A high-speed stacking system for battery cell modules

By designing a high-speed stacking system, using incoming material conveying units, flip units, pre-stack conveying units, hoisting mechanisms and extrusion mechanisms, the problem of low assembly efficiency of battery cell modules is solved, and efficient and low-cost battery pack production is achieved.

CN118763364BActive Publication Date: 2025-04-08SHANGHAI ZONZSIN INTELLIGENT EQUIPMENT CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202410446412.1
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-04-15
Publication Date
2025-04-08
Estimated Expiration
2044-04-15

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

During the production process of existing battery packs, a lot of time is needed for the robot to collect and discharge materials from the round trip, resulting in low production efficiency and high cost.

Method used

A high-speed stacking system for battery cell modules is designed, including incoming material conveying unit, flip unit, pre-stacking conveying unit, hoisting mechanism and extrusion mechanism, and efficient pre-stacking and assembly of battery cell modules is achieved through electrical control and double-row belt conveying lines.

Benefits of technology

It greatly improves production efficiency, shortens battery cell stacking time, reduces production costs, and is compatible with wide sizes.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a high-speed stacking system for battery cell modules, comprising: an incoming material conveying unit: comprising a horizontally arranged first conveyor belt for conveying a single battery cell; a pre-stacking conveying unit: comprising a horizontally arranged second conveyor belt, the second conveyor belt being arranged at one end of the incoming material conveying unit and being perpendicular to the first conveyor belt; a flipping unit: being arranged between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, and being used to flip a single battery cell placed on the first conveyor belt and place it on the second conveyor belt; a module extrusion unit: comprising a lifting mechanism and an extrusion mechanism, the lifting mechanism being arranged at the front end of the second conveyor belt, the extrusion mechanism being arranged above the lifting mechanism, and the module extrusion unit being used to extrude and assemble pre-stacked battery cell modules to form a battery pack. The stacking system of the present invention has a tight fit, and there is little waiting time for several matching stacking mechanisms, and it uses fewer structures, has low cost, high efficiency, and a wide range of compatibility.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of battery manufacturing, and in particular to a high-speed stacking system for battery core modules. Background Art

[0002] In the production process of lithium battery packs, a certain number of battery cells are usually assembled into a battery cell module, and then end caps are added to both ends of the battery cell module. The end caps and the battery cell module are assembled together by bundling, or the battery cells are fixed into a battery cell module by bonding, and then the end caps are fixed at both ends to assemble a battery pack.

[0003] When assembling the battery cell module, you need to first grab an end plate and place it on one side of the stacking table, then grab a certain number of battery cells and place them on the stacking table in turn, then grab another end plate and place it on the other side, and then use the extrusion mechanism to extrude it from both sides to complete the pre-stacking.

[0004] At present, in actual production, the grabbing of battery cells and end plates is completed by robot grippers, which grab battery cells or end plates from the battery cell and end plate incoming materials and place them on the stacking table. Using this method, a lot of time is spent on the robot's path to and from the material collection and discharge, and the waiting window period of the stacking table. This method is time-consuming and uses robots, which is expensive. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned prior art and provide a battery cell module pre-stacking system with a compact and reasonable structural design, further improving production efficiency, reducing unnecessary equipment and mechanisms, reducing production costs, greatly improving production efficiency, and the present invention is compatible with a wide range of sizes.

[0006] In order to achieve the purpose of the present invention, this application provides the following technical solutions.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a high-speed stacking system for battery cell modules, the stacking system comprising:

[0008] Incoming material conveying unit: comprising a horizontally arranged first conveyor belt for conveying a single battery cell;

[0009] The pre-stacking conveying unit includes a horizontally arranged second conveying belt, which is arranged at one end of the incoming material conveying unit and is perpendicular to the first conveying belt;

[0010] A turning unit is arranged between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, and is used to turn over a single battery cell placed on the first conveyor belt and place it on the second conveyor belt;

[0011] Module extrusion unit: includes a lifting mechanism and an extrusion mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism is arranged at the front end of the second conveyor belt, and the extrusion mechanism is arranged above the lifting mechanism, and the module extrusion unit is used to extrude and assemble the pre-stacked battery cell modules to form a battery pack.

[0012] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the incoming material conveying unit includes baffles arranged on both sides of the first conveyor belt, and the distance between the two baffles is slightly greater than the width of the battery cell.

[0013] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the flipping unit includes a rotating motor, a rotating arm and a battery cell clamp, wherein the rotating arm includes a first rotating arm, a second rotating arm and a third rotating arm that are integrally formed and perpendicular to each other, one end of the first rotating arm is fixed to the rotating shaft of the rotating motor, the battery cell clamp includes two clamping plates and a cylinder for driving the clamping plates to move, the cylinder is fixed on the third rotating arm, and when the battery cell is not grasped, the first rotating arm is in a vertical position, and the second rotating arm and the third rotating arm are arranged horizontally.

[0014] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the flip unit includes a vertically arranged mounting bracket, the rotating motor is fixed on the mounting bracket, and two limit blocks are provided on the mounting bracket. When the battery cell is not grasped, the bottom of the first rotating arm abuts against one of the limit blocks, and when the first rotating arm rotates 90°, the first rotating arm abuts against the other limit block.

[0015] In one implementation of the first aspect, the second conveyor belt includes two sets of crawler belts of the same model arranged in parallel and a motor driving the crawler belts to move, and a plurality of supporting wheel assemblies are arranged between the two sets of crawler belts.

[0016] In an implementation manner of the first aspect, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting cylinder and a horizontally arranged support plate, and the support plate is located between two crawler tracks.

[0017] In an implementation of the first aspect, at least two pairs of grating sensors are provided on the outer side of the second conveyor belt, and the grating sensors are used to sense the positions of the pre-stacked battery cell modules.

[0018] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the extrusion mechanism includes two leveling plates arranged parallel to the second conveying track, a leveling cylinder for driving the leveling plates to move, two extrusion plates arranged perpendicular to the second conveying track, and an extrusion device for driving the extrusion plates to move, wherein suction cup assemblies are installed on both of the extrusion plates, the suction cup assemblies are connected to a vacuum pump, and end covers are sucked and fixed on the suction cup assemblies.

[0019] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the stacking system includes a controller, which is used to control the operation of the incoming material conveying unit, the pre-stacking conveying unit, the turning unit and the die extrusion unit.

[0020] In one implementation of the first aspect, the controller is a PLC controller.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] (1) The flip unit of the present invention adopts a double L-shaped special-shaped plate design, that is, it is set to a first rotating arm, a second rotating arm and a third rotating arm, and then used in combination with a rotating motor and a battery cell clamp, so that the battery cell clamp can be flipped immediately after gripping the battery cell, and the battery cell can be put on the stacking position to complete a loading and transportation. After completing a loading and transportation, the belt conveyor line conveys forward, and at the same time, the flip device flips back to its original position to carry out the next battery cell gripping and flipping transportation. Compared with traditional robot stacking, this shortens the moving distance when stacking batteries, thereby shortening the moving time and improving production efficiency.

[0023] (2) Through electrical control design, while the battery cells are being clamped and flipped, when the number of battery cells on the belt conveyor line reaches the group number, the second conveyor belt will transport the battery cell module to the top of the lifting mechanism. After the lifting mechanism lifts all the battery cell modules, the battery cell flipping unit will continue to clamp the battery cells and flip them to the second conveyor belt, which will then transport a single battery cell. Through electrical control design, two different distances of transportation can be performed on one belt conveyor line, thereby performing two different working conditions on one belt conveyor line.

[0024] (3) The present invention adopts a double-row belt conveyor line (second conveyor belt), and a lifting mechanism is set up under the hollow area of ​​the double-row belt line. Such a mechanism design can make it possible for the battery cells to be immediately lifted and grouped when the number of battery cells reaches the grouping number, so that the battery cells of the next group can be stacked immediately.

[0025] (4) Through the control of PLC, the various components of the stacking system work closely together, and there is little waiting time for several stacking mechanisms. It uses fewer structures, has low cost, high efficiency, and a wide range of compatibility. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the stacking system of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the flip unit;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the position of the flip unit after picking up and flipping;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the pre-stacked conveying unit and the die extrusion unit;

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the second conveyor belt;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the combined structure of the second conveyor belt and the jacking mechanism.

[0032] In the accompanying drawings, 1 is an incoming material conveying unit, 11 is a baffle, 12 is a notch, 13 is a first conveyor belt, 2 is a flip unit, 21 is a mounting bracket, 22 is a rotating motor, 23 is a limit block, 24 is a first rotating arm, 25 is a second rotating arm, 26 is a third rotating arm, 27 is a cylinder, 28 is a clamp, 3 is a pre-stacking conveying unit, 31 is a second conveyor belt, 32 is a motor, 33 is a belt, 34 is a driving wheel, 35 is a supporting wheel assembly, 36 is a first grating sensor, 37 is a second grating sensor, 4 is a lifting mechanism, 41 is a lifting cylinder, 42 is a support plate, 5 is an extrusion mechanism, 51 is a leveling plate, 52 is a leveling cylinder, 53 is a suction cup assembly, 54 is an end cover, 55 is an extrusion cylinder, 56 is an extrusion electric cylinder, 57 is a steel frame, 6 is a single battery cell, 7 is a battery cell module, 8 is a rack, A is a material taking state, and B is a flipping state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other capabilities obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention; in addition, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal connection of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0035] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent transformations made using the contents of the present invention description and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in related technical fields are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

[0036] A battery cell module stacking system comprises a material conveying unit, a turning unit, a pre-stacking conveying unit, a lifting mechanism and a squeezing mechanism which are sequentially arranged along the length direction of the battery cell module.

[0037] The incoming material conveying unit is used to transport a single battery cell. When a single battery cell is transported to the position to be clamped, the incoming material conveying unit automatically stops after detecting the battery cell through the sensor, and waits for the single battery cell to be clamped away before transporting the next battery cell.

[0038] The turning unit is provided with a mounting bracket, the bottom surface of which is connected to the frame plate, and an automatic rotating motor is mounted on the mounting bracket.

[0039] Among them, a special-shaped connecting block is installed at the end of the rotating motor. The special-shaped connecting block is designed to be a double L shape. The special-shaped connecting block consists of a first rotating arm, a second rotating arm, and a third rotating arm. It starts from the X-axis, turns right along the Y-axis, and then turns upward along the Z-axis. It is connected to the rotating motor at the starting end of the special-shaped connecting block and is connected to the battery cell clamp at the end of the Z-axis of the special-shaped connecting block. The battery cell clamp clamps a single battery cell by opening and closing. The design of the special-shaped connecting block combined with the automatic rotating motor and the battery cell clamp can make the battery cell move ingeniously in three-dimensional space, so that a single battery cell can be grabbed from the incoming material conveying unit and placed on the pre-stacking conveying unit.

[0040] The pre-stacking conveying unit is responsible for conveying the battery cell modules to be grouped forward to the top of the lifting mechanism. After the flipping mechanism flips the battery cell on the incoming material belt line, the battery cell is shifted to the top of the pre-stacking conveying unit, the battery cell clamp releases the battery cell, and the battery cell falls on the pre-stacking conveying unit, and the sensor on the battery cell clamp transmits a signal to the pre-stacking conveying unit. Every time the pre-stacking conveying unit places a battery cell, the electrical control system will send a signal to drive the pre-stacking conveying unit forward to leave space for the next battery cell. Such a control design makes the discharge position of the flipping mechanism the same each time, shortens the spatial distance of the flipping mechanism, and thus shortens the time for stacking the battery cells. When the number of battery cells on the pre-stacking conveying unit reaches the number that can be grouped, the electrical control system will send a signal to drive the pre-stacking conveying unit forward to convey the corresponding distance required by the size of the grouped battery cells, and convey the battery cell modules that can be grouped to the top of the lifting mechanism. Such a control design can make it possible to carry out two different distances of transportation on a pre-stacking conveying unit, so as to perform two different working conditions on a pre-stacking conveying unit.

[0041] The pre-stacking conveying unit adopts a two-row type. The middle of the pre-stacking conveying unit is hollowed out, and two rows of synchronous belts are set on both sides for conveying.

[0042] The lifting mechanism is arranged below the lifting area of ​​the pre-stacking conveying unit and is placed symmetrically with the center of the pre-stacking conveying unit. When the battery cell module is conveyed to the top of the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism is lifted upward, and the lifting plate on the lifting mechanism passes through the hollow part in the middle of the pre-stacking conveying unit to contact and lift the battery cell module, and the battery cell module is lifted to the area to be extruded.

[0043] The extrusion mechanism is installed above the lifting mechanism through a steel frame and is placed symmetrically with the center of the lifting mechanism. When the lifting mechanism lifts the battery cell module, the battery cell module is exactly in the working area of ​​the extrusion mechanism.

[0044] The extrusion mechanism is equipped with four side leveling cylinders, which are all fixed on the steel frame. The side leveling cylinders are arranged along the width direction of the battery module. The ends of every two side leveling cylinders are connected to a leveling plate. When the four side leveling cylinders are extended at the same time, the leveling plate squeezes the two sides of the battery module, so that the side displacement of the battery module is squeezed and flushed. After the side of the battery module is squeezed and flushed, the four side leveling cylinders retract.

[0045] The extrusion mechanism is equipped with a cylinder on one side along the length direction of the battery module, and a suction cup assembly is installed at the end of the cylinder. Another mechanism loads the end plate onto the suction cup assembly, and the suction cup assembly absorbs the end plate. When the side of the battery module is squeezed flush, the cylinder extends, and the end plate absorbed by the suction cup assembly is installed in a fit with one side of the battery module. After the end plate is fitted with the battery cell, the suction cup assembly stops sucking, and the end plate installation cylinder retracts.

[0046] The extrusion mechanism is equipped with an electric cylinder on the other side of the length direction of the battery module, and a suction cup assembly is installed at the end of the electric cylinder. There are other mechanisms to feed the end plate to the suction cup assembly, and the suction cup assembly sucks the end plate. When the battery module is squeezed flush, the electric cylinder extends out and fits the end plate sucked on the suction cup assembly with the battery module. After the end plate is fitted with the battery, the suction cup assembly stops sucking and the electric cylinder retracts. The electric cylinder is driven by a motor to drive the lead screw to move the end axially. The use of this mechanism makes the device of the present invention have good compatibility with the module length.

[0047] After the end plates on both sides are successfully installed, the battery cells are grouped, and the stacking work of this system is completed. The lifting mechanism continues to lift, waiting for the material-retrieving mechanism at another station to take away the grouped modules. After the grouped modules are taken away, the lifting mechanism descends. Example

[0048] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. This embodiment is implemented on the premise of the technical solution of the present invention, and a detailed implementation method and a specific operation process are given, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Example

[0049] A high-speed stacking system for battery cell modules, the overall structure of which is as follows Figure 1 As shown, it includes a frame 8, an incoming material conveying unit 1, a turning unit 2, a pre-stacking conveying unit 3, a lifting mechanism 4, an extrusion mechanism 5, a PLC controller, etc., which are specifically described as follows.

[0050] The incoming material conveying unit 1 includes a first conveyor belt 13 arranged horizontally, and baffles 11 are arranged on both sides of the first conveyor belt 13, and the distance between the two baffles 11 is slightly larger than the width of a single battery cell 6. No baffle 11 is arranged at the front end of the first conveyor belt 13, that is, a gap 12 is left to facilitate the flip unit 2 to grab a single battery cell 6. The single battery cells 6 are placed on the first conveyor belt 13 in sequence, and the upper surface of the battery cells is fixed with a rubber plate to facilitate the fixation between two adjacent battery cells during subsequent grouping. A sensor (not shown in the figure) is arranged at the front end of the first conveyor belt 13, which can detect whether a single battery cell 6 has been transported to a specific position and transmit the signal to the PLC controller.

[0051] The structure of the flip unit 2 is as follows: Figure 2As shown, it includes a vertically arranged mounting bracket 21, a rotating motor 22 mounted on the mounting bracket 21, a rotating arm fixed to the rotating shaft of the rotating motor 22, and a battery cell clamp, wherein the rotating arm includes a first rotating arm 24, a second rotating arm 25 and a third rotating arm 26 that are integrally formed and perpendicular to each other, one end of the first rotating arm 24 is fixed to the rotating shaft of the rotating motor 22, and the battery cell clamp includes two clamping plates 28 and a cylinder 27 for driving the clamping plates 28 to move, and the cylinder 27 is fixed to the third rotating arm 26. Two limit blocks 23 are provided on the mounting bracket 21. The rotating arm of the flip unit 2 has two states: a material picking state A and a flipping state B, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, the material-retrieving state A refers to the state in which the battery cell clamp grabs a single battery cell 6 located on the first conveyor belt 13. At this time, the first rotating arm 24 is in a vertical position, the bottom of the first rotating arm 24 abuts against one of the limit blocks 23, the second rotating arm 25 and the third rotating arm 26 are arranged horizontally, and the two clamps 28 clamp the two sides of the single battery cell 6, and the single battery cell 6 is still in a horizontal position. The flipping state B refers to the state in which the battery cell clamp has placed the single battery cell 6 on the second conveyor belt 31. At this time, the first rotating arm 24 is in a horizontal position after rotating 90°, and the first rotating arm 24 abuts against another limit block 23, the second rotating arm 25 is in a vertical position, the third rotating arm 26 is in a horizontal position, the two clamps 28 are in a vertical position, and the single battery cell 6 is just placed at the tail end of the second conveyor belt 31.

[0052] Pre-stacked delivery unit 3 Figure 4~Figure 6 As shown, it includes a horizontally arranged second conveyor belt 31, which is arranged at one end of the incoming material conveying unit 1 and is perpendicular to the first conveyor belt 13. The second conveyor belt 31 includes two sets of crawlers of the same model arranged in parallel and a motor 32. The motor 32 drives an H-shaped driving wheel 34 to rotate through a belt 33, and one end of the two sets of crawlers is respectively sleeved on the two ends of the driving wheel 34, and a plurality of supporting wheel assemblies 35 are also arranged between the two sets of crawlers. At least two pairs of grating sensors are arranged on the outside of the second conveyor belt 31. The grating sensors are connected to the PLC controller to sense the position of the pre-stacked battery module 7. The function of the grating sensor is mainly to detect the number of single battery cells 6 in the battery module 7. When the number of single battery cells 6 placed on the tail end of the second conveyor belt 31 reaches the target value, it is necessary to let the second conveyor belt 31 directly send the entire battery module 7 to the top of the lifting mechanism 4. During this process, the flip unit 2 will no longer take materials. In this embodiment, the head position of the cell module 7 is sensed by a grating sensor, and when detected, it indicates that the number of cells in the cell module 7 is sufficient. In addition to this method, the above purpose can also be achieved by directly counting by a PLC controller or by using a contact switch to detect the head position of the cell module 7, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0053] Die extrusion unit: including steel frame 57, lifting mechanism 4 and extrusion mechanism 5, the lifting mechanism 4 is as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the extrusion mechanism 5 is as shown in Figure 4 As shown. The lifting mechanism 4 is arranged at the front end of the second conveyor belt 31, including a lifting cylinder 41 and a horizontally arranged support plate 42, and the support plate 42 is located between the two tracks of the second conveyor belt 31. The extrusion mechanism 5 includes two screed plates 51 arranged parallel to the second conveyor track, a leveling cylinder 52 fixed on a steel frame 57 for driving the movement of the screed plates 51, two extrusion plates arranged perpendicular to the second conveyor track, and an extrusion device fixed on the steel frame 57 for driving the movement of the extrusion plates, wherein suction cup assemblies 53 are installed on both extrusion plates, the suction cup assemblies 53 are connected to the vacuum pump, and an end cap 54 is sucked and fixed on the suction cup assemblies 53. The extrusion device can use an extrusion cylinder 55 or an extrusion electric cylinder 56. In this embodiment, both are used, mainly to make the system compatible with the module length.

[0054] The working process of the above stacking system is as follows:

[0055] (1) An operator (or a robot arm) places a single battery cell 6 horizontally on the first conveyor belt 13 , keeping it as parallel to the baffle 11 as possible. A rubber sheet (not shown) is fixed on the upper surface of the single battery cell 6 .

[0056] (2) The first conveyor belt 13 conveys the single battery cell 6 forward to the notch 12. After the sensor detects that the single battery cell 6 has reached the specified position, it sends a signal to the PLC controller. The PLC controller controls the first conveyor belt 13 to stop conveying, and the single battery cell 6 remains stationary.

[0057] (3) The PLC controller controls the cylinder 27 to move in the opposite direction, that is, to open the two clamps 28 (so that the previous battery cell can be released and fall on the second conveyor belt 31). Then the PLC controller controls the rotating motor 22 to rotate so that it rotates from the flipping state B to the material picking state A. At this time, the two clamps 28 are just located on both sides of the single battery cell 6. Then, the PLC controller controls the cylinder 27 to move in the opposite direction, that is, to retract the two clamps 28 so that the clamps 28 clamp the single battery cell 6. Then, the PLC controller controls the rotating motor 22 to rotate so that it rotates from the material picking state A to the flipping state B. Finally, the PLC controller controls the cylinder 27 to move in the opposite direction, that is, to open the two clamps 28, so that the single battery cell 6 falls on the tail end of the second conveyor belt 31, completing a material picking.

[0058] (4) When a single battery cell 6 falls onto the second conveyor belt 31 (i.e., when the clamp 28 is opened), the PLC controller controls the motor 32 to rotate, so that the second conveyor belt 31 moves forward a certain distance, and this distance is slightly greater than the thickness of a single battery cell 6. In this way, it can be ensured that the battery cells on the second conveyor belt 31 are basically next to each other (adjacent battery cells are not close to each other to avoid adhesion of the rubber sheet and affect subsequent leveling, but the distance between them is small).

[0059] (5) When multiple battery cells are arranged on the second conveyor belt 31 and the battery cell at the front reaches the position of the first grating sensor 36, the first grating sensor 36 transmits a signal to the PLC controller, which first stops the operation of the flip unit 2 and the first conveyor belt 13, and then keeps the motor 32 running to transport the battery module 7 forward until the front end of the battery module 7 reaches the position of the second grating sensor 37. The second grating sensor 37 transmits a signal to the PLC controller, which controls the lifting cylinder 41 to rise, and uses the tray to lift the battery module 7 and leave the second conveyor belt 31. At this time, the PLC controller controls the first conveyor belt 13, the flip unit 2, and the second conveyor belt 31 to resume the above steps (2) to (4).

[0060] (6) When the lifting cylinder 41 rises to the specified height, the PLC controller controls the four leveling cylinders 52 to operate, driving the two leveling plates 51 to move toward each other. The leveling plates 51 squeeze the two sides of the battery module 7, so that the side of the battery module 7 is forced to be flattened. After the side of the battery module 7 is forced to be flattened, the PLC controller controls the leveling cylinders 52 to retract.

[0061] (7) The PLC controller controls the extrusion cylinder 55 and the extrusion electric cylinder 56 to move toward each other, so that the end caps 54 fixed on the two suction cup assemblies 53 contact the front and rear ends of the battery module 7 respectively, and then continue to move to squeeze the front and rear ends of the battery module 7, so that all the battery cells are abutted in turn, and the rubber plate fixes two adjacent battery cells, completing the stacking packaging of the battery module 7.

[0062] (8) The PLC controller controls the extrusion cylinder 55 and the extrusion electric cylinder 56 to move in opposite directions, and then sends the stacked and packaged battery cell module 7 to the subsequent process. The PLC controller controls the lifting cylinder 41 to descend to the initial position, completing a stacking operation.

[0063] After testing, a complete stacking operation takes a total of 19.5 seconds, which can improve efficiency by 160% compared to the existing stacking operation by a robotic arm. The design can achieve a cycle of 40PPM (output per minute), while the current ones on the market are mainly 15PPM.

[0064] The above description of the embodiments is for the convenience of those skilled in the art.

[0065] Those skilled in the art can understand and apply the present application. It is obvious that those familiar with the art can easily make various modifications to these embodiments and apply the general principles described herein to other embodiments without having to pay creative labor. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the embodiments herein, and improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the contents disclosed in the present application without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application are within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A high-speed stacking system for battery modules, characterized in that: The stacking system comprises: Incoming material conveying unit: comprising a horizontally arranged first conveyor belt for conveying a single battery cell; The pre-stacking conveying unit includes a horizontally arranged second conveying belt, which is arranged at one end of the incoming material conveying unit and is perpendicular to the first conveying belt; Turnover unit: arranged between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, including a rotating motor, a rotating arm and a battery cell clamp, wherein the rotating arm includes a first rotating arm, a second rotating arm and a third rotating arm which are integrally formed and perpendicular to each other, one end of the first rotating arm is fixed to the rotating shaft of the rotating motor, the battery cell clamp includes two clamping plates and a cylinder for driving the clamping plates to move, the cylinder is fixed to the third rotating arm, when no battery cell is grabbed, the first rotating arm is in a vertical position, the second rotating arm and the third rotating arm are arranged horizontally, and the turning unit is used to turn over a single battery cell placed on the first conveyor belt and place it on the second conveyor belt; Module extrusion unit: includes a lifting mechanism and an extrusion mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism is arranged at the front end of the second conveyor belt, and the extrusion mechanism is arranged above the lifting mechanism, and the module extrusion unit is used to extrude and assemble the pre-stacked battery cell modules to form a battery pack.

2. The high-speed stacking system for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The incoming material conveying unit comprises baffles arranged on both sides of the first conveyor belt, and the distance between the two baffles is slightly larger than the width of the battery cell.

3. The high-speed stacking system for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flip unit includes a vertically arranged mounting bracket, the rotating motor is fixed on the mounting bracket, and two limit blocks are provided on the mounting bracket. When the battery cell is not grasped, the bottom of the first rotating arm abuts against one of the limit blocks, and when the first rotating arm rotates 90°, the first rotating arm abuts against the other limit block.

4. The high-speed stacking system for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second conveyor belt includes two sets of crawler belts of the same model arranged in parallel and a motor for driving the crawler belts to move, and a plurality of supporting wheel assemblies are arranged between the two sets of crawler belts.

5. The high-speed stacking system for battery cell modules according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism comprises a lifting cylinder and a horizontally arranged supporting plate, and the supporting plate is located between two crawlers.

6. The high-speed stacking system for battery cell modules according to claim 4, characterized in that: At least two pairs of grating sensors are provided on the outer side of the second conveyor belt, and the grating sensors are used to sense the positions of the pre-stacked battery core modules.

7. The high-speed stacking system for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extrusion mechanism includes two leveling plates arranged parallel to the second conveying track, a leveling cylinder for driving the leveling plates to move, two extrusion plates arranged perpendicular to the second conveying track, and an extrusion device for driving the extrusion plates to move, wherein suction cup assemblies are installed on both of the extrusion plates, the suction cup assemblies are connected to the vacuum pump, and end covers are sucked and fixed on the suction cup assemblies.

8. The high-speed stacking system for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stacking system comprises a controller, which is used to control the operation of the incoming material conveying unit, the pre-stacking conveying unit, the turning unit and the die extrusion unit.

9. The high-speed stacking system for battery modules according to claim 8, characterized in that: The controller is a PLC controller.

Citation Information

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