Sorting apparatus

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of sorting production lines, and particularly relates to a sorting device. The sorting device comprises a mixed sorting line module and a hierarchical sorting line module, and the mixed sorting line module is connected to the hierarchical sorting line module. The hierarchical sorting line module is used for receiving mixed incoming materials from an upstream and can sort at most N grades of materials from the mixed incoming materials, wherein the mixed incoming materials comprise M grades of materials, M is an integer and is not less than N+2, and N is an integer not less than 1. The mixed sorting line module is used for receiving various grades of materials and can sort any grade of material with a buffer quantity reaching a preset group tray quantity. In this way, the first N grades of materials with a high proportion can be sorted and grouped by the hierarchical sorting line module, and the grades of materials in the mixed sorting line module wait to be sorted without reaching the preset group tray quantity, so that the situation that the production capacity of the sorting device cannot be fully utilized due to the inability to meet the single group tray quantity is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of sorting production line technology, and in particular relates to a sorting device. Background Technology

[0002] Different grades of battery cells have different parameters such as charge storage capacity, internal resistance characteristics, and cycle life. Generally, cells of the same grade need to be assembled to ensure that each assembled battery module has similar performance characteristics and improve the stability of the battery module.

[0003] Currently, unqualified battery cells are typically removed using sorting equipment, and cells of different grades are grouped together. For existing sorting equipment, each grade of battery cell has a corresponding material conveying channel that flows into the corresponding tray assembly station, where they are assembled into trays.

[0004] Understandably, the proportion of each grade of battery cell in the incoming materials varies, and the capacity of each assembly station is fixed. For a certain grade of battery cell with a high proportion, its quantity exceeds the rated capacity of the corresponding assembly station; for a certain grade of battery cell with a low proportion, its quantity may be far below the rated capacity of the corresponding assembly station.

[0005] This results in some tray assembly machines not having their production capacity fully utilized, leading to low production efficiency and waste of resources. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a sorting device to solve the technical problem of low production efficiency and resource waste caused by the failure to fully utilize production capacity.

[0007] This application provides a sorting device, including a mixing sorting line module and a hierarchical sorting line module. The mixing sorting line module is connected to the hierarchical sorting line module. The hierarchical sorting line module is used to receive mixed incoming materials from upstream and can sort out up to N grades of materials from the mixed incoming materials. The mixed incoming materials include M grades of materials, where M is an integer and not less than N+2, and N is an integer not less than 1. The mixing sorting line module is used to receive and buffer various grades of materials and can sort out any grade of materials whose buffer quantity reaches a preset number of trays.

[0008] In an optional embodiment of this application, the hybrid sorting line module includes a hybrid buffer module and at least one hybrid sorting module; the hybrid buffer module is used to receive and buffer materials of various grades that have not reached the preset number of trays; the hybrid sorting module is able to sort out any grade of materials whose buffer quantity in the hybrid buffer module has reached the preset number of trays.

[0009] In an optional embodiment of this application, the mixed sorting line module further includes a mixed tray assembly module, wherein any grade of material sorted by the mixed sorting module is conveyed to the mixed tray assembly module for tray assembly; and / or, any grade of material sorted by the mixed sorting module is conveyed to a level tray assembly module in the level sorting line module for tray assembly.

[0010] In the optional schemes of this application, the number of mixing and sorting modules is one, and the mixing and buffering module works with the mixing and sorting modules to form a material circulation loop; the number of mixing and sorting modules is not less than two, and multiple mixing and sorting modules are connected in sequence and work with the mixing and buffering module to form a material circulation loop.

[0011] In an optional embodiment of this application, the hierarchical sorting line module includes at least one sorting tray module, which includes a hierarchical sorting module and a hierarchical tray assembly module. The hierarchical tray assembly module is connected to the hierarchical sorting module, which is used to sort out at least one grade of material, and the hierarchical tray assembly module is able to assemble the grade of material transported by the hierarchical sorting module.

[0012] In the optional scheme of this application, the number of sorting group disk modules is not less than 2, and the hierarchical sorting modules in the multiple sorting group disk modules are connected in sequence.

[0013] In an optional embodiment of this application, the hybrid sorting line module is connected to the downstream sorting group plate module.

[0014] In the optional scheme of this application, a pre-sorting line module is also included, and a mixing sorting line module is connected to the pre-sorting line module; the pre-sorting line module is used to sort out qualified grade materials for conveying to the hierarchical sorting line module and the mixing sorting line module.

[0015] In an optional embodiment of this application, the pre-sorting line module includes a pre-sorting module, which is used to sort out qualified grade materials.

[0016] In an optional embodiment of this application, the pre-sorting line module further includes a pre-buffer module, which is connected between the pre-sorting module and the hierarchical sorting line module; the pre-buffer module is used to buffer qualified grade materials sorted out by the pre-sorting module.

[0017] In summary, the sorting equipment provided in this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The sorting equipment provided in this application includes a hierarchical sorting line module and a mixed sorting line module. The hierarchical sorting line module can sort out N grades of materials out of M grades of materials. The remaining grades of materials after passing through the hierarchical sorting line module can be sorted by the mixed sorting line module.

[0019] In practical applications, the hierarchical sorting line module is set up to separate the top N grades of materials with the highest proportion in the mixed incoming materials. In this way, the top N grades of materials with the highest proportion can be sorted and grouped by the hierarchical sorting line module, making full use of the capacity of the hierarchical sorting line module. The remaining grades of materials after passing through the hierarchical sorting line module can be buffered in the mixed sorting line module. The grades of materials in the mixed sorting line module that have not reached the preset number of groupings are waiting to be sorted in the mixed sorting line module, avoiding the situation where the capacity of the sorting equipment cannot be fully utilized due to the inability to meet the preset number of groupings. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application; those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of a sorting device according to one embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structural framework of a hybrid sorting line module according to one embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structural framework of a hierarchical sorting line module according to one embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a simplified schematic diagram of the structural framework of a sorting device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a pre-sorting line module according to one embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of a hybrid sorting line module provided according to yet another embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a partial schematic diagram of a sorting device according to one embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a partial schematic diagram of a sorting device according to yet another embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a partial schematic diagram of a sorting device provided according to another embodiment of this application.

[0030] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0031] 1000. Sorting equipment;

[0032] 100. Hybrid sorting line module; 110. Hybrid sorting module; 120. Hybrid buffer module; 130. Hybrid disk assembly module;

[0033] 200. Hierarchical sorting line module; 210. Sorting tray module; 211. Hierarchical sorting module; 212. Hierarchical tray module;

[0034] 300. Front-end sorting line module; 310. Front-end sorting module; 320. Front-end buffer module;

[0035] 400. Control system. Detailed Implementation

[0036] In this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0037] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of a sorting device 1000 according to one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 1 The sorting equipment 1000 includes a mixing sorting line module 100 and a layer sorting line module 200, with the mixing sorting line module 100 connected to the layer sorting line module 200.

[0039] The hierarchical sorting line module 200 is used to receive mixed incoming materials from upstream and can sort out up to N grades of materials from the mixed incoming materials. The mixed incoming materials include M grades of materials, where M is an integer and not less than N+2, and N is an integer not less than 1.

[0040] The mixed sorting line module 100 is used to receive and buffer materials of various grades, and can sort out any grade of materials whose buffer quantity reaches the preset number of trays.

[0041] It should be noted that the mixed incoming materials here can include battery cells of different grades, but are not limited to this. For example, it can also include battery modules of different grades, solar panels of different grades, etc. In other words, the sorting equipment 1000 is not limited to battery cell sorting.

[0042] Additionally, the preset number of trays here can refer to the capacity of the packaging container used to load graded materials. The capacity of the packaging container refers to the quantity of graded materials it can hold, and also the number of trays per batch. The packaging container can be a cardboard box. All upstream and downstream relationships mentioned in this application are based on the conveying direction of the graded materials.

[0043] In this embodiment, the sorting device 1000 has at least a connected mixed sorting line module 100 and a layered sorting line module 200. Both the mixed sorting line module 100 and the layered sorting line module 200 are used to sort mixed incoming materials, and the mixed incoming materials contain at least three types of graded materials. In other words, the sorting device 1000 can sort mixed incoming materials composed of at least three types of graded materials.

[0044] It should be noted that the sorting equipment 1000 also includes a control system 400. The control system 400 can be a distributed control system, specifically including a host computer and a controller module. The controller module can be, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a combination of multiple distributed control units.

[0045] Understandably, the host computer can be an industrial control computer or a regular computer, responsible for monitoring and controlling the entire sorting process, while the controller module is used for real-time control and logic execution. The host computer in the control system 400 can acquire and store the identification information of materials of various grades, and can also statistically analyze the identification information to determine the quantity of materials of each grade, thereby determining the proportion of each grade of material in the mixed incoming materials.

[0046] It should be noted that all grades of materials are pre-configured with labels, and different grades of materials have different labels. These labels can refer to QR codes, barcodes, electronic tags, sensors, etc., set on the grade of the materials.

[0047] It should be understood that the sorting process is a dynamic process, and the quantity of materials of various grades is constantly changing. Accordingly, the identification information stored in the control system 400 is constantly updated, so that the proportion of each grade of material in the mixed incoming material can be determined in real time.

[0048] The hierarchical sorting line module 200 can sort out a maximum of N types of graded materials in the mixed incoming material. In specific applications, the hierarchical sorting line module 200 is set to sort out the top N graded materials with the highest proportion in the mixed incoming material, and the remaining MN graded materials with a lower proportion are set to be conveyed to the mixed sorting line module 100.

[0049] It should be noted that the quantity of materials of various grades in the mixed incoming materials is random. Understandably, the quantity of some grades of materials may be higher than others, while the quantity of other grades may be lower than others. In some application scenarios, the distribution of materials of various grades follows a normal distribution, with the sum of the proportions of the top N grades of materials reaching more than 90%, and the quantity of each grade of the remaining MN grades of materials even failing to reach the preset tray quantity.

[0050] Understandably, during the sorting and traying process, it is unavoidable that there will be a remainder of any of the top N grades of materials with the highest proportion. Since the remainder is less than the preset tray quantity, the remainder of that grade of material can be transported to the mixed sorting line module 100.

[0051] Thus, for all types and grades of materials in the mixed incoming materials, if the quantity of any one grade of material does not meet the preset tray quantity, it will be conveyed to the mixed sorting line module 100.

[0052] It should be noted that the mixed sorting line module 100 has the function of buffering grade materials. As the mixed incoming materials are continuously sorted, the amount of various grades of materials buffered in the mixed sorting line module 100 increases. When the amount of any grade of material in the mixed sorting line module 100 reaches the preset number of trays, it will be sorted and trayed.

[0053] As can be seen from the above, the sorting equipment 1000 is equipped with a mixed sorting line module 100 to buffer various grades of materials that are difficult to reach the preset number of trays (number of trays per batch), until the quantity of any grade of material in the mixed sorting line module 100 reaches the preset number of trays, at which point the material of that grade is sorted and trayed.

[0054] In this way, the top N grades of materials with the highest proportion can be sorted and grouped by the hierarchical sorting module 200, making full use of the capacity of the hierarchical sorting module 200. The remaining grades of materials after passing through the hierarchical sorting module 200 can be buffered in the mixed sorting module 100. The grades of materials in the mixed sorting module 100 that have not reached the preset number of groupings are waiting to be sorted in it, avoiding the situation where the capacity of the sorting equipment 1000 cannot be fully utilized due to the inability to meet the number of groupings in a single batch.

[0055] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structural framework of a hybrid sorting line module 100 according to one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 2 In a further optional embodiment, the hybrid sorting line module 100 includes a hybrid buffer module 120 and at least one hybrid sorting module 110.

[0056] The mixed buffer module 120 is used to accept materials of various grades. The mixed sorting module 110 can sort out any grade of material in the mixed buffer module 120 when the number of buffers reaches the preset number of trays.

[0057] In this embodiment, the mixed sorting line module 100 includes a mixed buffer module 120 and a mixed sorting module 110. The number of mixed sorting modules 110 can be determined according to the number of different grades of materials in the mixed incoming material. The mixed sorting module 110 has the function of sorting graded materials, and the mixed buffer module 120 has the function of buffering graded materials. The mixed sorting module 110 generally includes an identification function unit, which can collect and identify the identification information of the graded materials passing through the mixed sorting module 110. In specific applications, the information obtained by the mixed sorting module 110 can be sent to the control system 400, and the control system 400 can control the mixed sorting module 110 to perform sorting based on the obtained information.

[0058] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structural framework of a hierarchical sorting line module 200 according to one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 3 The hierarchical sorting line module 200 includes at least one sorting tray module 210, which includes a hierarchical sorting module 211 and a hierarchical tray module 212.

[0059] The tiered tray assembly module 212 is connected to the tiered sorting module 211, which is used to sort out at least one grade of material. The tiered tray assembly module 212 can assemble the graded material conveyed by the tiered sorting module 211.

[0060] In this embodiment, the hierarchical sorting line module 200 includes sorting group plate modules 210, and the number of sorting group plate modules 210 can be determined according to the types and quantities of graded materials in the mixed incoming materials.

[0061] The sorting tray module 210 mainly consists of a connected hierarchical sorting module 211 and a hierarchical tray assembly module 212. The hierarchical sorting module 211 is used to sort graded materials, and the hierarchical tray assembly module 212 is used to assemble graded materials and is located downstream of the hierarchical sorting module 211. In this way, it can receive graded materials sorted by the upstream hierarchical sorting module 211 and assemble the sorted graded materials into trays.

[0062] The hierarchical sorting module 211 generally includes an identification function unit, which can collect the identification information of the graded materials entering the hierarchical sorting module 211. In specific applications, the information acquired by each module of the sorting group disc module 210 can be sent to the control system 400. The control system 400 can use this information to control each module in the sorting group disc module 210 to cooperate in sorting the materials of the corresponding grade.

[0063] Figure 4 This is a simplified schematic diagram of the structural framework of a sorting device 1000 according to another embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 4 In some optional embodiments, the sorting device 1000 further includes a front sorting line module 300, to which the hybrid sorting line module 100 is connected.

[0064] The pre-sorting module 300 is used to sort out qualified grade materials for conveying to the hierarchical sorting module 200 and the mixing sorting module 100.

[0065] In this embodiment, the sorting device 1000 further includes a front sorting line module 300 disposed upstream of the hierarchical sorting line module 200 and the mixed sorting line module 100. The front sorting line module 300 can sort out qualified grade materials, thereby allowing the hierarchical sorting line module 200 and the mixed sorting line module 100 to be used only for sorting qualified grade materials.

[0066] In practical applications, the pre-sorting line module 300 can acquire the identification information of the graded materials entering it and send it to the control system 400 to determine the qualified graded materials.

[0067] It should be noted that when the sorting equipment 1000 is applied to battery cell sorting, each battery cell generally has a corresponding tray placed on the conveyor channel to assist in transportation and prevent damage to the cells due to friction. However, due to various reasons (such as battery cells being removed from the trays prematurely due to quality inspection failures), the trays may become empty, resulting in empty trays. In this case, the pre-sorting module 300 also needs to prevent empty trays from being conveyed to the hierarchical sorting module 200 and the mixed sorting module 100. In other words, the pre-sorting module 300 separates empty trays and defective battery cells into one category and qualified battery cells into another, conveying them in different directions.

[0068] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a pre-sorting line module 300 according to one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 5 In a further optional embodiment, the pre-sorting line module 300 includes a pre-sorting module 310, which is used to sort out qualified grade materials.

[0069] In this embodiment, the pre-sorting module 310 has the function of collecting identification information. The control system 400 can obtain the identification information collected by the pre-sorting module 310 and control the pre-sorting module 310 in the pre-sorting line module 300 to sort out qualified grade materials.

[0070] In practical applications, the pre-sorting module 310 generally includes an identification function unit, which can collect the identifiers of the graded materials entering the pre-sorting module 310. Of course, the control system 400 can acquire and store the identification information collected by the pre-sorting module 310 to statistically analyze the quantity and proportion of various grades of materials entering the hierarchical sorting line module 200 and the mixed sorting line module 100.

[0071] It should be noted that the aforementioned hybrid sorting module 110, hierarchical sorting module 211, and pre-sorting module 310 are all sorting devices, and these three can use the same or different types of sorting devices. In specific applications, all three can be rotary sorting machines, which can use, for example, radio frequency identification (RFID) modules, NFC (Near Field Communication) modules, industrial cameras, barcode scanners, etc., as identification functional units.

[0072] In some optional embodiments, the sorting module further includes a counting function unit. In specific applications, the rotary sorter can use a counter as the counting function unit, such as a photoelectric counter or a vibration counter. In other optional embodiments, the control system 400 has a counting function unit, which counts the quantity of materials of the corresponding grade sorted by the sorting module.

[0073] In an optional embodiment, the mixed sorting line module 100 further includes a mixed tray assembly module 130, wherein any grade of material sorted by the mixed sorting module 110 is conveyed to the mixed tray assembly module 130 for tray assembly.

[0074] In this embodiment, the mixing and traying module 130 is used to tray a preset number of graded materials. The mixing and sorting module 110 is located upstream of the mixing and traying module 130, and the sorted graded materials can be conveyed to the mixing and traying module 130. In other words, the mixing and sorting line module 100 in this embodiment includes the mixing and traying module 130 to tray the preset number of graded materials sorted by the mixing and sorting module 110.

[0075] In another alternative embodiment, any grade of material sorted by the mixing and sorting module 110 is conveyed to a layer tray module 212 in the layer sorting line module 200 for traying.

[0076] In this embodiment, the hybrid sorting line module 100 does not have a hybrid tray module 130. The hybrid sorting line module 100 shares a hierarchical tray module 212 from the hierarchical sorting line module 200. This can further reduce the use of tray modules, reduce costs and equipment space.

[0077] In one optional embodiment, any grade of material sorted by the mixing sorting module 110 can be conveyed to either the hierarchical palletizing module 212 for palletizing or the mixing palletizing module 130 for palletizing.

[0078] In other words, the mixed sorting line module 100 in this embodiment includes both a mixed tray module 130 and a shared hierarchical tray module 212 with the hierarchical sorting line module 200. This configuration is suitable for situations where the mixed sorting line module 100 contains a variety of graded materials.

[0079] In practical applications, the sorting module and the tray assembly module are connected by a material conveying channel. The sorting module includes a mixed sorting module 110, a hierarchical sorting module 211, and a pre-sorting module 310. The tray assembly module includes a mixed tray assembly module 130 and a hierarchical tray assembly module 212.

[0080] It should be noted that the pallet assembly module refers to the pallet assembly machine, which generally includes a carrier conveying channel and a handling unit. The carrier conveying channel is used to transport the packaging containers of the loaded grade materials, and the handling unit is used to move the grade materials on the material conveying channel to the packaging containers on the packaging conveyor line.

[0081] The handling unit here may include, for example, a robotic arm with multiple degrees of freedom of movement, or a gripper device with multiple degrees of freedom of movement. The material conveying channel and the carrier conveying channel here may be a conveying channel formed by, for example, a conveyor belt or a conveyor roller.

[0082] Please see Figure 2 In one optional embodiment, the number of mixing and sorting modules 110 is one, and the mixing buffer module 120 cooperates with the mixing and sorting module 110 to form a material circulation loop.

[0083] In this embodiment, there is one mixing and sorting module 110 with one inlet and at least two outlets. The mixing buffer module 120 is connected to the inlet and one outlet of the mixing and sorting module 110 through a material conveying channel. The other outlets of the mixing and sorting module 110 are connected to the corresponding tray modules through material conveying channels to allow the sorted graded materials to pass through, thus forming a material circulation loop with the mixing and sorting module 110. In this way, if the quantity of graded materials does not reach the preset tray quantity, the graded materials circulate in the material circulation loop.

[0084] Figure 6 This is a structural block diagram of a hybrid sorting line module 100 according to yet another embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 6 In one optional embodiment, the number of mixing and sorting modules 110 is not less than two, and the multiple mixing and sorting modules 110 are connected in sequence and cooperate with the mixing and buffering module 120 to form a material circulation loop.

[0085] In this embodiment, there are multiple mixing and sorting modules 110. Each mixing and sorting module 110 has one inlet and at least two outlets. For two mixing and sorting modules 110 that are adjacent in the upstream and downstream directions, one outlet of the upstream mixing and sorting module 110 is connected to the inlet of the downstream mixing and sorting module 110 through a material conveying channel, thereby connecting multiple mixing and sorting modules 110.

[0086] The two ends of the mixing buffer module 120 are connected to the inlet of the upstream mixing and sorting module 110 and the outlet of the downstream mixing and sorting module 110, respectively, thus forming a material circulation loop. Therefore, if the quantity of graded material does not reach the preset tray quantity, the graded material circulates in the loop.

[0087] Please see Figure 3 In one optional embodiment, the number of sorting group disk modules 210 is not less than two, and the hierarchical sorting modules 211 in the multiple sorting group disk modules 210 are connected in sequence.

[0088] In this embodiment, there are multiple sorting tray modules 210, and the sorting modules 211 of each level in the multiple sorting tray modules 210 are connected in sequence to realize the sequential connection of multiple sorting tray modules 210. The sorting tray modules 212 of each level in the multiple sorting tray modules 210 are independent of each other, so that each level tray module 212 can only receive the graded materials sorted by the level sorting module 211 connected to it.

[0089] In practical applications, the hierarchical sorting module 211 has one inlet and at least two outlets. In two hierarchical sorting modules 211 that are adjacent in the upstream and downstream directions, one outlet of the upstream hierarchical sorting module 211 is connected to the inlet of the downstream hierarchical sorting module 211, thus realizing the sequential connection of multiple hierarchical sorting modules 211.

[0090] In a further optional embodiment, the hybrid sorting line module 100 is connected to the downstream sorting group tray module 210.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the mixing sorting line module 100 has only one mixing sorting module 110, the feed port of the mixing sorting module 110 in the mixing sorting line module 100 is connected to the discharge port of the layer sorting module 211 in the downstream sorting group plate module 210.

[0092] When the mixed sorting line module 100 has multiple mixed sorting modules 110, the inlet of the upstream mixed sorting module 110 in the mixed sorting line module 100 is connected to the outlet of the tiered sorting module 211 in the downstream sorting group plate module 210.

[0093] In the case where the hybrid sorting line module 100 shares a layer assembly module 212 among multiple layer sorting line modules 200, the hybrid sorting module 110 in the hybrid sorting line module 100 is connected to the layer assembly module 212 in the downstream layer sorting line module 200.

[0094] This configuration allows the top N grades of materials with a higher proportion to be sorted by the hierarchical sorting module 200 first, while the bottom MN grades of materials with a lower proportion are sorted by the mixed sorting module 100, which is more conducive to the implementation of the sorting logic.

[0095] Please see Figure 5In some optional embodiments, the pre-sorting line module 300 further includes a pre-buffer module 320, which is connected between the pre-sorting module 310 and the hierarchical sorting line module 200. The pre-buffer module 320 is used to buffer qualified grade materials sorted by the pre-sorting module 310.

[0096] In this embodiment, in addition to the front sorting module 310, the front sorting line module 300 also has a front buffer module 320. The front buffer module 320 is located downstream of the front sorting module 310 and upstream of the hierarchical sorting line module 200, which is generally located upstream of the hybrid sorting line module 100.

[0097] The pre-caching module 320 has the function of caching graded materials. By caching a portion of qualified graded materials, the pre-caching module 320 can reduce the risk of congestion in the hierarchical sorting line module 200 and the mixed sorting line module 100, and can also ensure the accuracy of statistical samples and improve allocation efficiency.

[0098] It should be noted that the aforementioned hybrid cache module 120 and pre-cached cache module 320 can be cache towers, cache channels, etc., for cache-level materials, and can be selected according to design requirements.

[0099] Figure 7 This is a partial schematic diagram of a sorting device 1000 provided according to one embodiment of this application. Figure 7 Only the main components used to achieve the sorting were shown. Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, the sorting device 1000 has four sorting tray modules 210 in the hierarchical sorting line module 200, and one each of the hybrid sorting module 110 and hybrid buffer module 120 in the hybrid sorting line module 100. The hybrid sorting line module 100 is shared with the hierarchical tray module 212 in the downstream sorting tray module 210.

[0100] Furthermore, the hierarchical sorting modules 211 and hierarchical tray modules 212 in each sorting tray module 210 are connected by only one material conveying channel. The maximum number of graded materials that the hierarchical sorting line module 200 can sort is determined by the total number of material conveying channels between the hierarchical sorting modules 211 and hierarchical tray modules 212. Also, the front-end sorting line module 300 in this sorting equipment 1000 only has a front-end sorting module 310.

[0101] In practical applications, Figure 7The sorting equipment 1000 shown can be used to sort mixed incoming materials containing 12 grades of battery cells, i.e., M=12. The hierarchical sorting line module 200 can sort out the top 4 grades of battery cells with the highest proportion, and the remaining 8 grades of battery cells are sorted by the mixed sorting line module 100. Furthermore, if there is a remainder after the top 4 grades of battery cells are sorted (less than the preset number of trays), the remaining number of grade battery cells can be transported to the mixed sorting line module 100 to await sorting.

[0102] Figure 8 This is a partial schematic diagram of a sorting device 1000 provided according to yet another embodiment of this application. Figure 8 Only the main components used to achieve the sorting were shown. Figure 8 In the embodiment shown, the sorting device 1000 has four sorting tray modules 210 in the hierarchical sorting line module 200, two hybrid sorting modules 110 and one hybrid buffer module 120 in the hybrid sorting line module 100. The upstream hybrid sorting module 110 is connected to the hierarchical tray module 212 in the downstream sorting tray module 210, and the downstream hybrid sorting module 110 is connected to the hybrid tray module 130.

[0103] Furthermore, the hierarchical sorting modules 211 and hierarchical tray modules 212 in the three upstream sorting tray modules 210 are connected via two material conveying channels, and the hierarchical sorting modules 211 and hierarchical tray modules 212 in the downstream sorting tray module 210 are connected via one material conveying channel, for a total of seven material conveying channels between the hierarchical sorting modules 211 and hierarchical tray modules 212. Moreover, the pre-sorting line module 300 in this sorting equipment 1000 only has a pre-sorting module 310.

[0104] Figure 8 The sorting equipment 1000 shown can be used to sort mixed incoming materials containing 12 grades of battery cells, i.e., M=12. The hierarchical sorting line module 200 can sort out the top 7 grades of battery cells with the highest proportion, and the remaining 5 grades of battery cells are sorted by the mixed sorting line module 100. Furthermore, if there is a remainder after the top 7 grades of battery cells are sorted (less than the preset number of trays), the remaining number of grade battery cells can be transported to the mixed sorting line module 100 to await sorting.

[0105] In reality, the top four grades of battery cells account for 90% of the total. Therefore, the tiered sorting line module 200 is configured to sort the top four grades of materials. Some material conveying channels in the tiered sorting line module 200 are classified into main channels and backup channels. The main channels and backup channels are reasonably allocated according to the top four grades of materials.

[0106] Figure 9 This is a partial schematic diagram of a sorting device 1000 provided according to another embodiment of this application. Figure 9 Only the main components used to achieve the sorting were shown. Figure 9 In the embodiment shown, the sorting device 1000 has three sorting tray modules 210 in the hierarchical sorting line module 200, two mixing sorting modules 110 and one mixing buffer module 120 in the mixing sorting line module 100, and both mixing sorting modules 110 are connected to the mixing tray module 130.

[0107] Furthermore, the hierarchical sorting module 211 and the hierarchical tray module 212 in the sorting tray module 210 are connected by two material conveying channels, and the total number of material conveying channels between the hierarchical sorting module 211 and the hierarchical tray module 212 is six. In addition, the front-end sorting line module 300 in the sorting equipment 1000 includes a front-end sorting module 310 and a front-end buffer module 320.

[0108] Figure 9 The sorting equipment 1000 shown can be used to sort mixed incoming materials with 12 grades of battery cells, i.e., M=12. The hierarchical sorting line module 200 is configured to dynamically sort the battery cells with a higher proportion through the 6 material conveying channels between the hierarchical sorting module 211 and the hierarchical tray module 212. The remaining battery cells with a lower proportion are sorted through the mixed sorting line module 100.

[0109] Dynamic sorting here refers to the fact that the higher the percentage, the more material conveying channels are used; that is, the number of material conveying channels is allocated according to the percentage. In this case, there may be a large number of types of battery cells with a low remaining percentage, so two hybrid sorting modules 110 are used to ensure sorting efficiency.

[0110] Of course, since the front-end cache module 320 can cache mixed incoming materials, it ensures the accuracy of statistical samples and avoids congestion.

[0111] As can be seen from the above, when sorting 12 grades of battery cells, only 4 tray modules may be needed. Therefore, the sorting equipment 1000 equipped with the above modules can not only make full use of the capacity of each tray module, but also reduce the use of tray modules, reduce the space occupied by the sorting equipment 1000, and reduce costs.

[0112] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A sorting apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a hybrid sorting line module (100) and a hierarchical sorting line module (200), wherein the hybrid sorting line module (100) is connected to the hierarchical sorting line module (200). The hierarchical sorting line module (200) is used to receive the mixed incoming material from upstream and can sort out up to N grades of materials from the mixed incoming material. It is used to sort out the top N grades of materials with the highest proportion in the mixed incoming material. The mixed incoming material includes M grades of materials. The remaining MN grades of materials with a relatively low proportion are set to be conveyed to the mixed sorting line module (100). M is an integer and not less than N+2, and N is an integer not less than 1. During the sorting and traying process, there will be a remainder of any of the top N grade materials with the highest proportion. If the remainder is less than the preset tray quantity, the remainder of that grade material will be transported to the mixed sorting line module (100). The mixed sorting line module (100) is used to receive and buffer the quantity of various grades of materials that does not meet the preset tray quantity, and can sort out any grade of materials whose buffer quantity meets the preset tray quantity.

2. The sorting apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The hybrid sorting line module (100) includes a hybrid buffer module (120) and at least one hybrid sorting module (110). The hybrid caching module (120) is used to receive and cache various grades of materials; The mixed sorting module (110) can sort out any grade of material in the mixed caching module (120) whose cache quantity reaches the preset number of trays.

3. The sorting equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mixed sorting line module (100) further includes a mixed tray assembly module (130), wherein any grade of material sorted by the mixed sorting module (110) is conveyed to the mixed tray assembly module (130) for tray assembly; and / or, The mixed sorting module (110) sorts out any grade of material and then transports it to a layer tray module (212) in the layer sorting line module (200) for tray assembly.

4. The sorting equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of the mixing and sorting module (110) is one, and the mixing and buffering module (120) works in conjunction with the mixing and sorting module (110) to form a material circulation loop; The number of the mixing and sorting modules (110) is not less than two, and the multiple mixing and sorting modules (110) are connected in sequence and cooperate with the mixing and buffering module (120) to form a material circulation loop.

5. The sorting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hierarchical sorting line module (200) includes at least one sorting tray module (210), and the sorting tray module (210) includes a hierarchical sorting module (211) and a hierarchical tray module (212). The tiered tray module (212) is connected to the tiered sorting module (211). The tiered sorting module (211) is used to sort out at least one grade of material. The tiered tray module (212) can tray the graded materials transported by the tiered sorting module (211).

6. The sorting equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The number of sorting group disk modules (210) is no less than 2, and the hierarchical sorting modules (211) in the multiple sorting group disk modules (210) are connected in sequence.

7. The sorting equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The hybrid sorting line module (100) is connected to the downstream sorting group plate module (210).

8. The sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, It also includes a front sorting line module (300), and the hybrid sorting line module (100) is connected to the front sorting line module (300); The pre-sorting module (300) is used to sort out qualified grade materials for conveying to the hierarchical sorting module (200) and the mixed sorting module (100).

9. The sorting equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The pre-sorting line module (300) includes a pre-sorting module (310), which is used to sort out qualified grade materials.

10. The sorting equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The front sorting line module (300) further includes a front buffer module (320), which is connected between the front sorting module (310) and the hierarchical sorting line module (200); The pre-caching module (320) is used to cache qualified grade materials sorted out by the pre-sorting module (310).

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