Battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment and battery production line

Abstract

The invention discloses battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment and a battery production line, and relates to the technical field of battery manufacturing. Wherein the flow dividing mechanism comprises a first linear driver and a plurality of first conveyors arranged at intervals in the second direction, the first conveyors convey in the first direction, and the first linear driver can drive all the first conveyors to move in the second direction; the multiple cache conveying mechanisms are arranged at intervals in the second direction, convey in the first direction and can receive the battery cells transferred from the first conveyor; the plurality of thickness measuring mechanisms are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of cache conveying mechanisms, and the thickness measuring mechanisms can measure the thickness of the battery cells transferred from the cache conveying mechanisms; the converging mechanism comprises a second linear driver and a plurality of second conveyors arranged at intervals in the second direction, the second conveyors convey in the first direction, and the second linear driver can drive all the second conveyors to move in the second direction so as to receive the battery cells transferred from the thickness measuring mechanism. The working efficiency can be improved, and the battery production cost can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of battery manufacturing, and in particular to a battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device and a battery production line. Background Art

[0002] At present, the lithium battery industry is highly competitive, and lithium battery products are updated at a rapid pace. Correspondingly, the requirements for battery manufacturing equipment are becoming increasingly higher, and it needs to be compatible with the production of multiple products, or be able to be quickly transformed to produce new products.

[0003] In the existing battery module packaging production line, the thickness of the cells needs to be measured and matched before the cells are grouped. Before the thickness of the cells is measured, the cells need to be clamped, flipped, and changed in sequence by a multi-axis manipulator or a three-axis handling mechanism, and then placed on a fixture line or a stepping line to meet the requirements of the thickness measurement process for the direction and spacing of the cells, so as to facilitate the subsequent thickness measurement of the cells. If there are cells with unqualified thickness, the NG (Not Good) cells need to be removed, and the qualified cells in the same group need to be unloaded and cached before the next step can be performed.

[0004] However, the battery module packaging production line has the following problems: low efficiency and high cost; once the battery cells have unqualified thickness, it will seriously affect the efficiency of the production line and increase the production cost of the battery, resulting in the battery module packaging production line being unable to meet customer needs. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device and a battery production line with high efficiency and low cost.

[0006] The first aspect of the present invention provides a cell sorting and thickness measuring device, which includes: The flow dividing mechanism comprises a first linear drive and a first conveyor, wherein the conveying direction of the first conveyor extends along the first direction, a plurality of the first conveyors are provided and are arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the first linear drive is used to drive all the first conveyors to move along the second direction; A cache conveying mechanism, which is provided in plurality and arranged at intervals along the second direction, wherein the conveying direction of the cache conveying mechanism extends along the first direction, and the cache conveying mechanism is used to receive the battery cells transferred from the first conveyor; A thickness measuring mechanism, which is provided in plurality and is arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of buffer conveying mechanisms, and the thickness measuring mechanism is used to measure the thickness of the battery cells transferred from the buffer conveying mechanism; The confluence mechanism comprises a second linear drive and a second conveyor, wherein the conveying direction of the second conveyor extends along the first direction, a plurality of second conveyors are provided and are arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the second linear drive is used to drive all of the second conveyors to move along the second direction to receive the battery cells transferred from the thickness measuring mechanism, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0007] The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: a plurality of battery cells are respectively transferred to a plurality of first conveyors in the diversion mechanism, the plurality of first conveyors can work independently of each other, and move synchronously along the second direction under the driving action of the first linear drive, so as to transfer the battery cells on the plurality of first conveyors to the corresponding cache conveying mechanisms, thereby completing the battery cell diversion process; when the thickness measuring mechanism is in the thickness measuring working state, some battery cells can stay on the cache conveying mechanism, and after the thickness measuring mechanism completes the battery cell thickness measurement process, the corresponding cache conveying mechanism will transfer the battery cells to the corresponding thickness measuring mechanism, so that the thickness measuring mechanism starts the next round of thickness measurement process to determine whether the thickness of the battery cells is qualified, and the cache conveying mechanism can increase the distance between any two battery cells to meet the thickness measurement requirements.

[0008] After completing the thickness measurement of the battery cells, the confluence mechanism is activated, and the multiple second conveyors are driven by the second linear drive to move along the second direction, so that the battery cells on the multiple thickness measuring mechanisms can be transferred to the corresponding second conveyors respectively, thereby completing the confluence process of the battery cells. Moreover, the multiple second conveyors can work independently of each other. Through the cooperation of the second linear drive and the second conveyor, the battery cells with unqualified thickness can be transferred to the NG station, and the battery cells with qualified thickness can be transferred to the qualified station, thereby completing the screening of the battery cells and facilitating the subsequent battery cell grouping.

[0009] The above-mentioned ingenious structural design can meet the requirements of thickness measurement direction and spacing of battery cells without flipping the battery cells. Through the method of shunt thickness measurement and confluence sorting, the moving distance of the battery cells can be reduced, and NG battery cells can be quickly processed, thereby improving the production efficiency of the battery cells and saving the production cost of the battery cells.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment also includes at least one discharging mechanism and at least one discharge mechanism, wherein the discharging mechanism extends along a first direction, and is configured to be connected with any one of the second conveyors to receive qualified battery cells transferred from the second conveyor, and the discharging mechanism is provided with a plurality of discharging stations arranged along the first direction, and the discharge mechanism is spaced apart from the discharging mechanism along the second direction, and the discharge mechanism is configured to be connected with any one of the second conveyors to receive unqualified battery cells transferred from the second conveyor.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the unloading mechanism includes a unloading conveying track and a positioning component, the unloading conveying track includes a plurality of fourth conveyors arranged along a first direction, the conveying direction of the fourth conveyors extends along the first direction, the fourth conveyor is provided with the unloading station, the positioning component is provided in plurality and is arranged one-to-one corresponding to the plurality of the unloading stations, and the positioning component is used to position the battery cell located at the unloading station.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the discharging mechanism further includes a fifth conveyor, the conveying direction of the fifth conveyor extends along the first direction, one end of the fifth conveyor is connected with the unloading conveying track, the other end of the fifth conveyor can be connected with any of the second conveyors, and the fifth conveyor is provided with a plurality of temporary storage stations arranged along the first direction; and / or, The discharging mechanism further includes a second detection component, a plurality of the second detection components are provided, and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of the discharging stations, and the second detection component is used to detect the presence of battery cells at the discharging station.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the discharge mechanism includes a sixth conveyor and a discharge track. The conveying direction of the sixth conveyor extends along the first direction. One end of the sixth conveyor is connected to the discharge track. The other end of the sixth conveyor can be connected to any of the second conveyors. The discharge track is inclined from top to bottom toward the side of the first direction away from the sixth conveyor.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment further includes a loading mechanism, and the loading mechanism is used to transfer the plurality of battery cells to the plurality of first conveyors respectively.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the cache conveying mechanism is provided with a plurality of cache stations arranged at intervals along the first direction, and the thickness measuring mechanism is provided with a plurality of thickness measuring stations arranged at intervals along the first direction.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present invention, the thickness measuring mechanism includes a thickness measuring conveying track, a thickness measuring component and a material blocking component. The thickness measuring conveying track is connected to the discharge end of the buffer conveying mechanism. The thickness measuring conveying track includes a plurality of third conveyors arranged along the first direction. The third conveyors are provided with the thickness measuring station. There are a plurality of material blocking components, which are arranged one-to-one corresponding to the plurality of thickness measuring stations. The material blocking component is used to block the battery cell located at the thickness measuring station. The thickness measuring component is used to measure the thickness of the battery cell located at the thickness measuring station.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present invention, the thickness measuring mechanism further includes a first detection component, a plurality of the first detection components are provided, and the first detection components are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of thickness measuring stations, and the first detection component is used to detect the presence of a battery cell at the thickness measuring station.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present invention, the thickness measuring mechanism also includes a third linear drive, the number of the thickness measuring stations is twice the number of the thickness measuring components, and the third linear drive is used to drive all the thickness measuring components to move along the first direction to measure the thickness of the battery cells on the corresponding thickness measuring stations.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first conveyor and the second conveyor both include a belt conveyor and a limiter, the conveying direction of the belt conveyor extends along the first direction, and the belt conveyor is provided with limiters for guiding the battery cells on opposite sides along the second direction.

[0020] A second aspect of the present invention provides a battery production line, which includes the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment as described in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0021] The battery production line according to the embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the battery production line adopts the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment of the above structure, which can improve the production efficiency of the battery cells and reduce the production cost, and can meet the needs of customers.

[0022] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by practicing the present invention. The purpose and other advantages of the present invention can be realized and obtained by the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cell sorting and thickness measuring device provided in an embodiment of the present invention at a top view angle; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device provided in a top view according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device provided according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a diversion mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention in a top view; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a buffer conveying mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention from a top view; Figure 6is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thickness measuring mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention in a top view; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a confluence mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention from a top view; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a discharging mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention from a top view; Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the discharge mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from a top view.

[0024] Figure numerals: 100, square shell battery cell; 200, fixture line; 300, feeding mechanism; 400, diversion mechanism; 410, first linear drive; 420, first belt conveyor; 430, first stopper; 500, buffer conveying mechanism; 510, third belt conveyor; 520, third stopper; 530, first bracket; 531, first long hole; 600, thickness measuring mechanism; 610, thickness measuring component; 611, first positioning plate; 612, first cylinder; 613, positioning seat; 614, thickness measuring sensor; 615, material blocking component; 620, seventh belt conveyor; 630, third linear drive; 700, Converging mechanism; 710, second linear drive; 720, second belt conveyor; 730, second position limiter; 800, discharging mechanism; 810, fifth belt conveyor; 820, fifth position limiter; 831, first sensor; 832, second sensor; 833, second detection component; 840, fourth belt conveyor; 850, positioning component; 851, second cylinder; 852, second positioning plate; 860, fourth position limiter; 900, discharging mechanism; 910, sixth belt conveyor; 920, sixth position limiter; 930, second bracket; 931, second long hole; 940, discharging track; 950, supporting roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which 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 cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" 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 communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0028] Reference below Figures 1 to 9 The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment and the battery production line provided according to the embodiments of the present invention are described.

[0029] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the cell sorting and thickness measuring device according to the first embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention can be used as a component of the square shell battery assembly line, and can efficiently complete the thickness measurement and sorting of the square shell battery cells 100 to facilitate the subsequent grouping of the square shell battery cells 100.

[0030] The cell sorting and thickness measuring device has a first direction, a second direction and an up-down direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction and the up-down direction respectively, and the second direction is perpendicular to the up-down direction. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first direction is the front-back direction and the second direction is the left-right direction.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the structure of the cell sorting and thickness measuring device includes a shunt mechanism 400, a buffer conveying mechanism 500, a thickness measuring mechanism 600 and a converging mechanism 700. The shunt mechanism 400, the buffer conveying mechanism 500, the thickness measuring mechanism 600 and the converging mechanism 700 are arranged in sequence along a first direction.

[0032] The diversion mechanism 400 includes a first linear drive 410 and a first conveyor. The conveying direction of the first conveyor extends along the first direction, and the first conveyor can convey the square shell battery cells 100. There are multiple first conveyors, and the multiple first conveyors are arranged at a certain interval along the second direction. The function of the first linear drive 410 is to drive all the first conveyors to move simultaneously along the second direction to adjust the positions of all the first conveyors in the second direction, so as to facilitate the transfer of the square shell battery cells 100 on all the first conveyors to the cache conveying mechanism 500.

[0033] It is understandable that the first linear drive 410 can be a high-precision linear drive device such as a linear module, an electric push rod, etc., which can accurately control the position of the first conveyor in the second direction. The first conveyor can be a conveying device of a belt type, a plate chain type, etc. The number of the first conveyors can be set according to actual needs.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first linear drive 410 is a ball screw type linear module. When the motor of the first linear drive 410 is running, the slide of the first linear drive 410 can move along the second direction. The first conveyor includes a first belt conveyor 420 and a first stopper 430. Among them, the conveying direction of the first belt conveyor 420 extends along the first direction, and the first belt conveyor 420 can convey the square shell battery cell 100 from front to back. There are five first belt conveyors 420, which are installed on the slide of the first linear drive 410, and the five first belt conveyors 420 are arranged side by side.

[0035] Moreover, the first belt conveyor 420 is provided with first limit members 430 on both sides of the first belt conveyor 420 along the second direction, and the first limit members 430 are used for guiding the battery cells. The first limit members 430 may be limit plates or limit rollers. The left-right spacing of the first limit members 430 located on both sides of the first belt conveyor 420 is slightly greater than or equal to the width of the square shell battery cell 100. During the process of the first belt conveyor 420 conveying the square shell battery cell 100, the first limit members 430 can prevent the square shell battery cell 100 from being offset in the left-right direction.

[0036] There are multiple buffer conveying mechanisms 500, and the multiple buffer conveying mechanisms 500 are arranged at a certain interval along the second direction. The conveying direction of the buffer conveying mechanism 500 extends along the first direction. The function of the buffer conveying mechanism 500 is to receive the battery cells transferred from the first conveyor. It can be understood that the buffer conveying mechanism 500 has the dual functions of caching the square shell battery cells 100 and conveying the square shell battery cells 100 to the thickness measuring mechanism 600. The buffer conveying mechanism 500 has a buffer station, and the buffer station is not limited to one.

[0037] In this embodiment, the buffer conveying mechanism 500 is arranged at the rear side of the diversion mechanism 400. There are two buffer conveying mechanisms 500, which are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction. The buffer conveying mechanism 500 and the diversion mechanism 400 are both arranged on the first support platform configured by the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment. The buffer conveying mechanism 500 includes a third belt conveyor 510 and a third stopper 520. The third belt conveyor 510 can convey the square shell battery cell 100 from front to back to the thickness measuring mechanism 600.

[0038] Moreover, third limiters 520 are provided on both sides of the third belt conveyor 510, and the third limiters 520 are used to guide the square shell battery cell 100. The third limiter 520 can be a limit roller or a limit plate. The use of limit rollers can reduce the friction resistance of the square shell battery cell 100 during the conveying process.

[0039] Specifically, the cache conveying mechanism 500 also includes a first bracket 530 and a first support rod. Two first support rods are provided, and are respectively located on the left and right sides of the third belt conveyor 510. The first support rod extends in the front-to-back direction. The third limiter 520 is a limit roller. The central axis of the limit roller extends in the up-down direction. There are multiple limit rollers, which are installed on the first support rod through a rotating shaft. The multiple limit rollers are arranged at intervals in the front-to-back direction. The first support rod is provided with two first connecting rods extending in the up-down direction. The upper end of the first connecting rod is provided with an external thread. The first bracket 530 is provided with two first elongated holes 531. The first elongated holes 531 are connected from top to bottom and extend in the left-right direction. The first connecting rod can pass through the first elongated holes 531 and be connected with a nut, so that the first connecting rod is fixed relative to the first bracket 530.

[0040] It is understandable that by adjusting the position of the first connecting rod at the first long hole 531, the spacing between the third stoppers 520 on both sides of the third belt conveyor 510 can be adjusted to adapt to the width of the square shell battery. A ruler extending in the left and right direction can be provided on the first bracket 530, and the staff can intuitively adjust the spacing between the two third stoppers 520 through the ruler.

[0041] There are multiple thickness measuring mechanisms 600, and the number of thickness measuring mechanisms 600 is consistent with that of the buffer conveying mechanisms 500. The multiple thickness measuring mechanisms 600 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple buffer conveying mechanisms 500. The thickness measuring mechanism 600 is used to measure the thickness of the battery cells transferred from the buffer conveying mechanism 500. The thickness measuring mechanism 600 has a thickness measuring station, and the number of thickness measuring stations is not limited to one. The thickness measuring mechanism 600 can be installed on the second supporting platform configured by the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device.

[0042] In some embodiments, the thickness measuring mechanism 600 is located at the rear side of the buffer conveying mechanism 500, and the thickness measuring mechanism 600 and the buffer conveying mechanism 500 are arranged opposite to each other in the front-to-back direction. The buffer conveying mechanism 500 is provided with a plurality of buffer stations, and the plurality of buffer stations are arranged at certain intervals along the first direction. The thickness measuring mechanism 600 is provided with a plurality of thickness measuring stations, and the plurality of thickness measuring stations are arranged at certain intervals along the first direction. The number of thickness measuring stations is consistent with the number of buffer stations. The thickness measuring mechanism 600 can perform thickness measurement processing on a plurality of square shell battery cells 100 at the same time, thereby improving the thickness measurement efficiency.

[0043] When the square shell battery cells 100 located at the thickness measuring station complete the thickness measuring work, multiple square shell battery cells 100 will move along the first direction at the same time to quickly leave the thickness measuring station. At this time, the square shell battery cells 100 located at the cache station will move along the first direction at the same time, and multiple square shell battery cells 100 will be quickly transferred from the cache conveying mechanism 500 to the thickness measuring station of the thickness measuring mechanism 600, which helps to improve the thickness measurement efficiency.

[0044] Moreover, the thickness measuring mechanism 600 includes a thickness measuring conveying track, a thickness measuring component 610 and a material blocking component 615. The thickness measuring conveying track extends along the first direction, and the feeding end of the thickness measuring conveying track is connected with the discharging end of the buffer conveying mechanism 500, so that the square shell battery cell 100 moves from the discharging end of the buffer conveying mechanism 500 to the thickness measuring conveying track. The thickness measuring conveying track includes a plurality of third conveyors, which are arranged along the first direction, and each third conveyor is provided with a thickness measuring station.

[0045] It is understandable that the third conveyor can be a belt conveyor or a plate chain conveyor. Multiple third conveyors can work independently of each other, and can be controlled by opening and closing to allow the square shell battery cell 100 to stay on the corresponding third conveyor. In this embodiment, the third conveyor is the seventh belt conveyor 620, and any two adjacent seventh belt conveyors 620 are closely connected front and back, so that the square shell battery cell 100 can move smoothly and stably along the thickness measuring conveying track.

[0046] There are multiple material blocking components 615, the number of which is the same as the number of thickness measuring stations, and the multiple material blocking components 615 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple thickness measuring stations, and each material blocking component 615 is located at a side of the corresponding thickness measuring station close to the buffer conveying mechanism 500 along the first direction. The function of the material blocking component 615 is to block the battery cells located at the thickness measuring station, ensure that there is a square shell battery cell 100 at each thickness measuring station, and avoid the presence of multiple square shell battery cells 100 at the same thickness measuring station to affect the thickness measurement result.

[0047] Specifically, the material blocking component 615 includes a material blocking plate and a linear drive device. The linear drive device may be a pneumatic cylinder, an electric cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, etc. The output end of the linear drive device is fixedly connected to the material blocking plate to drive the material blocking plate to move along the second direction, so that the material blocking plate can enter and exit the thickness measurement station, and the material blocking plate can block the square shell battery cell 100 to ensure that there is only one square shell battery cell 100 in each thickness measurement station.

[0048] It can be understood that in some examples, when the square shell battery cell 100 is transferred from the cache conveying mechanism 500 to the thickness measuring mechanism 600, the time required for the square shell battery cell 100 to move to the corresponding thickness measuring station can be calculated based on the conveying speed of the cache conveying mechanism 500, the conveying speed of the third conveyor, and the distance between the cache station and the thickness measuring station, thereby controlling the operating time of the third conveyor so that there is a square shell battery cell 100 on each third conveyor.

[0049] In other examples, a detection sensor such as a photoelectric switch is provided on one side of the third conveyor along the second direction, and a plurality of detection sensors are provided, and are arranged one-to-one corresponding to a plurality of thickness measuring stations. When the detection sensor detects that a square shell battery cell 100 moves to the third conveyor, the detection sensor generates a detection signal.

[0050] Assuming that the number of third conveyors is two, for the third conveyor located on the rear side, when its corresponding detection sensor generates a detection signal, it means that a square shell battery cell 100 has moved to the third conveyor, then, its corresponding material blocking component 615 will operate to exert a material blocking effect to prevent the next square shell battery cell 100 from moving to the third conveyor; for the third conveyor located on the front side, when its corresponding detection sensor generates two detection signals, it means that one of the square shell battery cells 100 has moved to the third conveyor and the other square shell battery cell 100 has moved to the third conveyor located on the rear side, then, its corresponding material blocking component 615 will operate to exert a material blocking effect to prevent the next square shell battery cell 100 from moving to the third conveyor.

[0051] There are multiple thickness measuring components 610, and the number of thickness measuring components 610 is consistent with the number of thickness measuring stations, and the multiple thickness measuring components 610 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple thickness measuring stations. The function of the thickness measuring component 610 is to measure the thickness of the battery cell located at the thickness measuring station. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to all thickness measuring components 610. The controller can be a host computer, a 51 single-chip microcomputer or a PLC controller, etc. The controller is used to compare the thickness measurement data with the preset thickness data after receiving the thickness measurement data obtained by the thickness measuring component 610, so as to determine whether the thickness of the square shell battery cell 100 meets the standard.

[0052] Specifically, the thickness measuring component 610 includes a first positioning plate 611, a linear driving component, a positioning seat 613 and a thickness measuring sensor 614. The positioning seat 613 is fixedly arranged, and the positioning seat 613 has a positioning plane. The first positioning plate 611 and the positioning plane of the positioning seat 613 are arranged opposite to each other along the second direction. The first positioning plate 611 and the positioning seat 613 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the thickness measuring station. The linear driving component can be a first cylinder 612, which is fixedly arranged. The movable rod of the first cylinder 612 is fixedly connected to the first positioning plate 611 to drive the first positioning plate 611 to approach or move away from the positioning seat 613 along the second direction. The thickness measuring sensor 614 is arranged on the first positioning plate 611, and the thickness measuring sensor 614 can be a contact displacement sensor.

[0053] When the square shell battery cell 100 moves to the thickness measuring station, the first cylinder 612 of the thickness measuring component 610 operates, and the first positioning plate 611 moves along the second direction under the driving action of the first cylinder 612 to push the square shell battery cell 100 to the positioning plane of the positioning seat 613. During this process, the thickness measuring sensor 614 will abut against the surface of the square shell battery cell 100 and generate displacement data to obtain the thickness measurement data of the square shell battery cell 100.

[0054] Of course, it is not excluded that in other embodiments, the thickness sensor 614 adopts a non-contact measurement method, the thickness sensor 614 is a laser displacement sensor, and two thickness sensors 614 are provided, and the two thickness sensors 614 are arranged in a facing manner along the second direction, and are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the third conveyor. Since the left and right spacing of the two thickness sensors 614 is constant, and each thickness sensor 614 can obtain the measurement value of the left and right distance between it and the surface of the square shell battery cell 100, therefore, by subtracting the measurement value obtained by the two thickness sensors 614 from the left and right spacing, the thickness measurement data of the square shell battery cell 100 can be indirectly obtained.

[0055] In addition, in some other embodiments, the thickness sensor 614 is a pressure sensor, the linear drive component can be a high-precision linear drive device such as a linear module, an electric push rod, etc., and the thickness sensor 614 is arranged on the first positioning plate 611. During the thickness measurement process, the linear drive component can drive the first positioning plate 611 and the thickness sensor 614 to move along the second direction, and push the square shell battery cell 100 to the positioning seat 613. In this process, when the first positioning plate 611 contacts the surface of the square shell battery cell 100, the first positioning plate 611 will be subjected to the force from the square shell battery cell 100. When the force increases to the set force value, the thickness sensor 614 will be triggered and feedback an electrical signal, so that the linear drive component stops running. At this time, the square shell battery cell 100 is in contact with the positioning seat 613 and the first positioning plate 611 respectively. Since the left and right distances between the first positioning plate 611 and the positioning seat 613 are constant, the thickness measurement data of the square shell battery cell 100 can be indirectly obtained by calculating the time or moving distance that the linear drive component drives the first positioning plate 611 to move.

[0056] Furthermore, the thickness measuring mechanism 600 also includes a first detection component. There are multiple first detection components, and the multiple first detection components are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple thickness measuring stations. The function of the first detection component is to detect the presence of a cell at the thickness measuring station. The first detection component and the thickness measuring component 610 are electrically connected to the controller respectively, and the controller is configured to control the operation of the thickness measuring component 610 according to the detection signal of the first detection component, so as to measure the thickness of the square shell battery cell 100 at the thickness measuring station.

[0057] It is understandable that the first detection component can be a photoelectric switch or a through-beam infrared sensor. When the square shell battery cell 100 moves to the thickness measurement station, the first detection component will generate a detection signal. Then, when the duration of the detection signal is greater than or equal to the set time, it means that the square shell battery cell 100 stays at the thickness measurement station. At this time, the controller will send a control instruction to the thickness measurement component 610 to let the thickness measurement component 610 start the thickness measurement work. When the duration of the detection signal is less than the set time, it means that the square shell battery cell 100 has passed the thickness measurement station and has not moved to the corresponding thickness measurement station, and the thickness measurement work cannot be performed.

[0058] In some other embodiments, the thickness measuring mechanism 600 further includes a third linear drive 630. The number of thickness measuring stations is twice the number of thickness measuring components 610, and the number of thickness measuring stations is twice the number of buffering stations. The third linear drive 630 is used to drive all thickness measuring components 610 to move along the first direction to measure the thickness of the battery cells on the corresponding thickness measuring stations.

[0059] It is understandable that the third linear drive 630 can be a linear drive device such as a cylinder, an electric cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or a linear module. Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 5 and 6 As shown, there are four thickness measuring stations, two thickness measuring components 610 are installed on the output end of the third linear drive 630, and there are two cache stations. After the cache conveying mechanism 500 transfers the two square shell battery cells 100 thereon to the two thickness measuring stations located at the rear side of the thickness measuring mechanism 600, the two thickness measuring components 610 will measure the thickness of the square shell battery cells 100 at the two thickness measuring stations. At this time, the diversion mechanism 400 has transferred the two square shell battery cells 100 to the cache conveying mechanism 500, and the cache conveying mechanism 500 can transfer the two square shell battery cells 100 thereon to the two thickness measuring stations located at the front side of the thickness measuring mechanism 600. After the two thickness measuring components 610 complete the thickness measurement work, the third linear drive 630 will drive the two thickness measuring components 610 to move forward so as to measure the thickness of the two square shell battery cells 100 located at the front side.

[0060] In this embodiment, there are two thickness measuring mechanisms 600, which are symmetrically arranged along the second direction. However, the driving directions of the third linear drivers 630 in the two thickness measuring mechanisms 600 are opposite. For example, one of the third linear drivers 630 drives the two thickness measuring components 610 to move backward and measure the thickness of the square shell battery cell 100, and the other third linear driver 630 drives the two thickness measuring components 610 to move forward and measure the thickness of the square shell battery cell 100. With such a design, the converging mechanism 700 can quickly receive two square shell battery cells 100 from the same thickness measuring mechanism 600, and can take turns to receive the square shell battery cells 100 transferred by the two thickness measuring mechanisms 600, which helps to improve the thickness measurement efficiency.

[0061] The confluence mechanism 700 includes a second linear drive 710 and a second conveyor. The conveying direction of the second conveyor extends along the first direction, and the second conveyor can convey the square shell battery cell 100. There are multiple second conveyors, and the multiple second conveyors are arranged at a certain interval along the second direction. The function of the second linear drive 710 is to drive all the second conveyors to move simultaneously along the second direction to adjust the positions of all the second conveyors in the second direction so as to receive the battery cells transferred from the thickness measuring mechanism 600.

[0062] It is understandable that the second linear drive 710 can be a high-precision linear drive device such as an electric push rod, a linear module, etc., which can accurately control the position of the second conveyor in the second direction. The second conveyor can be a plate chain conveyor or a belt conveyor. The number of the second conveyors can be set according to actual needs. The number of the second conveyors is less than or equal to the number of the first conveyors.

[0063] A qualified station and an NG station can be set on the side of the converging mechanism 700 away from the thickness measuring mechanism 600 along the first direction, and the qualified station and the NG station are arranged at intervals along the second direction. After the square shell battery cell 100 that has completed the thickness measurement is transferred from the thickness measuring mechanism 600 to the second conveyor, the second linear drive 710 can be used to drive all the second conveyors to move along the second direction, so that the second conveyor transfers the square shell battery cell 100 that has been determined to be unqualified to the NG station, and transfers the square shell battery cell 100 that has been determined to be qualified to the qualified station.

[0064] In this embodiment, the confluence mechanism 700 is located at the rear side of the thickness measuring mechanism 600. The second linear drive 710 is a ball screw type linear module. The second conveyor includes a second belt conveyor 720 and a second limiter 730. Among them, the conveying direction of the second belt conveyor 720 extends along the first direction, and the second belt conveyor 720 can convey the square shell battery cells 100 from front to back. Since there are two thickness measuring mechanisms 600 and they can complete the thickness measurement of four square shell battery cells 100 at the same time, four second belt conveyors 720 are provided and installed on the slide of the second linear drive 710. The four second belt conveyors 720 are arranged side by side and can undertake four square shell battery cells 100 that have completed thickness measurement.

[0065] Moreover, the second belt conveyor 720 is provided with second limit members 730 on both sides of the second belt conveyor 720 along the second direction, and the second limit members 730 are used for guiding the battery cells. The second limit members 730 may be limit plates or limit rollers. The left-right spacing of the second limit members 730 located on both sides of the second belt conveyor 720 is slightly greater than or equal to the width of the square shell battery cell 100. During the process of the second belt conveyor 720 conveying the square shell battery cell 100, the second limit members 730 can prevent the square shell battery cell 100 from being offset in the left-right direction.

[0066] When using the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment provided in the first embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of square shell battery cells 100 can be transferred simultaneously by a manipulator, and they can be placed respectively on a plurality of first conveyors in the diversion mechanism 400, so as to quickly complete the loading process in the thickness measurement and sorting work; at this time, since the plurality of first conveyors can work independently of each other, and the plurality of first conveyors can move synchronously along the second direction with the square shell battery cells 100 under the driving action of the first linear drive 410, therefore, when there is no square shell battery cell 100 in the cache station of the cache conveying mechanism 500, the square shell battery cells 100 on the plurality of first conveyors are transferred to the corresponding cache conveying mechanism 500 respectively through the cooperation of the first conveyor and the first linear drive 410, thereby completing the diversion process of the square shell battery cells 100, so that the subsequent plurality of thickness measuring mechanisms 600 can perform thickness measurement work at the same time, thereby improving the thickness measurement efficiency.

[0067] When the thickness measuring mechanism 600 is in the thickness measuring working state, part of the square shell battery cells 100 can stay on the cache conveying mechanism 500. After the thickness measuring mechanism 600 completes the thickness measuring process of the square shell battery cells 100, the corresponding cache conveying mechanism 500 will transfer the square shell battery cells 100 to the corresponding thickness measuring mechanism 600, so that the thickness measuring mechanism 600 starts the next round of thickness measuring process to determine whether the thickness of the square shell battery cells 100 is qualified. Moreover, the cache conveying mechanism 500 can increase the distance between any two square shell battery cells 100 to meet the thickness measurement requirements. There is no need to use a robot to clamp, flip and change the distance of the square shell battery cells 100 in turn, and then place them on the fixture line 200 or the stepping line to meet the requirements of the direction and spacing of the square shell battery cells 100 during thickness measurement.

[0068] After completing the thickness measurement of the square shell battery cells 100, the confluence mechanism 700 can be activated, and the plurality of second conveyors can move along the second direction under the driving action of the second linear drive 710, so that the square shell battery cells 100 on the plurality of thickness measuring mechanisms 600 can be transferred to the corresponding second conveyors respectively, thereby completing the confluence process of the square shell battery cells 100. Moreover, since the plurality of second conveyors can work independently of each other, the square shell battery cells 100 with unqualified thickness can be transferred to the NG station, and the square shell battery cells 100 with qualified thickness can be transferred to the qualified station through the cooperation of the second linear drive 710 and the second conveyor, thereby completing the screening of the square shell battery cells 100 and facilitating the subsequent grouping of the square shell battery cells 100.

[0069] The cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment adopts the above-mentioned ingenious structural design, which can meet the requirements of thickness measurement direction and spacing of the square shell battery cells 100, without the need to flip the square shell battery cells 100; through the shunt thickness measurement and confluence sorting methods, the moving distance of the square shell battery cells 100 can be reduced, and NG square shell battery cells 100 can be quickly processed, thereby improving the production efficiency of the square shell battery cells 100 and saving the production cost of the square shell battery cells 100.

[0070] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device according to the second embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention is different from that of the first embodiment in that the structure of the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device also includes at least one discharging mechanism 800 and at least one discharging mechanism 900.

[0071] The discharge mechanism 800 and the discharge mechanism 900 are both located on the side of the confluence mechanism 700 away from the thickness measuring mechanism 600 along the first direction, and the discharge mechanism 900 and the discharge mechanism 800 are arranged at a certain interval along the second direction. The discharge mechanism 800 and the discharge mechanism 900 can be arranged on the third support platform configured by the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device.

[0072] Among them, the discharging mechanism 800 extends along the first direction, and the discharging mechanism 800 can convey the square shell battery cell 100 along the first direction. The discharging mechanism 800 is provided with a plurality of discharging stations, and the plurality of discharging stations are arranged along the first direction. When there are square shell battery cells 100 in each discharging station, the square shell battery cells 100 in all discharging stations can be taken away by a manipulator to carry out the battery cell grouping work. The discharging mechanism 800 is configured to be connected with any second conveyor to receive qualified battery cells transferred from the second conveyor, and qualified battery cells can be moved to the discharging station. The discharging mechanism 900 is provided with an NG station, and the NG station is not limited to one. The discharging mechanism 900 is configured to be connected with any second conveyor to receive unqualified battery cells transferred from the second conveyor, and unqualified battery cells can be moved to the NG station.

[0073] In some embodiments, the discharging mechanism 800 is a conveying device, one end of which is a feeding end and can be connected to any second conveyor of the confluence mechanism 700. The other end of the conveying device is a closed end. When each square shell battery cell 100 is transferred from the confluence mechanism 700 to the conveying device, each square shell battery cell 100 will move along the first direction to the closed end and be arranged neatly so as to transfer multiple square shell battery cells 100 at one time and complete the unloading work of qualified square shell battery cells 100.

[0074] In other embodiments, the unloading mechanism 800 includes a unloading conveying track and a positioning component 850. The unloading conveying track includes a plurality of fourth conveyors, the plurality of fourth conveyors are arranged along the first direction, and the conveying direction of the fourth conveyors extends along the first direction. Each fourth conveyor is provided with a unloading station. The fourth conveyor includes a fourth belt conveyor 840 and a fourth limiter 860. The fourth belt conveyor 840 is provided with a fourth limiter 860 on both sides. The fourth limiter 860 can be a limiter plate or a limiter roller. The left and right spacing of the fourth limiters 860 on the left and right sides is slightly greater than or equal to the width dimension of the square shell battery cell 100.

[0075] Moreover, there are multiple positioning components 850, and the number of positioning components 850 and the discharge stations is the same. Moreover, the multiple positioning components 850 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple discharge stations. Each positioning component 850 is arranged on the side of the corresponding discharge station away from the convergence mechanism 700 along the first direction. The positioning component 850 is used to position the battery cell located at the discharge station.

[0076] The positioning component 850 includes a second cylinder 851 and a second positioning plate 852. The movable rod of the second cylinder 851 is fixedly connected to the second positioning plate 852 to drive the second positioning plate 852 to move in the second direction, so that the second positioning plate 852 can block and position the square shell battery cell 100 at the unloading station, ensuring that there is only one square shell battery cell 100 at each unloading station, and the front-to-back spacing between any two adjacent square shell battery cells 100 is equal. When the unloading work of the square shell battery cell 100 is completed by the manipulator, the positioning component 850 will return to the original position to avoid hindering the square shell battery cells 100 from moving to the corresponding unloading stations one by one.

[0077] It is understandable that, according to the conveying speed of the fourth conveyor and the distance that the square shell battery cell 100 moves to the corresponding unloading station, the action time of the second cylinder 851 and the operation time of the fourth conveyor are set, so that each square shell battery cell 100 can accurately move to the corresponding unloading station. In the unloading mechanism 800, since each fourth conveyor can operate independently of each other and is equipped with a positioning component 850, when the number of square shell battery cells 100 on the unloading mechanism 800 is equal to the set number, the robot can be used to unload in groups for the next step, and the number of unloaded batteries can be set at will according to the requirements of battery cell grouping.

[0078] Of course, in other embodiments, each fourth conveyor is provided with a second sensor 832 at both ends along the first direction, and the second sensor 832 may be a photoelectric switch or a through-beam photoelectric sensor. The second sensor 832, the positioning component 850 and the fourth conveyor are electrically connected to the controller respectively, and the controller is configured to control the operation of the positioning component 850 and the opening and closing of the fourth conveyor according to the detection signal of the second sensor 832.

[0079] When the square shell battery cell 100 just enters the corresponding fourth conveyor, the second sensor 832 located at the feeding end of the fourth conveyor will be triggered, and the controller will control the positioning component 850 to work, so that the positioning component 850 can exert a positioning effect on the square shell battery cell 100, and at the same time, control the fourth conveyor to operate to convey the square shell battery cell 100 from the feeding end to the discharging end, so that the square shell battery cell 100 can contact the second positioning plate 852. When the square shell battery cell 100 just contacts the second positioning plate 852, the second sensor 832 located at the discharging end of the fourth conveyor will be triggered, and the controller will control the fourth conveyor to stop operating.

[0080] For example, assuming that there are two fourth conveyors, each fourth conveyor is provided with a second sensor 832 at the feed end and the discharge end; for the fourth conveyor located on the rear side, when the second sensor 832 generates a detection signal, the controller will control the positioning component 850 to work and control the running time of the fourth conveyor; for the fourth conveyor located on the front side, when the second sensor 832 generates two detection signals, the controller can control the positioning component 850 to work, avoid the positioning component 850 from running too early, resulting in the square shell battery cell 100 being unable to move to the fourth conveyor located on the rear side, and control the running time of the fourth conveyor.

[0081] Furthermore, the discharging mechanism 800 also includes a second detection component 833. There are multiple second detection components 833, and the number of second detection components 833 and the discharging stations is the same. Moreover, the multiple second detection components 833 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple discharging stations. The function of the second detection component 833 is to detect the presence of battery cells at the discharging stations. The second detection component 833 is located in the middle of the fourth conveyor along the first direction.

[0082] The second detection component 833 may be a photoelectric switch or a through-beam photoelectric sensor. When the square shell battery cell 100 stays at the corresponding unloading station, the second detection component 833 generates a detection signal, and the duration of the detection signal is greater than or equal to the set time. At this time, the square shell battery cell 100 on the unloading mechanism 800 can be transferred out by the manipulator. If the duration of the detection signal is less than the set time, it means that the square shell battery cell 100 has not yet reached the corresponding unloading station.

[0083] In this embodiment, two discharging mechanisms 800 are provided, and the two discharging mechanisms 800 are arranged at intervals along the second direction. When one of the discharging mechanisms 800 accumulates a sufficient number of square shell battery cells 100 and is in the unloading stage, the converging mechanism 700 will transfer the square shell battery cells 100 thereon to another discharging mechanism 800, and the converging mechanism 700 does not need to wait for the unloading work to be completed before transferring the square shell battery cells 100, so that the converging mechanism 700 can cooperate with the thickness measurement speed.

[0084] Furthermore, the discharging mechanism 800 also includes a fifth conveyor. The conveying direction of the fifth conveyor extends along the first direction, the fifth conveyor is arranged between the unloading conveying track and the converging mechanism 700, one end of the fifth conveyor is connected to the unloading conveying track, and the other end of the fifth conveyor can be connected to any second conveyor, and the fifth conveyor is provided with a plurality of temporary storage stations, which are arranged at intervals along the first direction.

[0085] The fifth conveyor includes a fifth belt conveyor 810 and a fifth limiter 820. The fifth limiters 820 are arranged on both sides of the fifth belt conveyor 810. The fifth limiters 820 can be limiter plates or limiter rollers. The left and right spacing of the fifth limiters 820 on the left and right sides is slightly greater than or equal to the width dimension of the square shell battery cell 100.

[0086] In addition, first sensors 831 are provided at both ends of the fifth conveyor along the first direction, and the first sensor 831 may be a photoelectric switch or a through-beam photoelectric sensor. The first sensor 831 and the fifth conveyor are electrically connected to the controller respectively, and the controller is configured to control the opening and closing of the fifth conveyor according to the detection signal of the first sensor 831.

[0087] When all the second detection components 833 on the unloading mechanism 800 generate detection signals, it indicates that the unloading of the square shell battery cell 100 will be carried out. At this time, the confluence mechanism 700 can transfer part of the square shell battery cell 100 to the fifth conveyor for temporary storage; after the unloading of the square shell battery cell 100 is completed, the fifth conveyor will convey the square shell battery cell 100 to the unloading mechanism 800. When the square shell battery cell 100 is just transferred from the confluence mechanism 700 to the fifth conveyor, the first sensor 831 located at the feeding end of the fifth conveyor will be triggered, and the controller will control the fifth conveyor to work, so that the fifth conveyor conveys the square shell battery cell 100 from the feeding end to the unloading end. If the unloading mechanism 800 is in the unloading state and the square shell battery cell 100 moves to the unloading end of the fifth conveyor, the first sensor 831 located at the unloading end of the fifth conveyor will be triggered, and the controller will control the fifth conveyor to stop running, so that the square shell battery cell 100 stays at the temporary storage station.

[0088] It is understandable that the existing battery module packaging production lines have poor compatibility and strict requirements on the number of battery cells loaded. It is necessary to ensure that the number of battery cells loaded and the number of battery cells stacked must be consistent. Once the customer requires major changes to the products produced, it is impossible to update the equipment through transformation.

[0089] Therefore, the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment of the present embodiment adopts the discharging mechanism 800 of the above structure, cooperates with the shunting mechanism 400 and the converging mechanism 700, and through the operation of the shunting mechanism 400, no matter how many battery cells are grouped, they can be uniformly transferred to the shunting mechanism 400 by the manipulator, and the shunting mechanism 400 will shunt them to multiple buffer conveying mechanisms 500; after completing the thickness measurement work, the square shell battery cells 100 on the multiple thickness measuring mechanisms 600 are uniformly collected by the converging mechanism 700, and the NG battery cells are collected according to the thickness measurement results. The square shell battery cells 100 with good quality and the qualified square shell battery cells 100 are sorted and conveyed to the discharging mechanism 800 and the discharging mechanism 900 respectively; in the discharging mechanism 800, since each fourth conveyor can operate independently and is equipped with a positioning component 850, when a certain number of square shell battery cells 100 need to be grouped, the corresponding number of positioning components 850 can be controlled to work or the positioning components 850 and the fourth conveyors can be disassembled and assembled, so that the unloading quantity can be adjusted to be consistent with the grouping quantity, so as to carry out group unloading and facilitate subsequent rapid grouping.

[0090] Based on the above structural design, the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment can be adapted to various modifications, and the number of battery cells for loading and unloading has nothing to do with it, so that the number of battery cells for loading and unloading can be adjusted at will, thereby improving the compatibility of the equipment. In this embodiment, the number of first conveyors is five, and the number of fourth conveyors is four. Therefore, when loading, five battery cells form a group, and when unloading, four battery cells form a group.

[0091] In some embodiments, the discharge mechanism 900 may be a waste frame or a conveying device, and the confluence mechanism 700 may directly transfer the NG square shell battery cells 100 to the discharge mechanism 900 .

[0092] In other embodiments, the discharge mechanism 900 includes a sixth conveyor and a discharge track 940. The conveying direction of the sixth conveyor extends along the first direction, the sixth conveyor is arranged between the confluence mechanism 700 and the discharge track 940, one end of the sixth conveyor is connected to the discharge track 940, and the other end of the sixth conveyor can be connected to any second conveyor. The discharge track 940 is inclined from top to bottom toward the side away from the sixth conveyor in the first direction.

[0093] The sixth conveyor includes a sixth belt conveyor 910 and a sixth stopper 920. The sixth stopper 920 is provided on both sides of the sixth belt conveyor 910. The sixth stopper 920 may be a stopper plate or a stopper roller. The left and right spacing of the sixth stoppers 920 on the left and right sides is slightly greater than or equal to the width of the square shell battery cell 100. One end of the discharge track 940 is a feed end, and the other end is a closed end. The feed end is connected to the sixth conveyor, and the height position of the feed end is higher than the height position of the closed end.

[0094] Then, when the NG square shell battery cells 100 are transferred from the confluence mechanism 700 to the sixth conveyor, the sixth conveyor will convey the square shell battery cells 100 to the discharge track 940. Since the discharge track 940 is inclined, the square shell battery cells 100 can move downward along the discharge track 940 to the closed end due to their own gravity and be neatly arranged, so that the NG square shell battery cells 100 can be transferred out manually or by a robot.

[0095] In this embodiment, there are four discharging tracks 940, which are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction, one sixth belt conveyor 910 is provided, and four groups of sixth stoppers 920 are arranged on the sixth belt conveyor 910, thereby defining four conveying channels. In addition, the discharging mechanism 900 also includes a second bracket 930 and a second support rod. For each conveying channel, two second support rods extending in the front-to-back direction are provided, and the sixth stopper 920 is a stop roller, the center axis of the stop roller extends in the up-down direction, and there are multiple stop rollers, which are installed on the second support rod through a rotating shaft, and the multiple stop rollers are arranged at intervals in the front-to-back direction. The second support rod is provided with two second connecting rods extending in the up-down direction, and the upper end of the second connecting rod is provided with an external thread, and the second bracket 930 is provided with two second elongated holes 931, which are connected from top to bottom and extend in the left-to-right direction, and the second connecting rod can pass through the second elongated hole 931 and be connected with a nut, so that the second connecting rod is fixed on the second bracket 930.

[0096] By adjusting the position of the second connecting rod at the second long hole 931, the spacing between the sixth stoppers 920 on both sides of the sixth belt conveyor 910 can be adjusted to adapt to the width of the square shell battery. A ruler extending in the left and right direction can be provided on the second bracket 930, and the staff can intuitively adjust the spacing between the two sixth stoppers 920 through the ruler.

[0097] Of course, a sixth belt conveyor 910 may also be provided for each discharge track 940 .

[0098] In some examples, the bottom surface of the discharge track 940 is a plane, and the square shell battery cell 100 can slide downward along the inclined bottom surface of the discharge track 940. In other examples, a support roller 950 is provided at the bottom of the discharge track 940, and a plurality of support rollers 950 are provided and arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the discharge track 940. Each group of support rollers 950 includes one or more support rollers 950, and the central axis of the support rollers 950 extends along the second direction. The support rollers 950 can rotate. Such a design can reduce the friction resistance encountered by the square shell battery cell 100 during the downward movement process.

[0099] like Figures 1 to 9As shown, the cell sorting and thickness measuring device according to the third embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention is different from the first and second embodiments in that the structure of the cell sorting and thickness measuring device further includes a feeding mechanism 300. The feeding mechanism 300 is used to transfer multiple cells to multiple first conveyors respectively.

[0100] It is understandable that the feeding mechanism 300 may be an XYZ-axis manipulator, which can clamp a plurality of square shell battery cells 100 and transfer them to the diversion mechanism 400. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, on the existing jig line 200, multiple jigs move along a circular route, and each jig has multiple placement positions. During this movement process, multiple square shell battery cells 100 are placed on the placement positions of the jig respectively; when any jig moves to the unloading position, the jig line 200 stops running, and the loading mechanism 300 can clamp the multiple square shell battery cells 100 on the jig and transfer them to the diversion mechanism 400; when the loading mechanism 300 clamps and transfers the square shell battery cells 100, the jig line 200 will move and send the next jig carrying the square shell battery cells 100 to the unloading position.

[0101] If the spacing of the first conveyors on the diversion mechanism 400 is greater than the spacing of the placement positions on the fixture, the loading mechanism 300 can change the spacing of the square shell battery cells 100 after clamping the multiple square shell battery cells 100, so that the multiple square shell battery cells 100 can be directly placed on the multiple first conveyors respectively.

[0102] For example, the feeding mechanism 300 includes a three-dimensional linear module, a plurality of pneumatic grippers, and a plurality of linear adjustment members, wherein the plurality of pneumatic grippers are slidably connected to the output end of the three-dimensional linear module, and the plurality of linear adjustment members are arranged at the output end of the three-dimensional linear module, and the plurality of linear adjustment members are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of pneumatic grippers. The linear adjustment member may be a linear module, an electric push rod, or a cylinder, etc. The linear adjustment member can adjust the position of the pneumatic grippers in the second direction, so that the plurality of pneumatic grippers can simultaneously clamp the plurality of square shell battery cells 100 on the fixture, and then drive the pneumatic grippers to move along the second direction with the square shell battery cells 100, adjust the spacing between the square shell battery cells 100, and enable the pneumatic grippers to accurately place the square shell battery cells 100 on the first conveyor under the operation of the three-dimensional linear module.

[0103] In the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment of the present embodiment, a plurality of square shell battery cells 100 can be directly removed from the jig line 200 through the loading mechanism 300. After the variable distance processing of the square shell battery cells 100 is completed, the plurality of square shell battery cells 100 are transferred to the diversion mechanism 400 without flipping the battery cells. Since the battery cells are not flipped during loading, there is no need to use a six-axis manipulator to flip and unload, which can simplify the structure of the loading mechanism 300 and the unloading manipulator and reduce equipment costs.

[0104] It is understandable that in the existing battery module packaging production line, the square shell battery cells 100 are clamped, turned over and changed in distance one by one by a robot, and then placed on the jig line 200 (or stepping line) to meet the direction and spacing requirements of the thickness measurement work for the square shell battery cells 100. Then, the square shell battery cells 100 on the jig line 200 are subjected to thickness measurement; after the thickness measurement work is completed, the square shell battery cells 100 are clamped, turned over in the opposite direction and changed in distance by a robot, so as to facilitate the subsequent battery cell grouping. If square shell battery cells 100 with unqualified thickness appear during the thickness measurement process, the NG square shell battery cells 100 need to be removed by the robot, and the OK square shell battery cells 100 in the same group are taken offline by the robot and cached, waiting for the number of square shell battery cells 100 to reach the grouping number before the next operation can be carried out.

[0105] However, the cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment provided in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention adopts the method of shunting thickness measurement and converging sorting and grouping to reduce the moving distance of the square shell cell 100, simplify the production steps of thickness measurement and sorting of the square shell cell 100, so as to improve the working efficiency of the equipment and reduce the operating cost of the equipment; arbitrarily adjust the number of loading and unloading cells to improve the compatibility of the equipment; reduce the occupied area and improve the space utilization rate; after thickness measurement and converging, NG square shell cells 100 can be quickly discharged, and the square shell cells 100 on the converging mechanism 700 do not need to reach the number of groups, so the square shell cells 100 can be continuously shunted, thickness measured, converged and sorted, and there is no need to cache and complete the OK square shell cells 100 in the same group before proceeding to the next step, effectively avoiding the NG square shell cells 100 from having an adverse effect on the efficiency of thickness measurement and sorting.

[0106] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, a battery production line according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention includes a battery cell sorting and thickness measuring device as in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0107] It is understandable that the battery manufacturing process includes multiple processing steps, such as battery cell manufacturing process, battery cell testing process, battery cell sorting process, assembly process, etc., and each processing step will be equipped with corresponding processing equipment. This embodiment only provides a unique structural design for the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment in the battery production line, and does not propose improvement requirements for other processing equipment in the battery production line. Therefore, those skilled in the art should understand the structure and working principle of the remaining processing equipment in the battery production line, which will not be described in detail here. The battery production line of this embodiment adopts the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment with the above structure, which can improve the production efficiency of the battery cells and reduce production costs, and can meet customer needs.

[0108] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0109] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. Battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment, characterized in that: include: The flow dividing mechanism comprises a first linear drive and a first conveyor, wherein the conveying direction of the first conveyor extends along the first direction, a plurality of the first conveyors are provided and are arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the first linear drive is used to drive all the first conveyors to move along the second direction; A cache conveying mechanism, which is provided in plurality and arranged at intervals along the second direction, wherein the conveying direction of the cache conveying mechanism extends along the first direction, and the cache conveying mechanism is used to receive the battery cells transferred from the first conveyor; A plurality of thickness measuring mechanisms are provided and are arranged one-to-one corresponding to the plurality of buffer conveying mechanisms, and the thickness measuring mechanisms are used to measure the thickness of the battery cells transferred from the buffer conveying mechanisms; The confluence mechanism comprises a second linear drive and a second conveyor, wherein the conveying direction of the second conveyor extends along the first direction, a plurality of second conveyors are provided and are arranged at intervals along the second direction, and the second linear drive is used to drive all of the second conveyors to move along the second direction to receive the battery cells transferred from the thickness measuring mechanism, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

2. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes at least one discharging mechanism and at least one discharge mechanism, wherein the discharging mechanism extends along the first direction, and is configured to be connected with any of the second conveyors to receive qualified battery cells transferred from the second conveyor. The discharging mechanism is provided with a plurality of discharging stations arranged along the first direction, and the discharge mechanism is spaced apart from the discharging mechanism along the second direction, and is configured to be connected with any of the second conveyors to receive unqualified battery cells transferred from the second conveyor.

3. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The unloading mechanism includes a unloading conveying track and a positioning component. The unloading conveying track includes a plurality of fourth conveyors arranged along the first direction. The conveying direction of the fourth conveyors extends along the first direction. The fourth conveyor is provided with the unloading station. There are a plurality of positioning components, which are arranged one-to-one corresponding to the plurality of unloading stations. The positioning component is used to position the battery cell located at the unloading station.

4. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The discharging mechanism further comprises a fifth conveyor, wherein the conveying direction of the fifth conveyor extends along the first direction, one end of the fifth conveyor is connected with the unloading conveying track, and the other end of the fifth conveyor can be connected with any of the second conveyors, and the fifth conveyor is provided with a plurality of temporary storage stations arranged along the first direction; and / or, The discharging mechanism further includes a second detection component, a plurality of the second detection components are provided, and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of the discharging stations, and the second detection component is used to detect the presence of battery cells at the discharging station.

5. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The discharge mechanism includes a sixth conveyor and a discharge track. The conveying direction of the sixth conveyor extends along the first direction. One end of the sixth conveyor is connected to the discharge track. The other end of the sixth conveyor can be connected to any of the second conveyors. The discharge track is inclined from top to bottom toward the side of the first direction away from the sixth conveyor.

6. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a loading mechanism, which is used to transfer multiple battery cells to multiple first conveyors respectively.

7. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer conveying mechanism is provided with a plurality of buffer stations arranged at intervals along the first direction, and the thickness measuring mechanism is provided with a plurality of thickness measuring stations arranged at intervals along the first direction.

8. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The thickness measuring mechanism includes a thickness measuring conveying track, a thickness measuring component and a material blocking component. The thickness measuring conveying track is connected with the discharge end of the buffer conveying mechanism. The thickness measuring conveying track includes a plurality of third conveyors arranged along the first direction. The third conveyors are provided with the thickness measuring stations. There are a plurality of material blocking components, which are arranged one-to-one corresponding to the plurality of thickness measuring stations. The material blocking component is used to block the battery cell located at the thickness measuring station. The thickness measuring component is used to measure the thickness of the battery cell located at the thickness measuring station.

9. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The thickness measuring mechanism further includes a first detection component, a plurality of the first detection components are provided, and the first detection components are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of thickness measuring stations, and the first detection component is used to detect the presence of a battery cell at the thickness measuring station.

10. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The thickness measuring mechanism also includes a third linear drive, the number of the thickness measuring stations is twice the number of the thickness measuring components, and the third linear drive is used to drive all the thickness measuring components to move along the first direction to measure the thickness of the battery cells on the corresponding thickness measuring stations.

11. The battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first conveyor and the second conveyor both include a belt conveyor and a limiting member. The conveying direction of the belt conveyor extends along the first direction. The belt conveyor is provided with limiting members for guiding the battery cells on opposite sides along the second direction.

12. Battery production line, characterized in that, It comprises the battery cell sorting and thickness measuring equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

Images