Battery module automatic separator insertion mechanism

Abstract

The application relates to a battery module automatic separator inserting mechanism, which comprises: a separator feeding bin used for manually putting a plurality of separators in sequence; a horizontal driving unit; a separator receiving and transferring bin, wherein the horizontal driving unit is used for driving the separator receiving and transferring bin to switch between a plurality of the separator feeding bins, and the separator receiving and transferring bin is used for receiving the plurality of separators in the separator feeding bin; and a material taking manipulator used for feeding the plurality of separators to an assembling station. The battery module automatic separator inserting mechanism has the advantages that: for the upgrading of the separator assembling process of the traditional battery module in the forming process, the automatic separator assembling technology is realized, and the reliability is improved; for the existing manual separator assembling process or the separator assembling process, the intermediate butt joint process is omitted and optimized, the precision and the production efficiency are improved; the mechanism has the advantages of simple structure, simple operation, high use efficiency, high product servo positioning precision, continuous operation, realization of the accurate assembling requirement of products and improvement of the production output.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of new energy battery production technology, and in particular to an automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of technology, battery module packs are widely used in electronic devices and new energy vehicles, and belong to power energy components.

[0003] Solid polymer fuel cells (hereinafter referred to as "fuel cells") are made up of a battery as the smallest unit, which is a junction consisting of a fuel electrode and an air electrode sandwiching an electrolyte membrane made of a solid polymer membrane (MEA). Multiple batteries are stacked to form a fuel cell stack (FC stack) to obtain a high voltage.

[0004] Battery modules require workstation transfers or assembly during production. With the increasing automation of modern production, the assembly process in battery module manufacturing workshops also requires automated loading and assembly of various components. However, the following problems still exist in the separator loading process:

[0005] 1. Currently, manual assembly of partitions is inefficient and makes it difficult to control quality;

[0006] 2. There are many abnormalities in the structural docking stations required for intermediate transfer. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the problem that the battery module separator feeding process in the prior art is not fully automated and still requires too much manual intervention, resulting in low production efficiency and high labor costs.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides an automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules, comprising: a plurality of separator loading bins arranged on a straight line, wherein the separator loading bins are used for manually inserting a plurality of separators sequentially; a horizontal drive unit whose horizontal movement direction is parallel to the straight line on which the plurality of separator loading bins are located, and the horizontal drive unit is located on one side of the straight line on which the plurality of separator loading bins are located; a separator receiving transfer bin disposed on the horizontal drive unit, wherein the horizontal drive unit is used to drive the separator receiving transfer bin to switch between the plurality of separator loading bins, wherein the separator receiving transfer bin is used to receive a plurality of separators in the separator loading bins; and a picking robot used to simultaneously pick up a plurality of separators in the separator receiving transfer bin, and the picking robot is used to load a plurality of separators to an assembly station.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic partition insertion mechanism further includes two symmetrical and parallel linear guide rails. A rack is mounted on the long side wall of the linear guide rails. The horizontal drive unit includes a horizontal slide plate, a motor mounting plate, a linear drive motor, a drive wheel, an auxiliary gear, and a protective shell. A slider is connected to the horizontal slide plate, and the slider is slidably connected to the linear guide rails. The motor mounting plate is fixedly connected to the horizontal slide plate. The linear drive motor is mounted on the motor mounting plate, and the shaft of the linear drive motor is connected to the drive wheel. The auxiliary gear is mounted on the motor mounting plate, and both the drive wheel and the auxiliary gear mesh with the rack. The protective shell is connected to the motor mounting plate and covers the drive wheel and the auxiliary gear for protection. The partition receiving and transfer bin is located on the horizontal slide plate.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the partition receiving transfer hopper includes a hopper support frame, a hopper lifting drive linear module, a connecting plate, a hopper mounting plate, a plurality of partition hoppers, a second linear guide rail, and a second slider. The hopper support frame is mounted on a horizontal sliding plate. The hopper lifting drive linear module and the second linear guide rail are mounted on the hopper support frame. The hopper mounting plate is connected to the slider of the hopper lifting drive linear module through the connecting plate. The second slider is mounted on the hopper mounting plate and is slidably connected to the second linear guide rail. The plurality of partition hoppers are arranged in a row on the hopper mounting plate in a vertical direction. Each partition hopper has a rectangular structure and is provided with a partition slot for inserting a partition.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the silo support frame is provided with a partition limiting assembly. The partition limiting assembly includes a slide cylinder, a right-angle plate, and a limiting baffle. The slide cylinder is installed on the silo support frame. The lower end of the limiting baffle is connected to the slide cylinder through the right-angle plate. The limiting baffle is an L-shaped plate, and the vertical part of the limiting baffle is arranged parallel to the column where several partition silos are located. The limiting baffle contacts the partition in the partition slot 1 for limiting the partition.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the partition loading hopper includes a loading support plate, a rodless cylinder, a loading hopper body, a lifting assembly, and a partition pushing assembly. The rodless cylinder is disposed on the loading support plate and connected to the loading hopper body. A stack of partitions is disposed inside the loading hopper body. The loading hopper body is slidably connected to the loading support plate. The rodless cylinder is used to drive the loading hopper body to slide linearly on the loading support plate. The lifting assembly is located on one side of the loading hopper body. The partition pushing assembly is disposed on the upper end of the loading hopper body and is used to push the partitions inside the loading hopper body into the partition slot. The lifting assembly is used to push the partitions inside the loading hopper body upward.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding hopper body is a rectangular frame structure, a vertical side wall of the feeding hopper body is configured as a feeding port, and the upper end of the feeding hopper body is configured as a discharging port. Both the feeding port and the discharging port are rectangular openings. The lifting component is disposed on the side of the feeding hopper body opposite to the feeding port, and the partition pushing component is disposed at the discharging port position at the upper end of the feeding hopper body.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding support plate is provided with a feeding switch assembly. The feeding switch assembly includes a linear guide rail four and two symmetrically arranged switch moving devices. The linear guide rail four is fixedly installed on the feeding support plate. The switch moving device includes a slider four, a moving plate, an indexing pin, an indexing pin mounting plate, an upper guide support plate, a linear guide rail five, a slider five, and a connecting plate two. The slider four is fixedly installed on the lower end of the moving plate, and the slider four and the linear guide rail four are slidably connected. The indexing pin mounting plate is installed on the lower end of the moving plate, and the indexing pin is installed on the indexing pin mounting plate. The feeding bin body is provided with an indexing pin insertion hole. The indexing pin is inserted into the indexing pin insertion hole to lock the moving plate. One end of the upper guide support plate is fixedly installed on the upper end of the feeding bin body. The linear guide rail five is installed on the upper guide support plate, and the linear guide rail five and the linear guide rail four are arranged in parallel. The upper end of the moving plate is connected to the slider five through the connecting plate two, and the slider five and the linear guide rail five are slidably connected.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lifting assembly includes a lifting support frame, a lifting linear module, a lifting frame body, and a lifting plate. The lifting linear module is fixedly mounted on the lifting support frame, and the moving direction of the lifting linear module is set in the vertical direction. The lifting frame body is connected to the slider of the lifting linear module. The lifting plate is fixedly mounted on the lifting frame body, and the lifting plate extends into the inner cavity of the feeding hopper body. The lifting plate is a rectangular flat plate, and a stack of partitions is provided on the lifting plate.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the partition pushing assembly includes a pushing support frame, a horizontal pushing linear module, a pushing mounting frame, a vertical pushing linear module, and a pushing plate. The pushing support frame is fixedly installed on the upper end of the feeding bin body. The horizontal pushing linear module is disposed on the pushing support frame. The sliding block of the pushing mounting frame and the horizontal pushing linear module are connected. The vertical pushing linear module is installed on the pushing mounting frame. The pushing plate is a "T"-shaped plate. A horizontal pushing plate is connected to the pushing plate. One end of the pushing plate is connected to the sliding block of the vertical pushing linear module. The horizontal pushing linear module and the vertical pushing linear module work together to drive the horizontal pushing plate to push the partition on the lifting plate into the partition slot.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the material handling robot includes a robot, a robot mounting frame, a second slide cylinder, a second adapter plate, a gripper cylinder mounting plate, and a plurality of gripper cylinders. The robot mounting frame is connected to the robot, the second slide cylinder is mounted on the robot mounting frame, the gripper cylinder mounting plate is connected to the second slide cylinder via the second adapter plate, and the plurality of gripper cylinders are arranged in a row on the gripper cylinder mounting plate. The plurality of gripper cylinders are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of partition chambers, and the grippers of the gripper cylinders are used to grasp the partitions in the partition slots.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the above-described technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0019] The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules described in this invention upgrades the separator assembly process during the molding of traditional battery modules, achieving automated separator assembly technology and improving reliability. It eliminates and optimizes intermediate connection processes compared to existing manual separator installation or placement processes, improving accuracy and production efficiency. This mechanism features a simple structure, easy operation, high efficiency, high product servo positioning accuracy, and continuous replication, achieving precise product assembly and increasing production output. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To make the content of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings, wherein...

[0021] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of the automatic separator insertion mechanism for the battery module in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the horizontal drive unit in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the horizontal drive unit in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the partition receiving and transfer hopper in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the partition receiving and transfer hopper in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the partition compartment in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the material hopper on the partition in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the material hopper on the partition in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the material hopper on the partition in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 ;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the feed switch assembly in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the partition pusher assembly in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting assembly in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the material handling robot in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the accompanying drawings: 1. Feeding bin on partition; 11. Feeding support plate; 111. Linear guide rail 3; 12. Rodless cylinder; 13. Feeding bin body; 131. Slider 3; 132. Inlet; 133. Outlet; 135. Limiting plate 2; 136. Fixed mounting plate; 137. Flip cover; 14. Lifting assembly; 141. Lifting support frame; 142. Lifting linear module; 143. Lifting frame; 144. Lifting plate; 15. Partition pusher assembly; 151. Pusher support frame; 152. Pusher horizontal linear module; 153. Pusher mounting frame; 154. Pusher vertical linear module; 155. Horizontal pusher plate; 156. Feed switch assembly; 16. Linear guide rail 4; 161. Switch moving device; 162. Slider 4; 163. Moving plate; 164. Indexing pin; 165. Indexing pin mounting plate; 166. Upper guide support plate. 167. Linear guide rail five 168. Slider five 169. Connecting plate two 1610. Horizontal drive unit 2. Horizontal slide plate 21. Motor mounting plate 22. Linear drive motor 23. Drive drive wheel 24. Auxiliary gear 25. Protective shell 26. Slider one 27. Partition receiving transfer bin 3. Bin support frame 31. Bin lifting drive linear module 32. Connecting plate 33. Bin body mounting plate 34. Partition bin body 35. Partition slot one 351. Linear guide rail two 36. Slider two 37. Partition limit assembly 38. Slide table cylinder 381. Right angle plate 382. Limiting baffle 383. Adapter plate 39. Positioning plate 391. Inclined surface one 392. Material handling robot 4. Slide table cylinder two 42. Adapter plate two 43. Gripper cylinder mounting plate 44. Gripper cylinder 45. Linear guide rail one 5. Straight rack 51. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can better understand and implement the present invention. However, the embodiments described are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0036] Reference Figure 1As shown, the automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules of the present invention includes several main parts: a separator loading bin 1, a horizontal drive unit 2, a separator receiving and transfer bin 3, and a picking robot 4; the separator loading bin 1 is configured in several ways, and the several separator loading bins 1 are arranged on the same straight line, and the separator loading bin 1 is used for manually inserting several separators in sequence; the horizontal drive unit 2 is arranged in a horizontal direction parallel to the straight line where the several separator loading bins 1 are located, and the horizontal drive unit 2 is located on one side of the straight line where the several separator loading bins 1 are located; the separator receiving and transfer bin 3 is arranged on the horizontal drive unit 2, and the horizontal drive unit 2 is used to drive the separator receiving and transfer bin 3 to switch between the several separator loading bins 1, and the separator receiving and transfer bin 3 is used to receive several separators in the separator loading bin 1; the picking robot 4 is used to synchronously clamp several separators in the separator receiving and transfer bin 3, and the picking robot 4 is used to load several separators to the assembly station.

[0037] Several partitions are placed in the partition loading hopper 1. Then, the pushing structure inside the partition loading hopper 1 pushes the partitions one by one into the partition receiving transfer hopper 3. After the partition receiving transfer hopper 3 is full of partitions, the material handling robot 4 removes the partitions from the partition receiving transfer hopper 3. The horizontal drive unit 2 drives the partition receiving transfer hopper 3 to move in a straight line, removing the partitions in the partition loading hopper 1 that are on the same straight line in sequence.

[0038] Reference Figure 2 , 3 As shown, the automatic partition insertion mechanism also includes two symmetrical and parallel linear guide rails 5. A rack 51 is installed on the side wall of the long side of the linear guide rail 5. The horizontal drive unit 2 includes a horizontal slide plate 21, a motor mounting plate 22, a linear drive motor 23, a drive wheel 24, an auxiliary gear 25, and a protective shell 26. A slider 27 is connected to the horizontal slide plate 21. The slider 27 is slidably connected to the linear guide rail 5. The motor mounting plate 22 is fixedly connected to the horizontal slide plate 21. The linear drive motor 23 is mounted on the motor mounting plate 22, and the shaft of the linear drive motor 23 is connected to the drive wheel 24. The auxiliary gear 25 is mounted on the motor mounting plate 22. Both the drive wheel 24 and the auxiliary gear 25 mesh with the rack 51. The protective shell 26 is connected to the motor mounting plate 22 and covers the drive wheel 24 and the auxiliary gear 25 for protection. The partition receiving and transfer bin 3 is set on the horizontal slide plate 21.

[0039] Reference Figure 4-6As shown, the partition receiving and transfer hopper 3 includes a hopper support frame 31, a hopper lifting drive linear module 32, a connecting plate 33, a hopper mounting plate 34, several partition hopper bodies 35, a second linear guide rail 36, and a second slider 37. The hopper support frame 31 is mounted on a horizontal sliding plate 21. The hopper lifting drive linear module 32 and the second linear guide rail 36 are mounted on the hopper support frame 31. The hopper mounting plate 34 is connected to the slider of the hopper lifting drive linear module 32 through the connecting plate 33. The second slider 37 is mounted on the hopper mounting plate 34, and the second slider 37 and the second linear guide rail 36 are slidably connected. The several partition hopper bodies 35 are arranged in a row vertically on the hopper mounting plate 34. Each partition hopper body 35 has a rectangular structure and is provided with a partition slot 351 for inserting partitions.

[0040] In the above structure, the hopper support frame 31 is provided with a partition limiting assembly 38. The partition limiting assembly 38 includes a slide cylinder 381, a right-angle plate 382, ​​and a limiting baffle 383. The slide cylinder 381 is installed on the hopper support frame 31. The lower end of the limiting baffle 383 is connected to the slide cylinder 381 through the right-angle plate 382. The limiting baffle 383 is an L-shaped plate, and the vertical part of the limiting baffle 383 is arranged parallel to the column where several partition hoppers 35 are located. The limiting baffle 383 contacts the partition in the partition slot 351 for limiting the partition. A transition plate 39 is connected to the hopper support frame 31, and a positioning plate 391 is connected to the transition plate 39. The positioning plate 391 is close to but does not contact the plane where the ends of the several partition hopper bodies 35 are located. The positioning plate 391 is a rectangular flat plate, and the lower end of the positioning plate 391 is set as an inclined surface 392 on the side near the partition hopper body 35. When the partitions are placed into the several partition hopper bodies 35 one by one, the hopper lifting drive linear module 32 drives the hopper body mounting plate 34 to rise so that the partitions can be placed into the lower partition hopper bodies 35. Therefore, during the process of the hopper lifting drive linear module 32 driving the partition hopper bodies 35 to rise, the positioning plate 391 can play the role of calibrating and positioning the partitions of the partition hopper bodies 35 with partitions placed in them, so as to avoid the partitions not being placed in place. When the partition is not fully inserted into the partition slot 351, the partition will interfere with the positioning plate 391 to indicate that the partition position is inaccurate. In addition, the positioning plate 391 has a second function: when all the partitions are placed in the partition bins 35, the material bin lifting drive linear module 32 drives the partition bins 35 to rise to the correct position. When the material picking robot 4 needs to move over to grab the partition, the positioning plate 391 prevents the partition from being pushed out of the partition slot 351 when the material picking robot 4 approaches and clamps the partition, thus avoiding changes in the position of the material picking robot 4.

[0041] Reference Figure 7-9As shown, the feed hopper 1 includes a feeding support plate 11, a rodless cylinder 12, a feed hopper body 13, a lifting assembly 14, and a partition pushing assembly 15. The rodless cylinder 12 is mounted on the feeding support plate 11 and connected to the feed hopper body 13. A stack of partitions is provided inside the feed hopper body 13. The feed hopper body 13 is slidably connected to the feeding support plate 11. The rodless cylinder 12 is used to drive the feed hopper body 13 to slide linearly on the feeding support plate 11. The lifting assembly 14 is located on one side of the feed hopper body 13. The partition pushing assembly 15 is mounted on the upper end of the feed hopper body 13 and is used to push the partitions inside the feed hopper body 13 into the partition slot 351. The lifting assembly 14 is used to push the partitions inside the feed hopper body 13 upward.

[0042] In the above structure, the feeding hopper body 13 is a rectangular frame structure. One vertical side wall of the feeding hopper body 13 is set as the inlet 132, and the upper end of the feeding hopper body 13 is set as the outlet 133. Both the inlet 132 and the outlet 133 are rectangular openings. The lifting component 14 is set on the side of the feeding hopper body 13 opposite to the inlet 132. The partition pushing component 15 is set at the outlet 133 position at the upper end of the feeding hopper body 13. The feeding support plate 11 is provided with two symmetrical and parallel linear guide rails 111. The lower end face of the feeding hopper body 13 is connected to a slider 131, and the slider 131 and the linear guide rails 111 are slidably connected.

[0043] Reference Figure 10As shown, the feeding support plate 11 is equipped with a feeding switch assembly 16. The feeding switch assembly 16 includes a linear guide rail 161 and two symmetrically arranged switch moving devices 162. The linear guide rail 161 is fixedly installed on the feeding support plate 11. The switch moving device 162 includes a slider 163, a moving plate 164, an indexing pin 165, an indexing pin mounting plate 166, an upper guide support plate 167, a linear guide rail 168, a slider 169, and a connecting plate 1610. The slider 163 is fixedly installed on the lower end of the moving plate 164, and the slider 163 and the linear guide rail 161 are slidably connected. The indexing pin mounting plate 162 is also fixedly installed on the linear guide rail 161. Plate 166 is mounted on the lower end of movable plate 164. Indexing pin 165 is mounted on indexing pin mounting plate 166. The feeding hopper body 13 has an indexing pin insertion hole. The indexing pin 165 is inserted into the indexing pin insertion hole to lock the movable plate 164. One end of the upper guide support plate 167 is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the feeding hopper body 13. Linear guide rail 168 is mounted on the upper guide support plate 167, and linear guide rail 168 and linear guide rail 161 are arranged parallel to each other. The upper end of movable plate 164 is connected to slider 169 via connecting plate 1610. Sliding slider 169 and linear guide rail 168 are slidably connected. A limiting plate 135 is provided at the upper end of the feeding hopper body 13, which is used to limit the movement of movable plate 164. When feeding material into the partitioned feeding hopper 1, two movable plates 164 block the feed inlet 132. When the partitions in the partitioned feeding hopper 1 are used up and feeding is needed, pull the indexing pin 165 out of the indexing pin hole and pull the movable plates 164 to both sides until they are completely exposed at the feed inlet 132. Manually or with a robotic arm, the partitions are placed one by one into the feeding hopper body 13. Then, the two movable plates 164 are brought close to block the feed inlet 132, thereby preventing the partitions in the feeding hopper body 13 from falling out.

[0044] Reference Figure 12 As shown, the lifting assembly 14 includes a lifting support frame 141, a lifting linear module 142, a lifting frame 143, and a lifting plate 144. The lifting linear module 142 is fixedly mounted on the lifting support frame 141, and the moving direction of the lifting linear module 142 is set in the vertical direction. The lifting frame 143 is connected to the slider of the lifting linear module 142. The lifting plate 144 is fixedly mounted on the lifting frame 143. The lifting plate 144 extends into the inner cavity of the feeding hopper body 13. The lifting plate 144 is a rectangular flat plate, and a stack of partitions is provided on the lifting plate 144.

[0045] Reference Figure 12As shown, the partition pusher assembly 15 includes a pusher support frame 151, a horizontal pusher linear module 152, a pusher mounting frame 153, a vertical pusher linear module 154, and a pusher plate 155. The pusher support frame 151 is fixedly installed on the upper end of the feeding bin body 13. The horizontal pusher linear module 152 is disposed on the pusher support frame 151. The pusher mounting frame 153 is connected to the slider of the horizontal pusher linear module 152. The vertical pusher linear module 154 is installed on the pusher mounting frame 153. The pusher plate 155 is a "T"-shaped plate. A horizontal pusher plate 156 is connected to the pusher plate 155. One end of the pusher plate 155 is connected to the slider of the vertical pusher linear module 154. The horizontal pusher linear module 152 and the vertical pusher linear module 154 work together to drive the horizontal pusher plate 156 to push the partition on the lifting plate 144 into the partition slot 351. The vertical linear pusher module 154 is used to adjust the horizontal position of the pusher plate 155 so that the lower end of the pusher plate 155 is at the same horizontal position as the uppermost partition on the lifting plate 144. The horizontal linear pusher module 152 is used to drive the pusher plate 155 to move from the direction of the loading bin body 13 towards the direction of the partition slot 351. A fixed mounting plate 136 is provided on the upper outer wall of the loading bin body 13. A flip cover 137 is hinged to the fixed mounting plate 136 via a hinge. The flip cover 137 is used to cover the partition pusher assembly 15.

[0046] Reference Figure 13 As shown, the material handling robot 4 includes a robot, a robot mounting frame, a second slide cylinder 42, a second adapter plate 43, a gripper cylinder mounting plate 44, and several gripper cylinders 45. The robot mounting frame is connected to the robot. The second slide cylinder 42 is mounted on the robot mounting frame. The gripper cylinder mounting plate 44 is connected to the second slide cylinder 42 through the second adapter plate 43. The several gripper cylinders 45 are arranged in a row on the gripper cylinder mounting plate 44. The several gripper cylinders 45 are arranged one-to-one with several partition chambers 35. The grippers of the gripper cylinders 45 are used to grasp the partitions in the partition slots 351.

[0047] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. An automatic separator insertion mechanism for a battery module, characterized in that: include, The partition plate feeding hopper is configured in several ways, and the several partition plate feeding hoppers are arranged on the same straight line. The partition plate feeding hoppers are used for manual sequential placement of several partition plates. The horizontal drive unit is arranged in a direction of horizontal movement parallel to the straight line where the material hoppers on the partitions are located, and the horizontal drive unit is located on one side of the straight line where the material hoppers on the partitions are located. A partition receiving and transfer hopper is mounted on a horizontal drive unit, and the horizontal drive unit is used to drive the partition receiving and transfer hopper to switch between several partition loading hoppers. The partition receiving and transfer hopper is used to receive several partitions in the partition loading hopper. The material handling robot is used to simultaneously grip several partitions in the partition receiving and transfer bin, and to load the partitions to the assembly station. The partitioned material receiving and transfer hopper includes a hopper support frame, a hopper lifting drive linear module, a connecting plate, a hopper mounting plate, several partition hoppers, a second linear guide rail, and a second slider. The hopper support frame is mounted on a horizontal sliding plate. The hopper lifting drive linear module and the second linear guide rail are mounted on the hopper support frame. The hopper mounting plate is connected to the slider of the hopper lifting drive linear module via the connecting plate. The second slider is mounted on the hopper mounting plate and is slidably connected to the second linear guide rail. The several partition hoppers are arranged in a row vertically on the hopper mounting plate. Each partition hopper has a rectangular structure and a partition slot is provided on each partition hopper for inserting a partition. The feed hopper includes a feed support plate, a rodless cylinder, a feed hopper body, a lifting assembly, and a partition pushing assembly. The rodless cylinder is mounted on the feed support plate and connected to the feed hopper body. The feed hopper body contains a stack of partitions. The feed hopper body is slidably connected to the feed support plate. The rodless cylinder drives the feed hopper body to slide linearly on the feed support plate. The lifting assembly is located on one side of the feed hopper body. The partition pushing assembly is mounted on the upper end of the feed hopper body and is used to push the partitions inside the feed hopper body into the partition slot. The lifting assembly pushes the partitions inside the feed hopper body upwards. The material handling robot includes several gripper cylinders, which are arranged one-to-one with several partition chambers. The grippers of the gripper cylinders are used to grab the partitions in the partition slots.

2. The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic partition insertion mechanism also includes two symmetrical and parallel linear guide rails. A rack is installed on the long side wall of the linear guide rail. The horizontal drive unit includes a horizontal slide plate, a motor mounting plate, a linear drive motor, a drive wheel, an auxiliary gear, and a protective shell. A slider is connected to the horizontal slide plate, and the slider is slidably connected to the linear guide rail. The motor mounting plate is fixedly connected to the horizontal slide plate. The linear drive motor is mounted on the motor mounting plate, and its shaft is connected to the drive wheel. The auxiliary gear is mounted on the motor mounting plate. Both the drive wheel and the auxiliary gear mesh with the rack. The protective shell is connected to the motor mounting plate and covers the drive wheel and the auxiliary gear for protection. The partition receiving and transfer bin is located on the horizontal slide plate.

3. The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The silo support frame is equipped with a partition limiting assembly, which includes a slide cylinder, a right-angle plate, and a limiting baffle. The slide cylinder is installed on the silo support frame. The lower end of the limiting baffle is connected to the slide cylinder through the right-angle plate. The limiting baffle is an L-shaped plate, and the vertical part of the limiting baffle is arranged parallel to the column where several partition silos are located. The limiting baffle contacts the partition in the partition slot 1 for limiting the partition.

4. The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding hopper body is a rectangular frame structure. One vertical side wall of the feeding hopper body is set as the feeding port, and the upper end of the feeding hopper body is set as the discharging port. Both the feeding port and the discharging port are rectangular openings. The lifting component is set on the side of the feeding hopper body opposite to the feeding port. The partition pushing component is set at the discharging port position at the upper end of the feeding hopper body.

5. The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules according to claim 4, characterized in that: The feeding support plate is equipped with a feeding switch assembly, which includes a linear guide rail four and two symmetrically arranged switch moving devices. The linear guide rail four is fixedly installed on the feeding support plate. The switch moving device includes a slider four, a moving plate, an indexing pin, an indexing pin mounting plate, an upper guide support plate, a linear guide rail five, a slider five, and a connecting plate two. The slider four is fixedly installed on the lower end of the moving plate and is slidably connected to the linear guide rail four. The indexing pin mounting plate is installed on the lower end of the moving plate, and the indexing pin is installed on the indexing pin mounting plate. The feeding bin body is provided with an indexing pin insertion hole, and the indexing pin is inserted into the indexing pin insertion hole to lock the moving plate. One end of the upper guide support plate is fixedly installed on the upper end of the feeding bin body. The linear guide rail five is installed on the upper guide support plate and is arranged parallel to the linear guide rail four. The upper end of the moving plate is connected to the slider five through the connecting plate two, and the slider five is slidably connected to the linear guide rail five.

6. The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lifting assembly includes a lifting support frame, a lifting linear module, a lifting frame body, and a lifting plate. The lifting linear module is fixedly mounted on the lifting support frame, and its movement direction is vertical. The lifting frame body is connected to the slider of the lifting linear module. The lifting plate is fixedly mounted on the lifting frame body and extends into the inner cavity of the feeding hopper. The lifting plate is a rectangular flat plate, and a stack of partitions is provided on the lifting plate.

7. The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules according to claim 6, characterized in that: The partition pusher assembly includes a pusher support frame, a horizontal pusher linear module, a pusher mounting frame, a vertical pusher linear module, and a pusher plate. The pusher support frame is fixedly installed on the upper end of the feeding bin body. The horizontal pusher linear module is mounted on the pusher support frame. The pusher mounting frame is connected to the slider of the horizontal pusher linear module. The vertical pusher linear module is mounted on the pusher mounting frame. The pusher plate is a "T"-shaped plate. A horizontal pusher plate is connected to the pusher plate. One end of the pusher plate is connected to the slider of the vertical pusher linear module. The horizontal pusher linear module and the vertical pusher linear module work together to drive the horizontal pusher plate to push the partition on the lifting plate into the partition slot.

8. The automatic separator insertion mechanism for battery modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material handling robot also includes a robot, a robot mounting frame, a second slide cylinder, a second adapter plate, and a gripper cylinder mounting plate. The robot mounting frame is connected to the robot, the second slide cylinder is mounted on the robot mounting frame, and the gripper cylinder mounting plate is connected to the second slide cylinder via the second adapter plate. The plurality of gripper cylinders are arranged in a row on the gripper cylinder mounting plate.

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