Connection device, battery production line and battery monomer feeding method

Abstract

A connection device (1000), a battery production line (10) and a battery cell feeding method, the connection device (1000) comprising a first connection mechanism (100), the first connection mechanism (100) comprising a first base body (110), a first turnover assembly (130) and a first clamping jaw assembly (140), the first turnover assembly (130) being configured to be capable of driving the first clamping jaw assembly (140) to turn over to a first posture or a second posture; the connection device (1000) can turn the posture of the fed battery monomer (2000) and then feed the battery monomer (2000) to the conveyor line (3000), so that the connection device (1000) can replace a plurality of manipulators to feed the battery monomer (2000), the efficiency of feeding the battery monomer (2000) to the conveyor line (3000) is effectively improved, and the production efficiency of batteries is further guaranteed.

Description

Connecting device, battery production line and battery monomer loading method Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery production, and in particular to a connection device, a battery production line, and a method for loading battery cells. Background Art

[0002] On a battery production line, battery cells need to be flipped and moved to a conveyor line for subsequent production processes. Related technologies employ at least two manipulators to perform these flipping and movement operations: one manipulator grasps the battery cell, while the other manipulator takes the cell from the grasping manipulator, flips it, and then places it on the conveyor line. Using multiple manipulators to perform the grasping, flipping, and placement actions in separate steps results in slower battery cell loading efficiency, which in turn affects battery production efficiency.

[0003] Application Contents

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a connecting device, a battery production line, and a method for loading battery cells, aiming to improve the technical problem of low efficiency in loading battery cells to a conveyor line.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in the embodiment of this application is:

[0006] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a docking device, which is used to deliver battery cells to a conveyor line. The docking device includes a first docking mechanism, which includes a first base, a first flipping assembly and a first clamping assembly. The first flipping assembly is arranged on the first base, and the first clamping assembly is arranged on the first flipping assembly. The first flipping assembly is configured to drive the first clamping assembly to flip to a first posture or a second posture. The first clamping assembly clamps the battery cell in the first posture and delivers the battery cell to the conveyor line in the second posture.

[0007] The above technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0008] The docking device provided in the embodiment of the present application is capable of feeding an external battery cell into a first clamping jaw assembly in a first posture, the first clamping jaw assembly is capable of clamping the fed battery cell, the first flipping assembly is capable of driving the first clamping jaw assembly to flip to a second posture, so that the battery cell is synchronously flipped to adjust its posture, and the first clamping jaw assembly is capable of releasing the battery cell, so that the battery cell falls onto the conveyor line after adjusting its posture, thereby achieving the purpose of flipping the posture of the battery cell and moving it onto the conveyor line; the docking device of the embodiment of the present application is capable of grabbing the fed battery cell and flipping its posture before feeding it onto the conveyor line, thereby being able to replace multiple manipulators to realize the loading operation of the battery cell, effectively improving the efficiency of loading the battery cell onto the conveyor line, and thereby ensuring the production efficiency of the battery.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first clamping jaw assembly is configured to clamp the battery cell along a thickness direction of the battery cell.

[0010] By adopting the above technical solution, the first clamping jaw assembly can clamp the battery cell along the thickness direction of the battery cell, that is, the width of the battery cell does not affect the clamping operation of the first clamping jaw assembly, so that the first clamping jaw assembly can clamp battery cells of various width sizes, and the compatibility of the first clamping jaw assembly is effectively improved.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first docking mechanism further includes a first moving component, the first moving component is disposed on the first base, the first flipping component is disposed on the first moving component, and the first moving component is configured to drive the first flipping component to move.

[0012] By adopting the above technical solution, when the first clamping jaw assembly is in the first posture and clamps the battery cell, the first moving assembly can drive the first flipping assembly and the first clamping jaw assembly to move, and the battery cell clamped by the first clamping jaw assembly can move synchronously, so that the battery cell can be moved to a preset position, so that when the first flipping assembly drives the first clamping jaw assembly to flip to the second posture, the first clamping jaw assembly can place the clamped battery cell more accurately onto the corresponding conveyor line.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first moving component includes a moving frame, a first moving drive member and a second moving drive member, the moving frame is movably connected to the first base, and the first flipping component is movably connected to the moving frame; the first moving drive member is arranged on the first base, and the output end of the first moving drive member is connected to the moving frame, the second moving drive member is arranged on the moving frame, and the output end of the second moving drive member is connected to the first flipping component; wherein, the output direction of the first moving drive member intersects with the output direction of the second moving drive member.

[0014] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the first movable driving member can drive the movable frame to move relative to the first base, so that the first flipping assembly moves synchronously with the movable frame, and the second movable driving member can drive the first flipping assembly to move relative to the movable frame. At the same time, the output direction of the first movable driving member intersects with the output direction of the second movable driving member, that is, the first flipping assembly can move in at least two directions, so that the first clamping assembly can clamp the battery cell and move in at least two directions, effectively improving the movement adjustment range of the first clamping assembly on the battery cell.

[0015] In some embodiments, an output direction of the first movable driving member is perpendicular to an output direction of the second movable driving member, and the first movable driving member is configured to drive the movable frame to move along the direction of gravity.

[0016] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the first mobile driving member can drive the mobile frame to move along the direction of gravity, thereby driving the first flipping assembly and the first clamping assembly to move along the direction of gravity to approach or move away from the conveyor line. The output direction of the second mobile driving member is perpendicular to the output direction of the first mobile driving member, so that the second mobile driving member can adjust the position of the first clamping assembly and the battery cell clamped by it in the direction perpendicular to gravity.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first moving component also includes a first guide member and a second guide member, the first guide member is arranged on the first base, the moving frame is connected to the first guide member, the moving frame is configured to be able to slide along the first guide member, the second guide member is arranged on the moving frame, and the first flipping component is configured to be able to slide along the second guide member.

[0018] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the movable frame can slide along the first guide member under the drive of the first movable driving member, effectively improving the stability of the movable frame during movement, and the first flipping assembly can slide along the second guide member under the drive of the second movable driving member, effectively improving the stability of the first flipping assembly during movement, thereby improving the stability of the first clamping claw assembly when clamping the battery cell during movement.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first flipping assembly includes a support, a flipping drive structure and a flipping shaft. The support is arranged on the first base, the flipping drive structure is arranged on the support, the flipping shaft is connected to the output shaft of the flipping drive structure, the flipping drive structure is configured to drive the flipping shaft to rotate, and the first clamping jaw assembly is fixedly connected to the flipping shaft.

[0020] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the flip drive structure can drive the flip shaft to rotate, so that the first clamping jaw assembly rotates synchronously with the flip shaft, so that the first clamping jaw assembly can rotate to the first posture or the second posture, thereby realizing the posture flipping of the battery cell clamped by the first clamping jaw assembly.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first flip assembly further includes a mounting bearing, the mounting bearing is disposed on the support, and the flip shaft passes through and is rotatably connected to the mounting bearing.

[0022] By adopting the above technical solution, the flip shaft can be set on the support through the installation bearing, which effectively improves the stability of the flip shaft installation; the flip drive structure can drive the flip shaft to rotate on the installation bearing.

[0023] In some embodiments, the flip drive structure includes a telescopic drive member and a connecting block, the connecting block is fixedly connected to the flip shaft, the telescopic drive member is hinged to the support, and the output end of the telescopic drive member is hinged to the connecting block.

[0024] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the telescopic drive hinge can push the connecting block by telescoping its output end, so that the connecting block rotates around the flip axis, and the connecting block can also drive the flip axis to rotate synchronously when rotating, thereby achieving the purpose of driving the first clamping jaw assembly to rotate synchronously with the flip axis.

[0025] In some embodiments, the connecting block protrudes toward the telescopic driving member to form an avoidance portion, and the output end of the telescopic driving member is hinged to the avoidance portion.

[0026] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the output end of the telescopic driving member is hinged to the avoidance portion, and the telescopic driving member can push the avoidance portion to rotate. The avoidance portion protruding toward the telescopic driving member can make the output range of the telescopic driving member larger, so that the telescopic driving member can drive the flip axis to rotate at a larger angle, thereby increasing the range of motion of the first clamping jaw assembly and the posture adjustment range of the battery cell.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first flipping assembly further includes a buffer block and a buffer limiter, the buffer block is arranged on the flipping shaft, the buffer limiter is arranged on the support, and the buffer limiter is configured to abut against the buffer block when the flipping shaft drives the first clamping jaw assembly to flip to the first posture and / or the second posture.

[0028] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, when the flip shaft drives the first clamping jaw assembly to flip to the first posture and / or the second posture, the buffer block arranged on the flip shaft can abut against the buffer limit member, so that the buffer limit member can buffer the buffer block when the first clamping jaw assembly flips to the first posture and / or the second posture, and then the first clamping jaw assembly can switch to the first posture and / or the second posture more smoothly.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first flipping assembly further includes a controller and a positioning sensor, the controller is electrically connected to the positioning sensor and the flipping drive structure, the positioning sensor is disposed on a support, and the positioning sensor is configured to sense the first gripper assembly moving to a first posture and / or a second posture.

[0030] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the positioning sensor can sense whether the first clamping jaw assembly has moved to the first posture and / or the second posture. If the first clamping jaw assembly has not moved to the right position, the positioning sensor can send an electrical signal to the controller, so that the controller can control the flip driving structure to drive the flip axis to continue rotating.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first clamping jaw assembly includes a fixed seat, a clamping jaw driving member, a clamping jaw body and a clamping jaw fixing member, the fixed seat is connected to the first flipping assembly, the clamping jaw driving member is arranged on the fixed seat, the clamping jaw body is connected to the output end of the clamping jaw driving member, the clamping jaw fixing member is connected to the fixed seat, and the clamping jaw driving member is configured to drive the clamping jaw body to move back and forth toward the direction of the clamping jaw fixing member.

[0032] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the clamp driving part can drive the clamp body to move toward the clamp fixing part to achieve the purpose of clamping the battery cell. The fixing seat is connected to the first flip assembly, so that the first flip assembly can drive the fixing seat to flip, so that the clamp body and the clamp fixing part can flip the battery cell to adjust the posture.

[0033] In some embodiments, the clamp body and the clamp fixing member are configured to clamp the battery cell on opposite end surfaces along the thickness direction of the battery cell.

[0034] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the clamp body and the clamp fixing part can clamp on the opposite end faces of the battery cell along the thickness direction. The width of the battery cell has no effect on the clamping effect of the clamp body and the clamp fixing part. Therefore, the clamp body and the clamp fixing part can clamp battery cells of various width specifications, effectively improving the applicability of the first clamp assembly.

[0035] In some embodiments, the clamp body includes a first clamp block, a second clamp block and an elastic buffer, the first clamp block is connected to the output end of the clamp driving member, the second clamp block is slidably connected to the first clamp block along the output direction of the clamp driving member, the elastic buffer is arranged between the first clamp block and the second clamp block, and the opposite ends of the elastic buffer respectively abut against the first clamp block and the second clamp block.

[0036] By adopting the above technical solution, by arranging an elastic buffer between the first clamping block and the second clamping block, the elastic buffer can achieve the purpose of buffering when performing the action of clamping the battery cell, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing damage to the battery cell caused by overpressure.

[0037] In some embodiments, the fixing seat is provided with a supporting portion, the supporting portion is configured to carry a battery cell, and the clamp fixing member is connected to the supporting portion.

[0038] By adopting the above technical solution, the battery monomer can be placed on the support portion, and at the same time the battery monomer can be clamped and fixed by the clamp body and the clamp fixing member, so as to improve the stability of the battery monomer when being clamped.

[0039] In some embodiments, one end of the clamp body facing the clamp fixing member is covered with a first insulating member, the end of the clamp fixing member facing the clamp body is covered with a second insulating member, and the end surface of the support portion for supporting the battery cell is covered with a third insulating member.

[0040] By adopting the above technical solution, when the battery cell is clamped, the first insulating member, the second insulating member and the third insulating member are in direct contact with the battery cell, thereby effectively reducing the probability of leakage.

[0041] In some embodiments, at least one of the first insulating member, the second insulating member, and the third insulating member is flexible.

[0042] By adopting the above technical solution, since at least one of the first insulating member, the second insulating member and the third insulating member is flexible, when clamping the battery cell, at least one of the first insulating member, the second insulating member and the third insulating member can reduce the probability of causing damage to the battery cell.

[0043] In some embodiments, there are multiple groups of first flipping assemblies, and the number of first clamping jaw assemblies provided on each group of first flipping assemblies is the same.

[0044] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the first clamping assemblies provided on multiple groups of first flipping assemblies can simultaneously clamp the battery cells fed in from the outside, and the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies can simultaneously drive the first clamping assemblies to flip and feed the battery cells to the corresponding conveyor line, thereby effectively improving the flipping and loading efficiency of the battery cells, and thus improving the overall efficiency of the battery production line.

[0045] In some embodiments, the docking device also includes a second docking mechanism, and the first docking mechanism and the second docking mechanism are both located on the conveying path of the conveyor line; the second docking mechanism includes a second base, a second moving assembly, a second flipping assembly and a second clamping claw assembly, the first docking mechanism includes N groups of first flipping assemblies, and the second docking mechanism includes less than N groups of second flipping assemblies; wherein N is the number of groups of the conveyor line, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0046] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, N groups of first flipping assemblies on the first docking mechanism can be used to simultaneously feed battery monomers in a flipped posture into N groups of conveyor lines, effectively improving the efficiency of feeding battery monomers into the conveyor lines; at the same time, the second flipping assemblies smaller than N groups on the second docking mechanism can be used to perform material replenishment and proportioning operations on one or more groups of conveyor lines that are short of materials, thereby ensuring the efficiency of feeding battery monomers into the conveyor lines and proportioning the number of battery monomers on different conveyor lines.

[0047] In some embodiments, the number of the first flipping assemblies is two, and the number of the second flipping assemblies is one.

[0048] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, two groups of first flipping assemblies can be used to drive the first clamping assembly thereon to flip and load materials, and the second flipping assembly can be used to drive the second clamping assembly thereon to flip and replenish materials. While the first flipping assembly and the first clamping assembly can ensure the loading efficiency, the second flipping assembly and the second clamping assembly can replenish materials on the conveyor line to ensure that each group of conveyor lines has a sufficient number of battery cells to avoid affecting subsequent processes.

[0049] On the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery production line, including a docking device, a gripping device, a conveyor line and a stacking device as described above, the gripping device is used to transfer the battery monomer to the first clamping assembly in a first posture, the conveying line is used to transmit the battery monomer released by the first clamping assembly in a second posture, and in the conveying direction of the conveying line, the stacking device is arranged downstream of the docking device, and the stacking device is configured to pre-stack the battery monomers on the conveying line.

[0050] The above technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0051] The battery production line provided by the embodiment of the present application has a gripping device capable of delivering external battery cells to the docking device. The first clamping assembly of the docking device clamps the battery cell in a first posture, and the first clamping assembly can flip to a second posture and deliver the battery cell to the corresponding conveyor line, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the posture of the battery cell and delivering it to the conveyor line. The stacking device can pre-stack the battery cells on the conveyor line downstream in the conveying direction of the conveyor line. The battery production line of the embodiment of the present application includes the above-mentioned docking device. On the basis that the above-mentioned docking device has better loading efficiency, the battery production line of the embodiment of the present application has better loading efficiency, thereby improving the production efficiency of the battery production line.

[0052] In some embodiments, the gripping device includes multiple groups of gripping components, the number of conveying lines is multiple groups, and the number of gripping components is the same as the number of conveying lines.

[0053] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, multiple groups of grabbing assemblies can grab multiple groups of battery cells at the same time, and feed the multiple groups of battery cells into the first clamping assemblies of multiple groups of first flipping assemblies, so that the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies can drive the corresponding first clamping assemblies to flip and feed them to each group of conveyor lines, effectively improving the loading efficiency.

[0054] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for loading battery cells. The method is applied to the battery production line described above. The method includes:

[0055] Connecting battery cells: The grabbing equipment grabs the battery cells from the outside and places them into the docking device. The docking device moves and flips the battery cells and places them onto each group of conveyor lines.

[0056] Pre-stacking battery cells, the stacking device pre-stacking the battery cells on the conveyor line;

[0057] To replenish battery monomers, when the stacking device pre-stacks the number of battery monomers on any group of conveyor lines to a preset value, the grabbing device grabs the battery monomers from the outside and places them into the docking device, which moves and flips the battery monomers and places them onto the group of conveyor lines.

[0058] The above technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0059] The battery monomer loading method provided in the embodiment of the present application pre-stacks the battery monomers on the conveyor line through a stacking device. When the stacking device stacks the battery monomers according to the formula to a preset value, the number of battery monomers on one group of conveyor lines will be less than the number of battery monomers on other groups of conveyor lines. At this time, the battery monomers can be grabbed from the outside by a grabbing device and placed into a docking device. The docking device moves and flips the battery monomers and places them onto the group of conveyor lines to achieve the purpose of replenishing the battery monomers. The number of battery monomers on each group of conveyor lines is proportioned to avoid affecting the pre-stacking process.

[0060] In some embodiments, the docking device includes a first docking mechanism and a second docking mechanism, the first docking mechanism includes N groups of first flipping assemblies, each group of flipping assemblies is provided with the same number of first clamping claw assemblies, and the second docking mechanism includes a group of second flipping assemblies, each of the second flipping assemblies is provided with a plurality of second clamping claw assemblies;

[0061] In the battery cell connection step, the gripping device grips the battery cell from the outside and places it into the first gripping assembly in the first posture. The first gripping assembly flips to the second posture, and the first gripping assembly places the battery cell onto the corresponding groups of conveyor lines.

[0062] In the battery cell replenishment step, the gripping device grips the battery cell from the outside and places it into the second gripper assembly in the first posture. The second gripper assembly flips to the second posture, and the second gripper assembly places the battery cell into a group of conveyor lines where the number of pre-stacked battery cells reaches a preset value.

[0063] By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the first docking mechanism can use N groups of first flipping assemblies to flip and load battery cells to N groups of conveyor lines at the same time to ensure the loading efficiency of battery cells; at the same time, the second docking mechanism can use a group of second flipping assemblies to carry out proportional loading for any group of conveyor lines with a smaller number. While ensuring the loading efficiency of battery cells, the second flipping assembly drives the second clamping assembly to flip and carry out proportional loading, thereby effectively improving the production efficiency of batteries. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technologies. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0065] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a docking device provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0066] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a first docking mechanism provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0067] FIG3 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of point A in FIG2 ;

[0068] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a second docking mechanism provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0069] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of the first flip assembly driving the first clamping jaw assembly to rotate to a first posture according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0070] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of the first flip assembly driving the first clamping jaw assembly to rotate to a second posture according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0071] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a first clamping jaw assembly provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0072] FIG8 is a side view of a first clamping jaw assembly provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0073] FIG9 is a flow chart of a battery cell loading method provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0074] 13. Reference numerals in the figures: 10. battery production line; 1000. docking device; 2000. battery cell; 3000. conveyor line; 4000. gripping device; 5000. stacking device; 100. first docking mechanism; 110. first base; 120. first moving assembly; 121. moving frame; 122. first moving drive member; 123. second moving drive member; 124. first guide member; 125. second guide member; 130. first flip assembly; 131. support; 132. flip drive structure; 1321. telescopic drive member; 1322. connecting block; 13221. avoidance portion; 133. flip shaft; 134. mounting bearing; 135. buffer block; 136. buffer limit member; 137. positioning sensor; 140. First clamping jaw assembly; 141. Fixed seat; 1411. Fixed block; 14111. Arc groove; 1412. Fixed plate; 1413. Support portion; 1414. Limiting structure; 142. Clamping jaw driving member; 143. Clamping jaw body; 1431. First clamping block; 1432. Second clamping block; 1433. Elastic buffer member; 144. Clamping jaw fixing member; 145. First insulating member; 146. Second insulating member; 147. Third insulating member; 200. Second connecting mechanism; 210. Second base; 220. Second moving assembly; 230. Second flipping assembly; 240. Second clamping jaw assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] The following describes in detail embodiments of the present application, 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 intended to be used to explain the present application, and should not be construed as limiting the present application.

[0076] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0077] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "length", "width", "thickness", "inside", "outside", "up", "down", "left", "right", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limitations on the present application.

[0078] The terms "first," "second," and the like are used solely for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features being referred to. For example, the terms "first guide member" and "second guide member" are used solely to distinguish between the different guide members and do not define their order. The first guide member could be named "second guide member," and the second guide member could be named "first guide member" without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like do not necessarily define the features being referred to as being different.

[0079] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connection", etc. 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 directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. The meaning of "plurality" is at least two, that is, two or more.

[0080] In this application, "and / or" is simply a way to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0081] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "in some embodiments", "exemplarily", "for example", etc. are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "in some embodiments", "exemplarily", "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "in some embodiments", "exemplarily", "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way, meaning that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the above words in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0082] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, this application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0083] As the market demand for batteries continues to expand, the production and use of battery products are also increasing. During the production and assembly process of batteries, it is necessary to load the battery cells. The external battery cells are loaded onto the conveyor line, and then transported through the conveyor line to complete various processes and finally obtain the finished battery products. During the loading process of the battery cells, the external battery cells are generally stored in an upright position, that is, the electrode terminals of the battery cells are placed upward in the direction of gravity; and when the conveyor line transports the battery cells, the battery cells need to be transported in a flat position to facilitate subsequent processes. In the related art, at least two manipulators are generally used to perform the posture flipping and moving loading operations of the battery cells respectively, wherein at least one manipulator is used to clamp the external battery cells, and at least one manipulator is used to take over the battery cells clamped by the previous manipulator and flip them, so that the vertically placed battery cells are flipped to a flat position and placed on the conveyor line. However, the battery cell loading efficiency is low because multiple manipulators perform the operations of clamping the battery cells, flipping and feeding them to the conveyor line in steps, which affects the production efficiency of the battery.

[0084] Based on the above considerations, in order to solve the technical problem of low loading efficiency caused by using multiple manipulators to perform step-by-step clamping, flipping and loading operations on battery monomers, a docking device is designed, in which the first clamping jaw assembly of the docking device receives and clamps the battery monomer in a first posture, and uses the first flipping assembly to drive the first clamping jaw assembly to flip to a second posture, so that the battery monomer clamped by the first clamping jaw assembly can be flipped, and after the first clamping jaw assembly flips to the second posture, the first clamping jaw assembly can release the battery monomer to allow the battery monomer to fall onto the conveyor line, so that the clamping, flipping and loading operations of the battery monomer can be carried out simultaneously in the docking device, effectively reducing the loading process, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the loading efficiency.

[0085] The docking device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be used, but is not limited to, for flipping and loading battery cells or other block-shaped components. A battery production line can be formed using the docking device disclosed in the present application, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of battery cell loading.

[0086] A battery cell is the smallest unit that makes up a battery. It includes a housing assembly, an electrode assembly, and other functional components. The housing assembly includes end caps and an outer shell.

[0087] An end cap is a component that fits over the opening of the outer casing to isolate the internal environment of the battery cell from the external environment. Functional components such as electrode terminals may be provided on the end cap. The shape of the end cap can be adapted to the outer casing to complement the outer casing. The outer casing is a component that, together with the end cap, forms the internal environment of the battery cell, which can accommodate the electrode assembly, electrolyte, and other components.

[0088] The outer shell and the end cap can be independent components. An opening can be provided on the outer shell, and the internal environment of the battery cell can be formed by closing the opening with the end cap at the opening. Without limitation, the end cap and the outer shell can also be integrated. Specifically, the end cap and the outer shell can form a common connection surface before other components are inserted into the shell. When the interior of the outer shell needs to be encapsulated, the end cap can be closed with the outer shell. The outer shell can be of various shapes and sizes, such as a rectangular parallelepiped, a cylindrical shape, a hexagonal prism, etc. Specifically, the shape of the outer shell can be determined according to the specific shape and size of the electrode assembly. The material of the outer shell can be various, for example, but not limited to copper, iron, aluminum, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, plastic, etc.

[0089] For the convenience of description, the following embodiments are described by taking the connection device used in a battery production line as an example.

[0090] Next, the docking device provided in the embodiment of the present application will be introduced and described.

[0091] Please refer to Figures 1, 5 and 6. An embodiment of the present application provides a docking device 1000, which is used to deliver battery cells 2000 to multiple groups of conveyor lines 3000. The docking device 1000 includes a first docking mechanism 100, which includes a first base 110, a first flipping assembly 130 and a first clamping jaw assembly 140. The first flipping assembly 130 is arranged on the first base 110, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 is arranged on the first flipping assembly 130. The first flipping assembly 130 is configured to drive the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to a first posture or a second posture. The first clamping jaw assembly 140 clamps the battery cell 2000 in the first posture and delivers the battery cell 2000 to the conveyor line 3000 in the second posture.

[0092] The first base 110 is the main structure of the first connecting mechanism 100 . The first base 110 may be, but is not limited to, a machine tool, a machine frame, or a frame structure composed of multiple profiles.

[0093] The first flipping assembly 130 is used to drive the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip; specifically, the first flipping assembly 130 can be a driving mechanism such as a driving cylinder, a driving hydraulic cylinder, etc. for driving extension and retraction, used to push the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to achieve the purpose of flipping; or, the first flipping assembly 130 can also be a driving mechanism such as a motor, a rotating cylinder, etc. for driving rotation, used to drive the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to achieve the purpose of rotation.

[0094] Optionally, the first flipping assembly 130 can be fixedly connected to the first base 110, and the first clamping assembly 140 can be driven to move by the driving structure included in the first flipping assembly 130. For example, the first flipping assembly 130 can include driving structures such as a driving cylinder and a driving motor, and these driving structures are used to drive the flipping of the first clamping assembly 140; or, the first flipping assembly 130 can also be movably connected to the first base 110, and the first clamping assembly 140 and the clamped battery cell 2000 can be driven to move synchronously by the movement of the first flipping assembly 130 relative to the first base 110.

[0095] The number of first flipping assemblies 130 can be one or more groups, and each group of first flipping assemblies 130 can be connected to one or more groups of first clamping jaw assemblies 140; for example, a group of first flipping assemblies 130 can be provided on the first base 110, and four groups of first clamping jaw assemblies 140 are provided on the group of first flipping assemblies 130, and the group of first flipping assemblies 130 can drive the four groups of first clamping jaw assemblies 140 to flip synchronously.

[0096] The first flip assembly 130 can drive the first gripper assembly 140 to flip to a first posture or a second posture. The first posture and the second posture refer to the two preset postures to which the first gripper assembly 140 rotates under the drive of the first flip assembly 130. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the first gripper assembly 140 in the first posture, at which time the first gripper assembly 140 can grip a battery cell 2000 fed from the outside; Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the first gripper assembly 140 in the second posture, at which time the first gripper assembly 140 flips the gripped battery cell 2000 to a flat position, allowing the battery cell 2000 to fall from the first gripper assembly 140 onto the conveyor line 3000.

[0097] For example, in the first posture, the external battery cell 2000 can be placed into the first clamping jaw assembly 140, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can clamp the battery cell 2000; it can be understood that the direction of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 in the first posture to clamp the battery cell 2000 can be in the direction opposite to gravity, that is, in the vertically upward direction, so that the battery cell 2000 with an external upright shape can be placed into the first clamping jaw assembly 140 from above. Specifically, the angle between the direction of clamping the battery cell 2000 and the direction opposite to gravity can be less than 90°; for example, in the first posture, the direction of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to clamp the battery cell 2000 can be parallel to the direction opposite to gravity, that is, in the direction of gravity, the direction of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to clamp the battery cell 2000 is parallel to the direction of gravity and opposite to the direction of gravity.

[0098] It should be understood that in the first posture, the direction in which the first clamping jaw assembly 140 clamps the battery cell 2000 can also be any other direction, that is, the battery cell 2000 is in a non-upright position when it is fed into the first clamping jaw assembly 140. At this time, the first flipping assembly 130 can drive the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to the corresponding posture to clamp the battery cell 2000; for example, the direction in which the first clamping jaw assembly 140 clamps the battery cell 2000 can be roughly perpendicular to the direction of gravity; or, the direction in which the first clamping jaw assembly 140 clamps the battery cell 2000 can also be towards the direction of gravity and the angle between it and the direction of gravity can be less than 90°.

[0099] In the second posture, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can drive the battery cell 2000 to adjust its posture, that is, flip the battery cell 2000 from an upright position to a flat position. When the first clamping jaw assembly 140 in the second posture releases the battery cell 2000, the battery cell 2000 can fall out of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 onto the conveyor line 3000 due to its own gravity. As a result, the direction in which the first clamping jaw assembly 140 grips the battery cell 2000 in the second posture can be roughly perpendicular to the direction of gravity, so that the battery cell 2000 can achieve posture adjustment and be removed from the released first clamping jaw assembly 140. For example, in the second posture, the direction in which the first clamping jaw assembly 140 grips the battery cell 2000 can be perpendicular to the direction of gravity, that is, horizontally.

[0100] It can be understood that in this embodiment, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can flip to include but not limited to a first posture and a second posture, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can flip to any posture under the drive of the first flipping assembly 130; in this embodiment, the first posture is used to illustrate the state of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 when it receives the external battery cell 2000, and the second posture is used to illustrate the state of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 when it places the clamped battery cell 2000 into the conveyor line 3000, so as to facilitate better description and understanding.

[0101] The first clamping jaw assembly 140 is used to clamp the battery cell 2000, or release the battery cell 2000 so that it can fall out of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 under its own gravity in the second posture. Specifically, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 may include a clamping block for clamping the battery cell 2000 and a drive structure for driving the clamping block to move. The drive structure drives at least one clamping block to move relative to another clamping block to achieve the clamping action. The drive structure may be, but is not limited to, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a roller screw drive structure, a belt transmission structure, etc.

[0102] In the docking device 1000 provided in the embodiment of the present application, an external battery cell 2000 can be fed into the first clamping jaw assembly 140 in a first posture. The first clamping jaw assembly 140 can clamp the fed battery cell 2000, and the first flipping assembly 130 can drive the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to a second posture, so that the battery cell 2000 is synchronously flipped to adjust its posture, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can release the battery cell 2000, so that the battery cell 2000 falls onto the conveyor line 3000 after adjusting its posture, thereby achieving the purpose of flipping the posture of the battery cell 2000 and moving it to the conveyor line 3000; the docking device 1000 in the embodiment of the present application can grasp the fed battery cell 2000, flip its posture, and then feed it onto the conveyor line 3000, thereby replacing multiple manipulators to realize the loading operation of the battery cell 2000, effectively improving the efficiency of loading the battery cell 2000 onto the conveyor line 3000, and thereby ensuring the production efficiency of the battery.

[0103] 1 and 7 , in some embodiments, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 is configured to clamp the battery cell 2000 along a thickness direction of the battery cell 2000 .

[0104] For example, in this embodiment, the battery cell 2000 is described as having a rectangular outer shell. The rectangular outer shell has a thickness, and therefore, the thickness of the battery cell 2000 is the thickness of the rectangular outer shell.

[0105] With this arrangement, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can clamp the battery cell 2000 along its thickness direction. Specifically, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can clamp the battery cell 2000 at opposite ends along the thickness direction. Furthermore, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 does not interfere with the battery cell 2000 in its width direction. Since differences in battery cell specifications are primarily reflected in the width of the battery cell 2000, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can accommodate battery cells 2000 of various widths. This eliminates the need for frequent adjustments to the clamping width of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to accommodate varying battery cell specifications, broadening its applicability. Furthermore, the opposite ends along the thickness direction represent the larger surfaces of the battery cell 2000, providing more stable clamping.

[0106] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. In some embodiments, the first docking mechanism 100 also includes a first moving component 120, which is disposed on the first base 110. The first flipping component 130 is disposed on the first moving component 120, and the first moving component 120 is configured to drive the first flipping component 130 to move.

[0107] The first moving assembly 120 is used to drive the first flipping assembly 130 to move, so that the first clamping claw assembly 140 provided on the first flipping assembly 130 can clamp and drive the battery cell 2000 to move synchronously.

[0108] The first moving assembly 120 may include a moving drive structure and a moving member. The moving drive structure may drive the moving member to move relative to the first base 110, so that the moving member drives the first flip assembly 130 to move. Specifically, the moving member may be, but is not limited to, a moving bracket, a moving plate, a moving block, etc.; the moving drive structure may be, but is not limited to, a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a drive motor, etc.

[0109] There can be one first moving assembly 120, which can drive and cause the first flip assembly 130 to move; alternatively, there can be multiple first moving assemblies 120, with multiple first moving assemblies 120 connected to the first flip assembly 130, and multiple first moving assemblies 120 driving the first flip assembly 130 to move, thereby improving the stability of the movement of the first flip assembly 130. For example, there can be two first moving assemblies 120, with the two first moving assemblies 120 disposed at opposite ends of the first base 110, and the opposite ends of the first flip assembly 130 are connected to the two first moving assemblies 120, respectively, and the two first moving assemblies 120 synchronously drive the first flip assembly 130 to move smoothly.

[0110] In this way, when the first clamping jaw assembly 140 is in the first posture and clamps the battery cell 2000, the first moving assembly 120 can drive the first flipping assembly 130 and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to move, and the battery cell 2000 clamped on the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can move synchronously, so that the battery cell 2000 can move to a preset position, so that when the first flipping assembly 130 drives the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to the second posture, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can place the clamped battery cell 2000 more accurately onto the corresponding conveyor line 3000; and, when the first flipping assembly 130 drives the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to the second posture, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 releases the clamped battery cell 2000, at this time the first moving assembly 120 can drive the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to move away from the battery cell 2000, thereby achieving the purpose of placing the battery cell 2000 onto the conveyor line 3000.

[0111] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3. In some embodiments, the first moving component 120 includes a moving frame 121, a first moving drive member 122 and a second moving drive member 123. The moving frame 121 is movably connected to the first base 110, and the first flipping component 130 is movably connected to the moving frame 121; the first moving drive member 122 is arranged on the first base 110, and the output end of the first moving drive member 122 is connected to the moving frame 121. The second moving drive member 123 is arranged on the moving frame 121, and the output end of the second moving drive member 123 is connected to the first flipping component 130; wherein, the output direction of the first moving drive member 122 intersects with the output direction of the second moving drive member 123, and the intersection means that they are not parallel.

[0112] The movable frame 121 may be a movable bracket, a movable flat frame, etc. The movable frame 121 is movably connected to the first base 110. Specifically, the movable frame 121 may be slidably disposed on the first base 110, or slidably disposed on the first base 110 via linear guides, slide rails, sliders, etc. Alternatively, the movable frame 121 may be inserted into the first base 110, and the movable frame 121 and the first base 110 are slidably engaged.

[0113] The first movable driving member 122 is used to drive the movable frame 121 to move relative to the first base 110. Specifically, the first movable driving member 122 can be, but is not limited to, a driving cylinder, a driving hydraulic cylinder, a roller screw drive structure, etc. For example, taking the driving cylinder as an example, the driving cylinder is fixedly mounted on the first base 110, and the piston of the driving cylinder is connected to the movable frame 121. The driving cylinder can drive the movable frame 121 to move on the first base 110 by the extension and contraction of the piston.

[0114] The first flip assembly 130 is movably connected to the moving frame 121 . Specifically, the first flip assembly 130 can be slidably disposed on the moving frame 121 , or can be slidably disposed on the moving frame 121 via linear guide rails, slide rails, sliders, and the like.

[0115] The second movable drive member 123 is used to drive the first flip assembly 130 to move relative to the movable frame 121. Specifically, the second movable drive member 123 can be, but is not limited to, a drive cylinder, a drive hydraulic cylinder, a roller screw drive structure, etc. For example, taking the drive cylinder as an example, the drive cylinder is fixedly mounted on the movable frame 121, and the piston of the drive cylinder is connected to the first flip assembly 130. The drive cylinder can drive the first flip assembly 130 to move on the movable frame 121 through the extension and contraction of its piston.

[0116] Among them, the output direction of the first mobile driving member 122 intersects with the output direction of the second mobile driving member 123. The first mobile driving member 122 can drive the mobile frame 121 and the first flipping assembly 130 to move along the output direction of the first mobile driving member 122. At the same time, the second mobile driving member 123 can drive the first flipping assembly 130 to move along the output direction of the second mobile driving member 123, that is, the first flipping assembly 130 can move in at least two directions, so that the first clamping claw assembly 140 on the first flipping assembly 130 can clamp the battery cell 2000 and move in at least two directions.

[0117] In this arrangement, the first movable drive member 122 can drive the movable frame 121 to move relative to the first base 110, so that the first flipping assembly 130 moves synchronously with the movable frame 121, and the second movable drive member 123 can drive the first flipping assembly 130 to move relative to the movable frame 121. At the same time, the output direction of the first movable drive member 122 intersects with the output direction of the second movable drive member 123, that is, the first flipping assembly 130 can move in at least two directions, so that the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can clamp the battery cell 2000 and move in at least two directions, effectively improving the movement adjustment range of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 on the battery cell 2000.

[0118] 1 to 3 , in some embodiments, the output direction of the first movable driver 122 is perpendicular to the output direction of the second movable driver 123 , and the first movable driver 122 is configured to drive the movable frame 121 to move along the direction of gravity.

[0119] It can be understood that since the output direction of the first movable drive member 122 is perpendicular to the output direction of the second movable drive member 123, the first flipping assembly 130 can be positionally adjusted in two perpendicular directions, so that the first clamping assembly 140 on the first flipping assembly 130 can clamp the battery cell 2000 and move in two perpendicular directions to improve the convenience of adjusting the position of the battery cell 2000.

[0120] At the same time, the first mobile driving member 122 can drive the mobile frame 121 to move along the direction of gravity, so that the first flipping assembly 130 can move synchronously with the mobile frame 121 along the direction of gravity, and the first clamping claw assembly 140 on the first flipping assembly 130 can clamp the battery cell 2000 and move toward or away from the conveyor line 3000 along the direction of gravity to improve the accuracy of delivering the battery cell 2000 to the conveyor line 3000.

[0121] In this arrangement, the first movable drive member 122 can drive the movable frame 121 to move along the direction of gravity, thereby driving the first flipping assembly 130 and the first clamping assembly 140 to move along the direction of gravity to approach or move away from the conveyor line 3000. The output direction of the second movable drive member 123 is perpendicular to the output direction of the first movable drive member 122, so that the second movable drive member 123 can adjust the position of the first clamping assembly 140 and the battery cell 2000 clamped therein in the direction perpendicular to gravity, and when the first clamping assembly 140 is in the second posture and releases the battery cell 2000, the second drive member can drive the first clamping assembly 140 to move in the direction away from the battery cell 2000, so as to achieve the purpose of placing the released battery cell 2000 into the conveyor line 3000.

[0122] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3. In some embodiments, the first moving component 120 also includes a first guide member 124 and a second guide member 125. The first guide member 124 is arranged on the first base 110, and the moving frame 121 is connected to the first guide member 124. The moving frame 121 is configured to be able to slide along the first guide member 124. The second guide member 125 is arranged on the moving frame 121, and the first flipping component 130 is configured to be able to slide along the second guide member 125.

[0123] Among them, the first guide member 124 can be but is not limited to a linear guide rail, a slide rail, a slide groove, etc.; for example, the first guide member 124 is taken as a linear guide rail as an example for explanation. The linear guide rail is fixedly installed on the first base 110, and the piston of the linear guide rail is connected to the movable frame 121. Driven by the first mobile driving member 122, the movable frame 121 can slide more smoothly along the linear guide rail on the first base 110.

[0124] The second guide member 125 can be, but is not limited to, a linear guide rail, a slide rail, a slide groove, etc.; for example, the second guide member 125 is taken as a linear guide rail as an example, the linear guide rail is fixedly mounted on the movable frame 121, and the piston of the linear guide rail is connected to the first flip assembly 130. Driven by the second mobile driving member 123, the first flip assembly 130 can slide more smoothly on the movable frame 121 along the linear guide rail.

[0125] In this arrangement, the movable frame 121 can slide along the first guide member 124 under the drive of the first movable driving member 122, effectively improving the stability of the movable frame 121 during movement, and the first flipping assembly 130 can slide along the second guide member 125 under the drive of the second movable driving member 123, effectively improving the stability of the first flipping assembly 130 during movement, thereby improving the stability of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 when clamping the battery cell 2000 during movement.

[0126] Optionally, the first guide member 124 and the second guide member 125 are both linear guide rails, and their extension directions are perpendicular to each other.

[0127] For example, in some specific embodiments, the first base 110 can be a frame structure, and the number of the first moving components 120 is two groups, and the two groups of first moving components 120 are respectively arranged on the opposite end sides of the first base 110. The first moving component 120 includes a moving flat frame, a first driving cylinder, a second driving cylinder, a first linear cylinder, and a second linear cylinder; the first linear cylinder is fixedly mounted on the first base 110 along the direction of gravity, and the moving flat frame is connected to the piston of the first linear cylinder, the first driving cylinder is fixedly mounted on the first base 110, and the piston of the first driving cylinder is connected to the moving flat frame and can drive the moving flat frame to move in the direction of gravity under the guidance of the first linear cylinder; the second linear cylinder is horizontally and perpendicular to the conveyor line 3000. The transmission direction is fixedly installed on the mobile flat plate. The transmission direction of the conveyor line 3000 here specifically refers to the transmission direction of the conveyor line 3000 at the docking device 1000. The opposite ends of the first flip component 130 are respectively connected to the pistons of the second linear cylinders of the two groups of first moving components 120. The second driving cylinder is fixedly installed on the mobile flat plate. The piston of the second driving cylinder is connected to the first flip component 130, and can drive the first flip component 130 to move along the transmission direction perpendicular to the conveyor line 3000 under the guidance of the second linear cylinder. Under the action of the first driving cylinder and the second driving cylinder, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can move synchronously with the first flipping assembly 130 along the direction of gravity or perpendicular to the transmission direction of the conveyor line 3000; when the first clamping jaw assembly 140 flips to the second posture, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can release the clamped battery cell 2000, and the second driving cylinder can drive the first flipping assembly 130 and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to move back to the battery cell 2000, so that the battery cell 2000 is separated from the first clamping jaw assembly 140 and placed on the conveyor line 3000.

[0128] Please refer to Figures 1, 5 and 6. In some embodiments, the first flipping assembly 130 includes a support 131, a flipping drive structure 132 and a flipping shaft 133. The support 131 is arranged on the first base 110, the flipping drive structure 132 is arranged on the support 131, the flipping shaft 133 is connected to the output shaft of the flipping drive structure 132, the flipping drive structure 132 is configured to drive the flipping shaft 133 to rotate, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 is fixedly connected to the flipping shaft 133.

[0129] Among them, the support 131 is the main structure of the first flip assembly 130. The support 131 can be but is not limited to a structure such as a support rod, a bracket, a support block, etc., or a support structure formed by a combination of at least one of a support rod, a bracket, a support block, etc.

[0130] The flip drive structure 132 is used to drive the flip shaft 133 to rotate so that the first clamping jaw assembly 140 provided on the flip shaft 133 can perform a flipping action. Specifically, the flip drive structure 132 can be, but is not limited to, a driving cylinder, a driving hydraulic cylinder, a driving motor, and the like.

[0131] The flip shaft 133 is used to rotate around its own axis under the drive of the flip driving structure 132. Specifically, one or more first clamping jaw assemblies 140 can be provided on the flip shaft 133.

[0132] It can be understood that the flip drive structure 132 can drive the flip shaft 133 to rotate, so that the flip shaft 133 drives the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to rotate; when the first clamping jaw assembly 140 rotates to the second posture, the center of gravity of the battery cell 2000 can be outside the first clamping jaw assembly 140, or the center of gravity direction of the battery cell 2000 and the support direction of the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to the battery cell 2000 have an angle. At this time, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 releases the battery cell 2000, and the battery cell 2000 can slide down from the first clamping jaw assembly 140 according to its own gravity and fall onto the conveyor line 3000, thereby achieving the purpose of loading.

[0133] In this configuration, the flip drive structure 132 can drive the flip shaft 133 to rotate, so that the first clamping jaw assembly 140 rotates synchronously with the flip shaft 133, so that the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can rotate to the first posture or the second posture, thereby realizing the posture flipping of the battery cell 2000 clamped by the first clamping jaw assembly 140.

[0134] Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the first flip assembly 130 further includes a mounting bearing 134 . The mounting bearing 134 is disposed on the support 131 . The flip shaft 133 passes through and is rotatably connected to the mounting bearing 134 .

[0135] It can be understood that the mounting bearing 134 is used to support the rotation of the flip shaft 133 , and can reduce the friction coefficient of the flip shaft 133 during movement and ensure its rotation accuracy.

[0136] Specifically, the mounting bearing 134 is fixedly mounted on the support 131 by fasteners, and the flip shaft 133 can pass through the mounting bearing 134 and be connected to the flip driving structure 132. The number of the mounting bearing 134 can be one or more.

[0137] With such an arrangement, the flip shaft 133 can be arranged on the support 131 by installing the bearing 134 , which effectively improves the installation stability of the flip shaft 133 and reduces the friction coefficient of the flip shaft 133 during rotation.

[0138] Please refer to Figures 1, 5 and 6. In some embodiments, the flipping drive structure 132 includes a telescopic drive member 1321 and a connecting block 1322. The connecting block 1322 is fixedly connected to the flip shaft 133. The telescopic drive member 1321 is hinged to the support 131. The output end of the telescopic drive member 1321 is hinged to the connecting block 1322.

[0139] The telescopic drive member 1321 is used to drive the connecting block 1322 to rotate about the central axis of the tilt shaft 133 by extending and retracting its piston, thereby causing the tilt shaft 133 to rotate synchronously. Specifically, the telescopic drive member 1321 can be, but is not limited to, a pneumatic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder. The connecting block 1322 can be, but is not limited to, a rectangular block, a spherical block, an L-shaped block, a triangular block, etc.

[0140] The telescopic driving member 1321 is hinged to the support 131, and the output end of the telescopic driving member 1321 is hinged to the connecting block 1322. Therefore, when the telescopic driving member 1321 drives the connecting block 1322 to rotate, the telescopic driving member 1321 can adaptively rotate around the hinge with the support 131, thereby improving the applicability of the telescopic driving member 1321.

[0141] In this way, the telescopic drive member 1321 hinge can push the connecting block 1322 by telescoping its output end, so that the connecting block 1322 rotates around the flip axis 133, and the connecting block 1322 can also drive the flip axis 133 to rotate synchronously when rotating, thereby achieving the purpose of driving the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to rotate synchronously with the flip axis 133.

[0142] Please refer to Figures 1, 5 and 6. In some embodiments, the connecting block 1322 protrudes toward the telescopic driving member 1321 to form an avoidance portion 13221, and the output end of the telescopic driving member 1321 is hinged to the avoidance portion 13221.

[0143] It is understood that the connecting block 1322 may extend from its midsection to form a relief portion 13221, or the connecting block 1322 may form the relief portion 13221 at the end away from the flip axis 133. The connecting block 1322 provided with the relief portion 13221 may have an overall bent or arcuate structure rather than a straight line. The relief portion 13221 may be, but is not limited to, a protrusion, a column, a bent structure, etc. When the connecting block 1322 has an overall straight line structure, when the connecting block 1322 rotates until the output direction of the telescopic drive member 1321 is nearly parallel to the connecting block 1322, the telescopic drive member 1321 may interfere with the portion of the connecting block 1322 near the flip axis 133, making it difficult to achieve a large angle of flip.

[0144] With such arrangement, the output end of the telescopic driving member 1321 is hinged to the avoidance portion 13221, and the telescopic driving member 1321 can push the avoidance portion 13221 to rotate so that the connecting block 1322 rotates synchronously. Compared with the case where the output end of the telescopic driving member 1321 is directly hingedly connected to the connecting block 1322 of the linear structure, the telescopic driving member 1321 can push the avoidance portion 13221 to rotate to a larger range before interfering with the flip shaft 133, that is, the output range of the telescopic driving member 1321 is larger, so that the telescopic driving member 1321 can drive the flip shaft 133 to rotate to a larger angle, and thus the first clamping jaw assembly 140 has a larger range of motion, and the posture adjustment range of the battery cell 2000 is also larger.

[0145] Please refer to Figure 6. In some embodiments, the first flipping assembly 130 also includes a buffer block 135 and a buffer limiter 136. The buffer block 135 is arranged on the flipping shaft 133, and the buffer limiter 136 is arranged on the support 131. The buffer limiter 136 is configured to abut against the buffer block 135 when the flipping shaft 133 drives the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to the first posture.

[0146] Among them, the buffer limiter 136 can be a flexible buffer structure, a buffer, etc. For example, taking the oil pressure buffer as an example, the oil pressure buffer is fixedly installed on the support 131. When the flip shaft 133 drives the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to the first posture, the buffer block 135 connected to the flip shaft 133 rotates synchronously and can abut against the piston of the oil pressure buffer, and the oil pressure buffer is used to achieve limit buffering of the rotation of the flip shaft 133.

[0147] In some embodiments, the buffer limiter 136 may also be disposed on the support 131 , and the buffer limiter 136 is configured to abut against the buffer block 135 when the flip shaft 133 drives the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to the second posture.

[0148] In this arrangement, when the flip shaft 133 drives the first clamping jaw assembly 140 to flip to the second posture, the buffer block 135 connected to the flip shaft 133 rotates synchronously and can abut against the piston of the oil pressure buffer, thereby utilizing the oil pressure buffer to limit the rotation of the flip shaft 133.

[0149] Please refer to Figures 1, 5 and 6. In some embodiments, the first flipping assembly 130 also includes a controller and a positioning sensor 137. The controller is electrically connected to the positioning sensor 137 and the flipping drive structure 132. The positioning sensor 137 is arranged on the support 131. The positioning sensor 137 is configured to sense the first clamping assembly 140 moving to the first posture.

[0150] It can be understood that the positioning sensor 137 is used to sense whether the first gripper assembly 140 has moved to the first posture. Specifically, during the process of the flip drive structure 132 driving the flip shaft 133 and the first gripper assembly 140 to flip and switch to the first posture, if the first gripper assembly 140 flips to the first posture, the first gripper assembly 140 can move into the sensing range of the positioning sensor 137. The positioning sensor 137 can recognize that the first gripper assembly 140 has moved into position, and the positioning sensor 137 can send an electrical signal to the controller, which can then send an electrical signal to the flip drive structure 132 to stop the flip drive structure 132.

[0151] Specifically, the positioning sensor 137 may be an infrared sensor, a proximity sensor, etc. The controller may be a control structure such as a single chip microcomputer.

[0152] 1 , 5 and 6 , in some embodiments, the positioning sensor 137 is configured to further sense the first jaw assembly 140 moving to the second posture.

[0153] Thus configured, the positioning sensor 137 is used to sense whether the first gripper assembly 140 has moved to the second posture. Specifically, during the process of the flip drive structure 132 driving the flip shaft 133 and the first gripper assembly 140 to flip and switch to the second posture, if the first gripper assembly 140 flips to the second posture, the first gripper assembly 140 can move into the sensing range of the positioning sensor 137. The positioning sensor 137 can recognize that the second gripper assembly has moved into position, and the positioning sensor 137 can send an electrical signal to the controller, which can then send an electrical signal to the flip drive structure 132 to stop the flip drive structure 132.

[0154] For example, in some specific embodiments, the first flipping assembly 130 includes a support 131, a flipping cylinder, a connecting block 1322, a flipping shaft 133 and a mounting bearing 134. The support 131 includes a cross bar and mounting blocks arranged at opposite ends of the cross bar, and the mounting blocks can be connected to the above-mentioned second guide member 125; the support 131 also includes a cylinder mounting bracket, the cylinder mounting bracket is fixed on the cross bar, and the flipping cylinder is hingedly connected to the cylinder mounting bracket; the number of mounting bearings 134 is two, and the two mounting bearings 134 are both mounted on the cross bar, and the flipping shaft 133 can be passed through and mounted on the two mounting bearings 134; a plurality of first clamping jaw assemblies 140 are also fixedly mounted on the flipping shaft 133, the connecting block 1322 is fixedly mounted on the flipping shaft 133, the connecting block 1322 protrudes toward the flipping cylinder to form an avoidance portion 13221, and the flipping cylinder is hingedly connected to the avoidance portion 13221. The flip cylinder can push the connecting block 1322 and the avoidance part 13221 to rotate around the central axis of the flip shaft 133 through the extension and contraction of its piston, so that the connecting block 1322 drives the flip shaft 133 to rotate, so that the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can rotate synchronously with the flip shaft 133 and switch to the first posture or the second posture, thereby achieving the purpose of clamping the battery cell 2000, adjusting the posture flip and feeding it to the conveyor line 3000.

[0155] Please refer to Figures 1, 7 and 8. In some embodiments, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 includes a fixed base 141, a clamping jaw driving member 142, a clamping jaw body 143 and a clamping jaw fixing member 144. The fixed base 141 is connected to the first flipping assembly 130, the clamping jaw driving member 142 is arranged on the fixed base 141, the clamping jaw body 143 is connected to the output end of the clamping jaw driving member 142, the clamping jaw fixing member 144 is connected to the fixed base 141, and the clamping jaw driving member 142 is configured to drive the clamping jaw body 143 to move back and forth toward the direction of the clamping jaw fixing member 144.

[0156] The fixing base 141 is connected to the first flip assembly 130. Specifically, the fixing base 141 is fixedly connected to the flip shaft 133 of the first flip assembly 130. The fixing base 141 can be, but is not limited to, a fixing block, a fixing rod, a fixing bracket, a fixing plate, or other structural members.

[0157] For example, in some specific embodiments, the fixed seat 141 can be formed by a combination of a fixed block 1411 and a fixed plate 1412, and an arc-shaped groove 14111 is opened on the fixed block 1411, and the fixed plate 1412 is fixedly connected to the fixed block 1411, and the fixed plate 1412 can cover the arc-shaped groove 14111 to form a connecting hole for accommodating the flip shaft 133. At the same time, the peripheral side surface of the flip shaft 133 includes an arc-shaped portion and a flat portion. When the flip shaft 133 is accommodated in the connecting hole, the arc-shaped portion of the flip shaft 133 is attached to the inner wall of the arc-shaped groove 14111, and the flat portion of the flip shaft 133 is attached to the surface of the fixed plate 1412, so that when the flip shaft 133 rotates, the flip shaft 133 can drive the fixed seat 141 to rotate synchronously.

[0158] The clamp driving component 142 can be but is not limited to a driving cylinder, a driving hydraulic cylinder, a roller screw driving structure, etc. The clamp driving component 142 is fixedly installed on the fixed seat 141, and the output end of the clamp driving component 142 is connected to the clamp body 143 so that the clamp body 143 can move along the output direction of the clamp driving component 142.

[0159] The jaw body 143 is driven by the jaw driving member 142 to reciprocate toward the jaw fixing member 144, thereby being able to clamp the battery cell 2000 between the jaw body 143 and the jaw fixing member 144. Specifically, the jaw body 143 can be a block-shaped member, a columnar member, a plate-shaped member, etc.

[0160] The clamp fixing part 144 can be but is not limited to a block-shaped component, a columnar component, a plate-shaped component, etc. The clamp fixing part 144 is fixedly connected to the fixing seat 141. When the clamp driving part 142 drives the clamp body 143 to move toward the clamp fixing part 144, the clamp body 143 can hold the battery cell 2000 against the clamp fixing part 144, thereby realizing the clamping operation of the clamp body 143 and the clamp fixing part 144 on the battery cell 2000.

[0161] In this arrangement, the clamp driving member 142 can drive the clamp body 143 to move toward the clamp fixing member 144 to achieve the purpose of clamping the battery cell 2000. The fixing seat 141 is connected to the first flip assembly 130, so that the first flip assembly 130 can drive the fixing seat 141 to flip, so that the clamp body 143 and the clamp fixing member 144 can flip the battery cell 2000 to adjust the posture.

[0162] 7 and 8 , in some embodiments, the clamp body 143 and the clamp fixing member 144 are configured to clamp the battery cell 2000 on opposite end surfaces along the thickness direction of the battery cell 2000 .

[0163] For example, in this embodiment, the battery cell 2000 is described as having a rectangular outer shell. The rectangular outer shell has a thickness, and therefore, the thickness of the battery cell 2000 is the thickness of the rectangular outer shell.

[0164] In this arrangement, the clamp body 143 and the clamp fixing member 144 can clamp on the opposite end faces of the battery cell 2000 along the thickness direction. The width of the battery cell 2000 has no effect on the clamping effect of the clamp body 143 and the clamp fixing member 144. Therefore, the clamp body 143 and the clamp fixing member 144 can clamp battery cells 2000 of various width specifications, effectively improving the applicability of the first clamp assembly 140.

[0165] Please refer to Figures 7 and 8. In some embodiments, the clamp body 143 includes a first clamp block 1431, a second clamp block 1432 and an elastic buffer 1433. The first clamp block 1431 is connected to the output end of the clamp driving member 142, the second clamp block 1432 is slidably connected to the first clamp block 1431 along the output direction of the clamp driving member 142, and the elastic buffer 1433 is arranged between the first clamp block 1431 and the second clamp block 1432. The opposite ends of the elastic buffer 1433 respectively abut against the first clamp block 1431 and the second clamp block 1432.

[0166] The first clamping block 1431 is used to connect to the output end of the clamping jaw driving member 142. The first clamping block 1431 can be, but is not limited to, a rectangular block, a circular block, or a block structure of other configurations.

[0167] The second clamping block 1432 is slidably connected to the first clamping block 1431 . The second clamping block 1432 may be, but is not limited to, a rectangular block, a circular block, or a block structure of other configurations.

[0168] The elastic buffer 1433 is an elastic component. Specifically, the elastic buffer 1433 can be a buffer spring, an elastic rubber pad, etc.

[0169] For example, in some specific embodiments, the first clamping block 1431 and the second clamping block 1432 can both be rectangular blocks, a through hole is provided on the first clamping block 1431, and a sliding column is protruded from the second clamping block 1432, which is inserted into the through hole and slides with the through hole; the elastic buffer part 1433 can be a buffer spring, which is sleeved on the sliding column, and the opposite ends of the buffer spring respectively abut against the first clamping block 1431 and the second clamping block 1432.

[0170] When the clamp driving member 142 drives the clamp body 143 to move to clamp the battery cell 2000, the second clamp block 1432 abuts against the battery cell 2000, and the buffer spring is in a compressed state, so that the second clamp block 1432 is subjected to an elastic force directed toward the battery cell 2000, so that it remains in contact with the battery cell 2000 and can still slide toward the first clamp block 1431, thereby protecting the battery cell 2000 from being damaged by excessive force when being clamped.

[0171] In this configuration, by providing an elastic buffer 1433 between the first clamping block 1431 and the second clamping block 1432 , the elastic buffer 1433 can achieve the purpose of buffering when performing the action of clamping the battery cell 2000 , thereby reducing the damage to the battery cell 2000 caused by overpressure.

[0172] Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , in some embodiments, the fixing seat 141 is provided with a supporting portion 1413 . The supporting portion 1413 is configured to carry the battery cell 2000 , and the clamping claw fixing member 144 is connected to the supporting portion 1413 .

[0173] It can be understood that the support portion 1413 is used to support the battery cell 2000, so that the battery cell 2000 is supported on the support portion 1413 and clamped by the clamp body 143 and the clamp fixing member 144, that is, the three end faces of the battery cell 2000 are supported or clamped, which effectively improves the stability of the first clamp assembly 140 in clamping the battery cell 2000.

[0174] For example, in some specific embodiments, the fixing base 141 includes a fixing block 1411 and a fixing plate 1412. One end of the fixing plate 1412 extends outward to form a support portion 1413. The clamping jaw fixing member 144 is fixedly mounted on one end of the support portion 1413 away from the fixing block. When an external battery cell 2000 is fed into the first clamping jaw assembly 140, the battery cell 2000 can be placed onto the support portion 1413. The clamping jaw driving member 142 then drives the clamping jaw body 143 toward the clamping jaw fixing member 144, so that the clamping jaw body 143 holds the battery cell 2000 against the clamping jaw fixing member 144, thereby clamping the battery cell 2000. The support portion 1413 can also exert a supporting force on the battery cell 2000, thereby improving the stability of the battery cell 2000 when being clamped.

[0175] Please refer to Figures 7 and 8. In some embodiments, the end of the clamp body 143 facing the clamp fixing member 144 is covered with a first insulating member 145, the end of the clamp fixing member 144 facing the clamp body 143 is covered with a second insulating member 146, and the end surface of one side of the support portion 1413 for supporting the battery cell 2000 is covered with a third insulating member 147.

[0176] Among them, the first insulating member 145 can be but is not limited to an insulating plate, an insulating pad, an insulating block, an insulating film layer, etc. The first insulating member 145 is used to separate the clamp body 143 from the battery cell 2000 to reduce the risk of leakage of the battery cell 2000 through the clamp body 143.

[0177] The second insulating member 146 can be, but is not limited to, an insulating plate, an insulating pad, an insulating block, an insulating film layer, etc. The second insulating member 146 is used to separate the clamping member 144 from the battery cell 2000 to reduce the risk of leakage of the battery cell 2000 through the clamping member 144.

[0178] The third insulating member 147 may be, but is not limited to, an insulating plate, an insulating pad, an insulating block, an insulating film layer, etc. The third insulating member 147 is used to separate the support portion 1413 from the battery cell 2000 to reduce the risk of leakage of the battery cell 2000 through the support portion 1413.

[0179] With this arrangement, when the battery cell 2000 is clamped, the first insulating member 145 , the second insulating member 146 and the third insulating member 147 are in direct contact with the battery cell 2000 , thereby effectively reducing the probability of electrical leakage.

[0180] 1 , 7 , and 8 , in some embodiments, at least one of the first insulating member 145 , the second insulating member 146 , and the third insulating member 147 is flexible.

[0181] Specifically, the first insulating member 145 is flexible and may be an insulating rubber pad, an insulating foam layer, an insulating soft cover, etc. When clamping the battery cell 2000 , the flexible first insulating member 145 can reduce the risk of scratching the battery cell 2000 .

[0182] The second insulating member 146 is flexible and may be an insulating rubber pad, an insulating foam layer, an insulating soft sleeve, etc. When clamping the battery cell 2000 , the flexible second insulating member 146 can reduce the risk of scratching the battery cell 2000 .

[0183] The third insulating member 147 is flexible and may be an insulating rubber pad, an insulating foam layer, an insulating soft cover, etc. When clamping the battery cell 2000 , the flexible third insulating member 147 can reduce the risk of scratching the battery cell 2000 .

[0184] The first insulating member 145 , the second insulating member 146 and the third insulating member 147 may all be flexible.

[0185] For example, in some specific embodiments, the first clamping jaw assembly 140 includes a fixing seat 141, a driving cylinder, a clamping jaw body 143 and a clamping jaw fixing piece 144, the fixing seat 141 includes a fixing plate 1412 and a fixing block 1411 with an arc-shaped groove 14111, a portion of the fixing plate 1412 covers the arc-shaped groove 14111 and forms a connecting hole for fixing the flip shaft 133, another portion of the fixing plate 1412 extends out of the fixing block 1411 to form a supporting portion 1413, and the supporting portion 1413 is connected to the clamping jaw fixing piece 144; the driving cylinder is installed on the fixing block 1411, and the driving cylinder is installed on the fixing block 1411. The piston of the cylinder is arranged toward the clamp fixing part 144, and the clamp body 143 includes a first clamp block 1431, a second clamp block 1432 and a buffer spring. The first clamp block 1431 is connected to the piston of the driving cylinder. A through hole is opened on the first clamp block 1431, and a sliding column is protruded on the second clamp block 1432. The sliding column is inserted into the through hole and slides with the through hole. A limiting structure 1414 is formed at the end of the sliding column, such as a limiting ring. The limiting structure 1414 is used to prevent the sliding column from sliding out of the through hole; a buffer spring is provided on the sliding column, and the opposite ends of the buffer spring respectively abut against the first clamp block 1431 and the second clamp block 1432.

[0186] When performing the operation of clamping the battery cell 2000, the cylinder is driven to extend the piston to push the first clamping block 1431 and the second clamping block 1432 toward the clamping claw fixing member 144. The second clamping block 1432 can abut the battery cell 2000 against the clamping claw fixing member 144 to achieve clamping of the battery cell 2000. The first clamping block 1431, the second clamping block 1432 and the buffer spring can achieve overpressure protection for the battery cell 2000, reducing the problem of damage to the battery cell 2000 due to excessive pressure.

[0187] In some embodiments, there are multiple groups of first flipping assemblies 130 , and the number of first clamping jaw assemblies 140 provided on each group of first flipping assemblies 130 is the same.

[0188] The first docking mechanism 100 includes multiple sets of first flipping assemblies 130, so that the multiple sets of first flipping assemblies 130 can simultaneously perform flipping operations, flipping the first gripper assemblies 140 provided on each first flipping assembly 130, thereby achieving flipping and loading the battery cells 2000 onto the conveyor line 3000. The number of first gripper assemblies 140 provided on each set of first flipping assemblies 130 is the same, so the multiple sets of first flipping assemblies 130 can simultaneously load the same number of battery cells onto multiple conveyor lines 3000, effectively improving the flipping and loading efficiency of the battery cells 2000.

[0189] It is understood that the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies 130 can also perform flipping actions independently. For example, one of the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies 130 performs a flipping action, flipping the first gripper assemblies 140 provided on the first flipping assemblies 130 in that group, and loading these flipped battery cells 2000 onto one of the conveyor lines 3000; the other groups of first flipping assemblies 130 in the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies 130 remain stationary and do not perform the loading action. Thus, by utilizing each group of the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies 130 to perform a flipping action independently, selective loading can be achieved on one or any group of the conveyor lines 3000, thereby achieving the purpose of quantitatively matching the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor lines 3000.

[0190] Please refer to Figures 1, 2 and 4. In some embodiments, the docking device 1000 also includes a second docking mechanism 200. The first docking mechanism 100 and the second docking mechanism 200 are both located on the conveying path of the conveyor line 3000. The second docking mechanism 200 includes a second base 210, a second moving assembly 220, a second flipping assembly 230 and a second clamping claw assembly 240. The first docking mechanism 100 includes N groups of first flipping assemblies 130, and the second docking mechanism 200 includes less than N groups of second flipping assemblies 230. Wherein, N is the number of groups of the conveyor line 3000, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0191] The conveying path of the conveyor line 3000 refers to the path along which the conveyor line 3000 transports the battery cells 2000. Both the first docking mechanism 100 and the second docking mechanism 200 are located on the conveying path of the conveyor line 3000, meaning that both the first docking mechanism 100 and the second docking mechanism 200 are capable of flipping and loading external battery cells 2000 onto the conveyor line 3000.

[0192] It can be understood that the first docking mechanism 100 includes N groups of first flipping assemblies 130, where N is the number of groups of conveyor lines 3000; thus, using the N groups of first flipping assemblies 130 of the first docking mechanism 100, N groups of conveyor lines 3000 can be loaded synchronously, and each group of first flipping assemblies 130 can respectively perform posture flipping and loading operations on the corresponding conveyor line 3000 to ensure the efficiency of loading the battery cells 2000.

[0193] The second docking mechanism 200 includes a second base 210, a second moving assembly 220, a second flipping assembly 230 and a second clamping jaw assembly 240; it can be understood that the second base 210, the second moving assembly 220, the second flipping assembly 230 and the second clamping jaw assembly 240 here are consistent with the structure, connection relationship, etc. of the first base 110, the first moving assembly 120, the first flipping assembly 130 and the first clamping jaw assembly 140, and the attributive descriptions of "first" and "second" are only for the convenience of distinguishing whether the base, the moving assembly, the flipping assembly and the clamping jaw assembly are located on the first docking mechanism 100 or on the second docking mechanism 200, so as to facilitate intuitive understanding. Therefore, the specific structure of the second base 210, the second moving component 220, the second flipping component 230 and the second clamping component 240 can refer to the previous description of the first base 110, the first moving component 120, the first flipping component 130 and the first clamping component 140, and the specific structure of the second base 210, the second moving component 220, the second flipping component 230 and the second clamping component 240 will not be repeated here.

[0194] Understandably, during the battery production process, the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor line 3000 need to be pre-stacked. Based on the battery formula, a corresponding number of battery cells 2000 are removed from the conveyor line 3000. For example, when the battery formula being produced is 13 groups of battery cells 2000, 13 groups of battery cells 2000 are removed from N groups of conveyor lines 3000 during the pre-stacking process. Assuming N is 2, if 13 groups of battery cells 2000 are removed from two groups of conveyor lines 3000, the number of battery cells 2000 on the two groups of conveyor lines 3000 must be different.

[0195] Based on this, the second docking mechanism 200 includes any number of second flipping assemblies 230, which is smaller than N groups. Specifically, based on the first docking mechanism 100 being able to synchronously load N groups of conveyor lines 3000, the second docking mechanism 200 can utilize the second flipping assemblies 230, which are smaller than N groups, to perform a restocking operation on the conveyor lines 3000. If there is a difference in the number of battery cells 2000 on each group of conveyor lines 3000, the second flipping assemblies 230, which are smaller than N groups, of the second docking mechanism 200 can perform a restocking operation to achieve a ratio of the number of battery cells 2000 on the conveyor lines 3000, thereby ensuring the normal execution of subsequent processes.

[0196] It should be understood that the first docking mechanism 100 can also perform a refueling operation, utilizing one or more of the N groups of first flipping assemblies 130 to drive the corresponding first gripping jaw assembly 140 to rotate, causing the first gripping jaw assembly 140 to flip and release the battery cells 2000, thereby allowing the battery cells 2000 to be fed to the corresponding group or groups of conveyor lines 3000 that require refueling. However, when the first docking mechanism 100 is used for both loading and refueling operations, the loading rhythm of the first docking mechanism 100 will be stopped while the first docking mechanism 100 is refueling. After the refueling operation is completed, the first docking mechanism 100 will resume the loading operation for each group of conveyor lines 3000. Therefore, the first docking mechanism 100 performing both loading and refueling operations will affect the loading efficiency of the battery cells 2000. Therefore, the docking device 1000 also includes a second docking mechanism 200, which is used to perform the refueling operation. The first docking mechanism 100 is only used to perform the loading operation, thereby ensuring the loading efficiency of the battery cells 2000. The second docking mechanism 200 can also perform the refueling operation at the same time, and refuel one of the multiple conveyor lines 3000 with a smaller number of battery cells 2000, thereby ensuring that the loading action of the first docking mechanism 100 is not stagnant.

[0197] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, the number of the first flipping components 130 is two, and the number of the second flipping components 230 is one.

[0198] With such an arrangement, two groups of first flipping assemblies 130 can be used to drive the first clamping assembly 140 thereon to flip and load materials, and the second flipping assemblies 230 can be used to drive the second clamping assembly 240 thereon to flip and replenish materials. While the first flipping assembly 130 and the first clamping assembly 140 can ensure the loading efficiency, the second flipping assembly 230 and the second clamping assembly 240 can perform replenishment operations on the conveyor line 3000 to ensure that each group of conveyor lines 3000 has a sufficient number of battery cells 2000 to avoid affecting subsequent processes.

[0199] For example, in some specific embodiments, the number of conveyor lines 3000 is two groups, the first docking mechanism 100 includes two groups of first flipping components 130, and the second docking mechanism 200 includes a group of second flipping components 230; the two groups of flipping components of the first docking mechanism 100 can drive the first clamping claw component 140 to flip the posture, so as to clamp the battery cells 2000 sent from the outside, flip them and send them to the corresponding two groups of conveyor lines 3000 for transmission; in the subsequent pre-stacking process, if an odd number of battery cells 2000 needs to be stacked according to the battery formula to be produced, for example, a battery with a formula of 13 battery cells 2000 is used for explanation, when taking After 6 battery cells 2000 are taken out, the number of battery cells 2000 taken out is 12. At this time, it is necessary to take out another battery cell 2000 from one of the conveyor lines 3000, so that there will be a difference in the number of battery cells 2000 on the two conveyor lines 3000. In order to ensure the normal progress of various processes on the conveyor lines 3000, the second docking mechanism 200 can be used for replenishment. A group of second flipping components 230 of the second docking mechanism 200 can flip the battery cells 2000 sent from the outside and send them into one of the conveyor lines 3000, so as to realize the quantity matching of the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor lines 3000 to ensure the normal progress of subsequent processes.

[0200] It can be understood that the number of first clamping jaw assemblies 140 provided on each group of first flipping assemblies 130 is the same, and each group of first flipping assemblies 130 can be provided with one or more groups of first clamping jaw assemblies 140 .

[0201] The number of second clamping assemblies 240 provided on the second flipping assembly 230 may be one group or multiple groups. Specifically, the number of second clamping assemblies 240 provided on the second flipping assembly 230 may be the same as the number of second clamping assemblies 240 provided on the first flipping assembly 130 .

[0202] Please refer to Figure 1. The application embodiment provides a battery production line 10, including the docking device 1000, the gripping device 4000, the conveyor line 3000 and the stacking device 5000 as mentioned above. The gripping device 4000 is used to transfer the battery cell 2000 to the first clamping assembly 140 in a first posture. The conveyor line 3000 is used to transmit the battery cell 2000 released by the first clamping assembly 140 in a second posture. In the conveying direction of the conveyor line 3000, the stacking device 5000 is arranged downstream of the docking device 1000. The stacking device 5000 is configured to pre-stack the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor line 3000.

[0203] Among them, the grasping device 4000 can be a manipulator, a grasping robot, etc.

[0204] The conveyor line 3000 is used to transport the battery cells 2000 so that the battery cells 2000 can complete different processes on the conveying path. It can be understood that the conveyor line 3000 is provided with a tray for the battery cells 2000 to be transported in a flat position. Specifically, the conveyor line 3000 can have one, two or more groups. Two groups of conveyor lines 3000 are used as an example for explanation; the two groups of conveyor lines 3000 can transport the battery cells 2000, and the docking device 1000 can flip the upright battery cells 2000 grasped by the grasping device 4000 and place them into the two groups of conveyor lines 3000 for the normal progress of the subsequent battery production and processing steps.

[0205] The stacking device 5000 is used to pre-stack batteries according to the formula of the batteries being produced. For example, when the formula of the battery being produced is 13 battery cells 2000, the stacking device 5000 will remove 13 battery cells 2000 from the conveyor line 3000 for pre-stacking. When the formula of the battery being produced is 16 battery cells 2000, the stacking device 5000 will remove 16 battery cells 2000 from the conveyor line 3000 for pre-stacking.

[0206] In the battery production line 10 provided by the embodiment of the present application, the gripping device 4000 can deliver the external battery cell 2000 to the docking device 1000, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 of the docking device 1000 clamps the battery cell 2000 in a first posture, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can be flipped to a second posture and then the battery cell 2000 is delivered to the corresponding conveyor line 3000, so as to achieve the purpose of adjusting the posture of the battery cell 2000 and delivering it to the conveyor line 3000, and the stacking device 5000 can be in the conveying direction of the conveyor line 3000. The battery cells 2000 on the conveyor line 3000 are pre-stacking operated downstream to facilitate the subsequent process; the battery production line 10 of the embodiment of the present application includes the above-mentioned docking device 1000. On the basis that the above-mentioned docking device 1000 can replace multiple manipulators to realize the operations of grabbing, flipping and placing the battery cells 2000 onto the conveyor line 3000 in steps to improve the efficiency of loading the battery cells 2000 onto the conveyor line 3000, the loading efficiency of the battery cells 2000 of the battery production line of the embodiment of the present application is improved, thereby improving the production efficiency of the battery.

[0207] It can be understood that in this embodiment, the docking device 1000 in the battery production line 10 may include a first docking mechanism 100 and a second docking mechanism 200, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 of the first docking mechanism 100 and the second clamping jaw assembly 240 of the second docking mechanism 200 can both clamp the battery cell 2000 in a first posture, and the first clamping jaw assembly 140 can flip to the second posture to load N groups of conveyor lines 3000, and the second clamping jaw assembly 240 can flip to the second posture to replenish a group of conveyor lines 3000 that transports a smaller number of battery cells 2000 among the N groups of conveyor lines 3000, so that on the basis of ensuring that the loading is not affected, the second clamping jaw assembly 240 can perform the replenishment operation on the conveyor line 3000, effectively ensuring that each group of conveyor lines 3000 can transport a sufficient amount of battery cells 2000.

[0208] For example, if there are two groups of conveyor lines 3000 and the battery recipe being produced includes an odd number of battery cells 2000, the stacking device 5000 will remove different numbers of battery cells 2000 from each of the two groups of conveyor lines 3000, resulting in a difference in the number of battery cells 2000 on the two groups of conveyor lines 3000. Therefore, restocking is required on the group of conveyor lines 3000 with fewer battery cells 2000. If the docking device 1000 only includes the first docking mechanism 100, the first flipping assembly 130 can be used to flip the first gripper assembly 140 to achieve both loading and restocking. If the docking device 1000 includes both the first docking mechanism 100 and the second docking mechanism 200, the first docking mechanism 100 can be used for loading while the second docking mechanism 200 is used for restocking. This allows restocking to be performed on the conveyor line 3000 carrying fewer battery cells 2000 without compromising the loading efficiency of the battery cells 2000.

[0209] Please refer to Figure 1. In some embodiments, the grabbing device 4000 includes multiple groups of grabbing components, the number of conveying lines 3000 is multiple groups, and the number of grabbing components is the same as the number of conveying lines 3000.

[0210] It can be understood that the gripping assembly is a structural component used to clamp the external battery cell 2000. The gripping assembly may include a plurality of claws controlled by a driving structure, and the driving structure is used to control the claws to grip the battery cell.

[0211] For example, the gripping device 4000 may include a manipulator and a gripping assembly. The manipulator may drive the gripping assembly to grip an external battery cell 2000 , or drive the gripping assembly to move to the docking device 100 to place the battery cell 2000 into the first gripping assembly 140 .

[0212] With such an arrangement, multiple groups of grabbing assemblies can simultaneously grab multiple groups of battery cells 2000, and feed the multiple groups of battery cells 2000 onto the first clamping assemblies 140 of the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies 130, so that the multiple groups of first flipping assemblies 130 can drive the corresponding first clamping assemblies 140 to flip and feed them to each group of conveyor lines 3000, effectively improving the loading efficiency.

[0213] 1 and 9 , an embodiment of the present application provides a method for grouping battery cells 2000 . The method is applied to the battery production line 10 described above. The method includes:

[0214] To connect the battery cells 2000, the grabbing device 4000 grabs the battery cells 2000 from the outside and places them into the docking device 1000. The docking device 1000 moves and flips the battery cells 2000 and places them onto each group of conveyor lines 3000.

[0215] Pre-stacking battery cells 2000 , where the stacking device 5000 pre-stacking the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor line 3000 ;

[0216] To replenish battery cells 2000, when the stacking device 5000 pre-stacking number of battery cells 2000 on any group of conveyor lines 3000 reaches a preset value, the grabbing device 4000 grabs the battery cells 2000 from the outside and places them into the docking device 1000. The docking device 1000 moves and flips the battery cells 2000 and places them onto the group of conveyor lines 3000.

[0217] The stacking device 5000 is used to pre-stack the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor line 3000 . Specifically, the stacking device 5000 pre-stacks a specific number of battery cells 2000 into groups according to the recipe of the produced battery.

[0218] The preset value of the pre-stacked number of battery cells 2000 mentioned above refers to the number of battery cells 2000 in the stacking device 5000 according to the formula of the battery to be produced.

[0219] It is understandable that in the step of pre-stacking battery cells 2000, the specific operation of the stacking device 5000 pre-stacking the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor line 3000 is that the stacking device 5000 removes a specific number of battery cells 2000 according to the recipe of the battery to be produced, and then pre-stacking these specific number of battery cells 2000. As a result, the number of battery cells 2000 removed from each group of conveyor lines may be different. For example, if the number of battery cells 2000 removed is an odd number, the number of battery cells 2000 on each group of conveyor lines 3000 may be different. Therefore, it is necessary to use the step of replenishing battery cells 2000 to proportion the number of battery cells 2000 on each group of conveyor lines 3000 so that there is a sufficient number of battery cells 2000 on each group of conveyor lines 3000 to avoid affecting the subsequent pre-stacking process or other processes.

[0220] The embodiment of the present application provides a method for proportioning battery cells 2000 into groups, in which the battery cells 2000 on the conveyor line 3000 are pre-stacked by a stacking device 5000. When the stacking device 5000 stacks the battery cells 2000 according to the formula to reach a preset value, the number of battery cells 2000 on one group of conveyor lines 3000 will be less than the number of battery cells 2000 on other groups of conveyor lines 3000. At this time, the battery cells 2000 can be grabbed from the outside by a grabbing device 4000 and placed into the docking device 1000. The docking device 1000 moves and flips the battery cells 2000 and places them onto the group of conveyor lines 3000, thereby achieving the purpose of replenishing the battery cells 2000 and proportioning the number of battery cells 2000 on each group of conveyor lines 3000 to avoid affecting the pre-stacking process.

[0221] In some embodiments, the docking device 1000 includes a first docking mechanism 100 and a second docking mechanism 200. The first docking mechanism 100 includes N groups of first flipping assemblies 130, each group of flipping assemblies is provided with the same number of first clamping claw assemblies 140. The second docking mechanism 200 includes a group of second flipping assemblies 230, each of which is provided with a plurality of second clamping claw assemblies 240.

[0222] In the step of connecting the battery cell 2000, the gripping device 4000 grips the battery cell 2000 from the outside and places it into the first gripper assembly 140 in the first posture. The first gripper assembly 140 flips to the second posture, and the first gripper assembly 140 places the battery cell 2000 onto the corresponding groups of conveyor lines 3000.

[0223] In the step of replenishing the battery cell 2000, the gripping device 4000 grips the battery cell 2000 from the outside and places it into the second gripper assembly 240 in a first posture. The second gripper assembly 240 flips to a second posture, and the second gripper assembly 240 places the battery cell 2000 onto a group of conveyor lines 3000 in which the pre-stacked number of battery cells 2000 reaches a preset value.

[0224] The first docking mechanism 100 can use N groups of first flipping assemblies 130 to flip and load battery cells 2000 on N groups of conveyor lines 3000 at the same time to ensure the loading efficiency of the battery cells 2000; at the same time, the second docking mechanism 200 can use a group of second flipping assemblies 230 to perform proportional loading on any group of conveyor lines 3000 with a smaller number. While ensuring the loading efficiency of the battery cells 2000, the second flipping assembly 230 drives the second clamping jaw assembly 240 to flip and perform proportional loading, thereby effectively improving the production efficiency of the battery.

[0225] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A docking device, characterized in that: The docking device is used to deliver the battery monomer to the conveyor line. The docking device includes a first docking mechanism, and the first docking mechanism includes: a first matrix; A first flip assembly, disposed on the first substrate; and The first gripper assembly is disposed on the first flip assembly. The first flip assembly is configured to drive the first gripper assembly to flip to a first posture or a second posture. The first gripper assembly clamps the battery cell in the first posture, and delivers the battery cell to the conveyor line in the second posture.

2. The docking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first clamping jaw assembly is configured to clamp the battery cell along a thickness direction of the battery cell.

3. The docking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first docking mechanism further includes a first moving component, the first moving component is disposed on the first base, the first flipping component is disposed on the first moving component, and the first moving component is configured to drive the first flipping component to move.

4. The docking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first moving component comprises: A movable frame, movably connected to the first base, and the first flip assembly movably connected to the movable frame; A first mobile driving member is disposed on the first base, and an output end of the first mobile driving member is connected to the mobile frame; and A second mobile driving member is disposed on the mobile frame, and an output end of the second mobile driving member is connected to the first flip assembly; Wherein, an output direction of the first movable driving member intersects with an output direction of the second movable driving member.

5. The docking device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The output direction of the first mobile driving member is perpendicular to the output direction of the second mobile driving member, and the first mobile driving member is configured to drive the mobile frame to move along the direction of gravity.

6. The docking device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The first moving component also includes: A first guide member is disposed on the first base, the movable frame is connected to the first guide member, and the movable frame is configured to be able to slide along the first guide member; and The second guide member is arranged on the movable frame, and the first flip assembly is configured to be able to slide along the second guide member.

7. The docking device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The first flip assembly comprises: A support, disposed on the first substrate; A flip driving structure is disposed on the support; and The flip shaft is connected to the output shaft of the flip driving structure, and the flip driving structure is configured to drive the flip shaft to rotate; the first clamping jaw assembly is fixedly connected to the flip shaft.

8. The docking device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first flip assembly also includes a mounting bearing, the mounting bearing is arranged on the support, and the flip shaft passes through and is rotatably connected to the mounting bearing.

9. The docking device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The flip driving structure comprises a telescopic driving member and a connecting block, wherein the connecting block is fixedly connected to the flip shaft, the telescopic driving member is hinged to the support, and the output end of the telescopic driving member is hinged to the connecting block.

10. The docking device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The connection block protrudes toward the telescopic driving member to form an escape portion, and the output end of the telescopic driving member is hinged to the escape portion.

11. The docking device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that: The first flipping assembly also includes a buffer block and a buffer limiter, wherein the buffer block is arranged on the flipping shaft, the buffer limiter is arranged on the support, and the buffer limiter is configured to abut against the buffer block when the flipping shaft drives the first clamping jaw assembly to flip to the first posture and / or the second posture.

12. The docking device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that: The first flipping assembly also includes a controller and a positioning sensor, the controller is electrically connected to the positioning sensor and the flipping drive structure, the positioning sensor is arranged on the support, and the positioning sensor is configured to sense the first clamping assembly moving to the first posture and / or the second posture.

13. The docking device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The first clamping jaw assembly comprises: A fixing seat connected to the first flip assembly; A clamping jaw driving member, arranged on the fixing seat; A clamp body connected to the output end of the clamp driving member; and The clamping jaw fixing member is connected to the fixing seat; the clamping jaw driving member is configured to be able to drive the clamping jaw body to move back and forth in the direction of the clamping jaw fixing member.

14. The docking device according to claim 13, characterized in that: The clamp body and the clamp fixing member are configured to clamp the battery cell on opposite end surfaces of the battery cell along a thickness direction of the battery cell.

15. The docking device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: The clamp body comprises: A first clamping block connected to an output end of the clamping jaw driving member; A second clamping block, slidably connected to the first clamping block along an output direction of the clamping jaw driving member; and The elastic buffer is disposed between the first clamping block and the second clamping block, and opposite ends of the elastic buffer are respectively in contact with the first clamping block and the second clamping block.

16. The docking device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that: The fixing seat is provided with a supporting portion, the supporting portion is configured to carry the battery monomer, and the clamp fixing piece is connected to the supporting portion.

17. The docking device according to claim 16, characterized in that: One end of the clamp body facing the clamp fixing piece is covered with a first insulating piece, one end of the clamp fixing piece facing the clamp body is covered with a second insulating piece, and one end surface of the support portion for supporting the battery cell is covered with a third insulating piece.

18. The docking device according to claim 17, characterized in that: At least one of the first insulating member, the second insulating member, and the third insulating member has flexibility.

19. The docking device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that: The number of the first flipping assemblies is multiple groups, and the number of the first clamping claw assemblies arranged on each group of the first flipping assemblies is the same.

20. The docking device according to claim 19, characterized in that: The docking device further comprises a second docking mechanism, wherein the first docking mechanism and the second docking mechanism are both located on the conveying path of the conveying line; The second docking mechanism includes a second base, a second moving assembly, a second flip assembly and a second clamping claw assembly; The first docking mechanism includes N groups of the first flipping components, and the second docking mechanism includes less than N groups of the second flipping components; wherein N is the number of groups of the conveying lines, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

21. The docking device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The number of the first flipping components is two groups, and the number of the second flipping components is one group.

22. A battery production line, characterized in that: include: The docking device according to any one of claims 1 to 21; A gripping device for transferring a battery cell to a first gripper assembly in a first posture; a conveyor line, for conveying the battery monomer released by the first gripper assembly in the second posture; as well as A stacking device is provided downstream of the docking device in the conveying direction of the conveying line, and the stacking device is configured to pre-stack the battery cells on the conveying line.

23. The battery production line according to claim 22, characterized in that: The grabbing equipment includes multiple groups of grabbing components, the number of the conveying lines is multiple groups, and the number of the grabbing components is the same as the number of the conveying lines.

24. A method for loading a battery cell, characterized in that: The proportioning method is applied to the battery production line according to claim 23, and the proportioning method comprises: Connecting battery cells, the grabbing device grabs the battery cells from the outside and puts them into the docking device, and the docking device moves and flips the battery cells and puts them into each group of conveyor lines; Pre-stacking battery cells, the stacking device pre-stacking the battery cells on the conveyor line; To replenish battery monomers, when the stacking device pre-stacking the number of battery monomers on any group of the conveyor lines reaches a preset value, the grabbing device grabs the battery monomers from the outside and places them into the docking device, and the docking device moves and flips the battery monomers and places them onto the group of the conveyor lines.

25. The battery monomer loading method according to claim 24, characterized in that: The docking device comprises a first docking mechanism and a second docking mechanism, the first docking mechanism comprises N groups of first flipping assemblies, each group of the flipping assemblies is provided with the same number of first clamping claw assemblies, and the second docking mechanism comprises a group of second flipping assemblies, the second flipping assemblies are provided with a plurality of second clamping claw assemblies; In the step of connecting the battery monomer, the gripping device grips the battery monomer from the outside and places it into the first gripping jaw assembly in a first posture, the first gripping jaw assembly flips to a second posture, and the first gripping jaw assembly places the battery monomer into the corresponding groups of conveyor lines; In the battery cell replenishing step, the grasping device grasps the battery cell from the outside and places it into the second gripper assembly in a first posture, the second gripper assembly flips to a second posture, and the second gripper assembly places the battery cell into a group of the conveyor lines where the number of pre-stacked battery cells reaches a preset value.

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