adhesive application mechanisms 1000, with four sets in standby and four in use.

[0137] Preferably, in this example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the adhesive strips of the adhesive applicator 1000 can be stored in the adhesive strip storage 1001, which is located on the side of the adhesive applicator 1000 for easy retrieval.

[0138] Preferably, in this example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the wrapping unit also includes a first visual inspection unit 1100 and a second visual inspection unit 1200 disposed downstream of the adhesive application mechanism 1000; the first visual inspection unit 1100 is capable of detecting the application quality of the insulating adhesive (wherein, the first visual inspection unit 1100 and the second visual inspection unit 1200 may be disposed on the third section 30); the second visual inspection unit 1200 is disposed downstream of the first visual inspection unit 1100, and the second visual inspection unit 1200 is capable of detecting the quality of the hot melt fixing point.

[0139] Preferably, the first visual inspection unit 1100 can be an image acquisition device, such as a CCD camera. The first visual inspection unit 1100 can be mounted at the rear of the adhesive application mechanism 1000 to facilitate the immediate inspection of the device and the acquisition of image information of the battery cell to be inspected by means of a flying camera, thereby realizing the detection of the adhesion quality of the insulating adhesive.

[0140] The second vision inspection unit 1200 is located downstream of the first vision inspection unit 1100, and is capable of detecting the quality of the hot-melt fixing points. The second vision inspection unit 1200 may include multiple image acquisition devices, which are respectively positioned to acquire information about the hot-melt fixing points on the top surface, bottom surface, and two sides of the battery cell to be processed.

[0141] Preferably, such as Figure 5 and Figure 8As shown, in this example, the unloading unit includes a scanning error correction device 1300, a first dust removal device 1400, and an unloading gripper 1500 arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line (wherein, the scanning error correction device 1300 is arranged on the third section 30, and the first dust removal device 1400 and the unloading gripper 1500 are arranged on the fourth section 40). Specifically, the scanning error correction device 1300 includes at least one scanning unit, a defective product storage unit 1302, and a defective product robot 1303; the scanning unit can identify the code of the battery cell to be processed and the corresponding mover code after passing through the scanning error correction device 1300, thereby determining whether there is an error in the correspondence between the mover and the battery cell to be processed, and thus determining whether there are identification or program errors in the production line. The scanning unit can be a barcode scanner or other barcode scanning and identification equipment.

[0142] When a defective product is found, the defective product robot 1303 can automatically transfer the unqualified battery cell to the defective product storage section 1302 to unload the defective product.

[0143] The first dust removal device 1400 is capable of removing dust from the battery cells to be processed after the coating process has been completed. The first dust removal device 1400 can be a negative pressure adsorption device to remove dust from the surface of the battery cells to be processed by negative pressure adsorption. However, it is not limited to this, and the first dust removal device 1400 can also be other methods, such as electrostatic dust removal, mechanical sweeping, etc., as long as the dust on the surface of the battery cells to be processed can be removed.

[0144] The unloading gripper 1500 is installed at the unloading station and is capable of removing qualified battery cells from the conveyor line. The unloading gripper 1500 may include an unloading robot for removing qualified battery cells from the conveyor line. Preferably, the unloading gripper 1500 may further include a removal chute, which may be arranged perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor line and extend from the top of the conveyor line to the outside of the space enclosed by the conveyor line, so as to facilitate the unloading robot to grip the qualified battery cells and move them to the outside of the conveyor line.

[0145] Preferably, such as Figure 5 As shown, in this example, the conveyor line may also include a branch buffer mechanism 1600 located upstream of the unloading unit and a maintenance channel 18 located at the end of the conveyor line.

[0146] Preferably, such as Figure 5As shown, the branch line buffer mechanism 1600 may include a branch line buffer storage unit 1601 and a buffer robot 1602. The buffer robot 1602 can transfer qualified battery cells to be processed from the mover to the branch line buffer storage unit 1601. Thus, when the number of battery cells to be processed on the conveyor line is greater than the number that the unloading robot can grasp, the excess battery cells can be stored in the branch line buffer storage unit 1601. Furthermore, when the number of battery cells to be processed on the conveyor line is less than the number that the unloading robot can grasp, the battery cells to be processed in the branch line buffer storage unit 1601 can be added to the conveyor line for the unloading robot to grasp and unload, thereby improving the overall processing efficiency.

[0147] Preferably, such as Figure 5 As shown, a waste area 19 is also provided on the side of the branch line buffer warehouse 1601. The waste area 19 is located close to the logistics channel. The waste area 19 is used to store waste and is transported away by AGV vehicles through the logistics channel.

[0148] Preferably, such as Figure 5 As shown, the maintenance channel 18 is used for the maintenance of the moving parts. Moving parts that need maintenance can enter the maintenance room through the maintenance channel 18 for repair.

[0149] In summary, the battery cell coating production loop (second example) of this application, on the one hand, replaces the traditional conveyor belt conveyor with a magnetic levitation conveyor loop, and integrates the transport and processing of the assembly line moving fixture. Utilizing the high flexibility, intelligence, modularity, high speed, and high acceleration characteristics of the magnetic levitation system, it effectively improves the transmission efficiency between various workstations on the battery assembly line. On the other hand, the conveyor line is enclosed as an open loop with gaps, with gaps between the two ends of the upper return line and the two ends of the lower return line, thus connecting the interior and exterior of the conveyor line. Thus, after the moving part carries the battery cell to be processed through the Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the coating unit, and the unloading unit in sequence, the moving part can be conveyed again to the position of the Mylar film side plate loading unit via the closed loop to realize the circulation of the moving part. Compared with the existing conveying method, the above-mentioned gap can facilitate the entry of personnel or materials into the space enclosed by the closed conveyor line. This not only makes it possible to store materials in the space enclosed by the closed loop, improving the space utilization rate of the battery cell coating production loop, but also facilitates the loading and unloading of materials at each station and shortens the loading and unloading path.

[0150] The second aspect of this application also provides a battery production system, including the cell coating production loop of the above embodiment, and thus has all the beneficial technical effects of the cell coating production loop, which will not be repeated here.

[0151] Finally, it should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely specific implementations of this application, used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and not to limit them. The protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any person skilled in the art can still modify or easily conceive of changes to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Such modifications, changes, or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be covered within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A cell coating production line, characterized in that, The battery cell coating production loop includes a magnetic levitation conveyor line, a Mylar film side plate loading unit, a battery cell loading unit, a coating unit, and a unloading unit; The magnetic levitation conveyor line includes a conveyor line body and a mover, the mover being able to move along the conveyor line body under the magnetic induction of the conveyor line body; The conveyor line is arranged to form a closed loop, and a hollow channel is formed below the conveyor line, which connects the inside and outside of the conveyor line. The Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the wrapping unit, and the unloading unit are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line; or, The conveyor line is formed as an open loop with a notch. The conveyor line includes an upper return line and a lower return line located below the upper return line. Both ends of the upper return line and both ends of the lower return line are provided with connecting parts. The mover switches positions between the upper return line and the lower return line through the connecting parts. The notch is provided between the two ends of the upper return line and between the two ends of the lower return line, and the notch connects the inside and outside of the conveyor line. The Mylar film side plate loading unit, the battery cell loading unit, the wrapping unit, and the unloading unit are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line.

2. The cell coating production loop according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the conveyor line is arranged to form a closed loop, at least one side of the closed loop has a recess that is recessed into itself. The hollow channel is formed below the recess; or, When the conveyor line is arranged to form an open loop, the first end of the upper return line and the lower return line is provided with a first connecting part, and the second end of the upper return line and the lower return line is provided with a second connecting part. The mover moves along the upper return line to the first connecting part, the first connecting part moves the mover to the lower return line, the mover descends to the lower return line and moves along the lower return line to the second connecting part, and the second connecting part moves the mover to the upper return line.

3. The cell coating production loop according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Mylar film side plate loading unit includes a side plate loading mechanism, a Mylar film feeding mechanism, and a first hot melt mechanism arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. The side plate loading mechanism includes a side plate storage bin and a side plate robot arm. The side plate robot arm is capable of gripping the side plates from the side plate storage bin onto the moving part. The Mylar film feeding mechanism includes a Mylar film hopper and a Mylar film robot, which can grab Mylar film from the Mylar film hopper and load it onto the actuator. The first hot-melt mechanism is capable of hot-melting and fixing the Mylar film and the side plate together.

4. The cell coating production loop according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery cell feeding unit includes a battery cell feeding mechanism and an end plate feeding mechanism arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line; The battery cell loading mechanism includes a battery cell loading station and a battery cell robot. When the mover carrying the Mylar film and side plate flows into the battery cell loading station, the battery cell robot can grab the battery cell to be processed to the predetermined position of the mover. The end plate insertion mechanism includes an end plate hopper and an end plate robot. The end plate robot can grasp the end plates from the end plate hopper and insert the end plates onto the tabs of the battery cells to be processed.

5. The cell coating production loop line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating unit includes a second hot melt mechanism, a coating mechanism, a third hot melt mechanism, a fourth hot melt mechanism, and an adhesive applicator, arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. When the moving part moves to the processing area of ​​the second hot melt machine, the second hot melt mechanism can act on the bottom surface of the battery cell to be processed to heat melt and fix the Mylar film to the bottom surface of the battery cell to be processed. When the moving part moves to the processing area of ​​the coating mechanism, the coating mechanism can bend the portion of the Mylar film that extends beyond the cell to be processed along the outer contour of the cell to be processed in sequence, so that the Mylar film covers the cell to be processed at least once. When the mover moves to the processing area of ​​the third hot-melt mechanism, the third hot-melt mechanism can act on the top surface of the battery cell to be processed to hot-melt and fix the Mylar film to the top surface of the battery cell to be processed. When the moving part moves to the processing area of ​​the fourth hot-melt mechanism, the fourth hot-melt mechanism can act on the side of the seam where the Mylar film of the battery cell to be processed is located, so as to hot-melt and fix the two ends of the Mylar film to the side of the seam respectively. When the moving part moves to the processing area of ​​the adhesive applicator, the adhesive applicator can apply insulating adhesive to the outside of the seam of the Mylar film.

6. The cell coating production loop according to claim 5, characterized in that, The number of adhesive application mechanisms is multiple sets, and the multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms are arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. At least one of the multiple sets of adhesive application mechanisms is a spare adhesive application mechanism.

7. The cell coating production loop according to claim 5, characterized in that, The coating unit also includes a first visual inspection unit and a second visual inspection unit located downstream of the adhesive application mechanism. The first vision detection unit is capable of detecting the adhesion quality of the insulating adhesive; The second visual inspection unit is located downstream of the first visual inspection unit, and the second visual inspection unit is capable of detecting the quality of the hot-melt fixing point.

8. The cell coating production loop according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unloading unit includes a scanning and error-correcting device, a first dust removal device, and an unloading gripping device arranged sequentially along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. The scanning and error-correcting device includes at least one scanning unit, a defective product storage unit, and a defective product robot arm; the scanning unit can identify the code of the battery cell to be processed and the corresponding code of the mover after passing through the scanning and error-correcting device; the defective product robot arm can transfer the unqualified battery cell to be processed from the mover to the defective product storage unit. The first dust removal device can remove dust from the battery cells to be processed after the coating process has been completed; The feeding gripping device is located at the feeding station and can remove qualified battery cells to be processed from the conveyor line.

9. The cell coating production loop according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery cell coating production loop also includes a branch buffer mechanism located upstream of the feeding unit and a second dust removal device located upstream of the Mylar film side plate feeding unit. The branch line buffer mechanism includes a branch line buffer storage unit and a buffer robot, which can transfer qualified cells to be processed from the mover to the branch line buffer storage unit. The second dust removal device is capable of removing dust from the returning motor.

10. A battery production system, characterized in that, Includes the cell coating production loop according to any one of claims 1 to 9; The battery cell loading unit and the unloading unit are respectively located at both ends of the conveyor line in the first direction.

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