Feeding device and feeding method

Abstract

The application provides a feeding device and a feeding method thereof. The feeding device comprises a conveying area and a feeding area located downstream of the conveying area. The conveying area comprises a first conveying member for conveying battery pieces. The feeding area comprises a plurality of groups of feeding positions arranged along the conveying direction of the battery pieces. Any group of the feeding positions comprises two second conveying members arranged separately. The two second conveying members are respectively used for placing two half battery pieces. The application conveys half battery pieces through a single conveying line and arranges the half battery pieces in the feeding area according to a preset interval through the second conveying members arranged separately. In this way, two half battery pieces can share a printing head, thereby reducing the number of printing heads and improving the printing efficiency of the half battery pieces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a feeding device and feeding method. Background Technology

[0002] For existing screen printing equipment used for half-cell solar cells, the feeding device typically employs two parallel conveyor lines to transport two half-cells separately, ensuring that the length direction of the half-cell aligns with the transport direction of the solar cell to reduce the size of the conveyor lines. However, this method results in a relatively large gap between the two half-cells on the two conveyor lines, requiring two separate printing heads to screen print on each half-cell. This increases the cost of the screen printing equipment and slows down the printing efficiency.

[0003] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a feeding device to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a feeding device including a transfer zone and a first transfer member for transferring battery cells;

[0005] The loading area is located downstream of the transmission area. The loading area includes several sets of loading positions arranged along the direction of cell transmission. Each set of loading positions includes two separate second transmission components, which are used to place two half-cells of cells respectively.

[0006] As a further improvement of the present invention, the spacing between the two second transmission components in any set of loading positions is the same.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the distance between two second transmission components located in the same group of loading positions is less than or equal to the distance between two adjacent second transmission components located in different groups of loading positions.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the second transmission component includes a support frame and transmission belts located on both sides of the support frame perpendicular to the transmission direction of the battery cells, wherein the distance between the two transmission belts is less than or equal to a first preset distance.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the feeding area also includes a sensor for detecting the position of the upper half of the battery cell of the second transmission member.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the feeding position is provided in two sets.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the transmission area further includes a third transmission member for transmitting the battery cell from the first transmission member to the second transmission member, and the third transmission member is provided with a correction member for correcting the position of the battery cell.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the lengths of the first transmission member and the third transmission member along the battery cell transmission direction are greater than the lengths of the second transmission member along the battery cell transmission direction.

[0013] The present invention also provides a feeding method applied to the above-mentioned feeding device, comprising the following steps:

[0014] Half of the battery cell is placed on the first transmission component, and the width direction of the half battery cell is consistent with the transmission direction of the first transmission component.

[0015] The first transmission component transports half-cell batteries to various loading positions in the loading area, and each group of loading positions includes two separately configured second transmission components.

[0016] In this configuration, each of the second transmission components has a single half-cell battery placed on it. The positions of the half-cell batteries on each of the second transmission components are adjusted so that the half-cell batteries are arranged at a preset interval.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, the "arrangement of each half of the battery cell at a preset interval" means that the central axis of each half of the battery cell along the width direction coincides with the central axis of each of the second transmission components along the transmission direction.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The present invention transmits half of the battery cell through a single transmission line, and the second transmission component is set separately so that the half of the battery cell is arranged at a preset interval in the feeding area. In this way, two half of the battery cell can share a printing head, thereby reducing the number of printing heads and improving the printing efficiency of half of the battery cell. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this invention, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and are used to explain the invention, but do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding device of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission area of ​​the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the material feeding area of ​​the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second transmission element of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the transfer of a half-cell battery from the transfer area to the material collection area according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of half-cell batteries according to a preset spacing in the feeding area according to the present invention;

[0026] In the picture:

[0027] 100. Feeding device; 101. Transfer area; 101a. First transfer component; 101b. Third transfer component; 101b-1. Correcting component; 102. Loading area; 102a. Loading position; 102b. Second transfer component; 102b-1. Support frame; 102b-2. Conveyor belt; 102c. Sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0029] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0030] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0031] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise specified and limited, it should be noted that the terms "installation", "connection" and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to mechanical or electrical connections, or internal connections between two components. They can be direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the feeding device 100 provided by the present invention is used for the transfer of half-cell batteries. Unless otherwise specified, all battery cells mentioned herein are half-cell batteries.

[0033] The feeding device 100 includes a transmission area 101 and a loading area 102 located downstream of the transmission area 101. The battery cells are transmitted from the transmission area 101 to the loading area 102. The battery cells are arranged in the loading area 102 at a preset interval and wait for the handling device to handle and load them.

[0034] The transfer area 101 includes a first transfer member 101a for transferring battery cells, and the battery cells are transferred to the loading area 102 via the first transfer member 101a.

[0035] The transmission area 101 further includes a third transmission member 101b for transmitting the battery cells from the first transmission member 101a to the loading area 102. The third transmission member 101b is provided with a correction member 101b-1 for correcting the orientation of the battery cells.

[0036] The corrective element 101b-1 includes two sets of corrective rollers located on both sides of the third transmission element 101b. These two sets of rollers can move towards each other or in opposite directions. Under normal conditions, the two sets of rollers maintain their maximum distance, allowing the solar cell to be transported between them. When the solar cell is transported between the two sets of rollers, the rollers move towards each other simultaneously. If the solar cell is misaligned or tilted, one set of rollers will contact the solar cell first and push it towards the other set of rollers until the distance between the two sets of rollers matches the length of the solar cell. At this point, the rollers stop moving, completing the correction of the solar cell. The corrective element 101b-1 ensures that the solar cell remains centered on the third transmission element 101b and is transported to the loading area 102 in this centered state.

[0037] The first transmission element 101a and the third transmission element 101b can be installed as a single unit or as separate units.

[0038] The feeding area 102 includes several sets of feeding positions 102a arranged along the direction of battery cell transport. Each set of feeding positions 102a includes two separate second transport members 102b, which are used to place two half-cells of battery cells respectively.

[0039] The half-cell battery is cut from a whole cell battery, and the whole cell battery can be cut into two half-cell battery pieces of the same size. That is, a set of feeding positions 102a holds two cut half-cell battery pieces, and each of the second conveying components 102b holds one half-cell battery piece.

[0040] The two second transmission components 102b are separately configured, meaning they operate independently, and each second transmission component 102b can be individually controlled to switch its operating state. While transmitting half of the solar cell, the second transmission component 102b also adjusts the spacing between the half-cells, ensuring they are arranged according to a preset spacing.

[0041] The spacing between two second transmission components 102b within any group of loading positions 102a is the same. Furthermore, the spacing between two second transmission components 102b located within the same group of loading positions 102a is less than or equal to the spacing between two adjacent second transmission components 102b located in different groups of loading positions 102a.

[0042] Specifically, refer to Figure 3 This article uses the two sets of loading positions 102a and the four separately configured second transmission components 102b as examples for illustration.

[0043] Along the transport direction of the solar cells, the four second transport components 102b are designated as second transport component 1, second transport component 2, second transport component 3, and third transport component 4. Second transport component 1 and second transport component 2 are located within the same set of loading positions 102a, and second transport component 3 and third transport component 4 are located within the same set of loading positions 102a. All four second transport components 102b are identical.

[0044] The distance between the centerlines of the second transmission components 1 and 2 along the battery cell transmission direction is L1. The distance between the centerlines of the second transmission components 3 and 4 along the battery cell transmission direction is also L1. The distance between the centerlines of the second transmission components 2 and 3 along the battery cell transmission direction is L2, where L2 ≥ L1.

[0045] The second transmission component 102b includes a support component 102b-1 and transmission belts 102b-2 located on both sides of the support frame 102b-1 along the direction perpendicular to the battery cell transmission direction. The distance between the two transmission belts 102b-2 is less than or equal to a first preset distance.

[0046] The first preset spacing can be determined according to the length of the battery cell conveyed by the feeding device. The first preset spacing is less than the length of the battery cell, that is, the spacing between the two conveyor belts 102b-2 is less than the length of the battery cell, so that the two ends of the battery cell extend beyond the two conveyor belts 102b-2 along the length direction, so that the conveying device lifts the battery cell from bottom to top and separates it from the second conveyor 102b.

[0047] The structures of the first transmission element 101a, the third transmission element 101b, and the second transmission element 102b are identical. The lengths of the first transmission element 101a and the third transmission element 101b along the battery cell transmission direction are greater than the lengths of the second transmission element 102b along the battery cell transmission direction.

[0048] Since each of the second transmission components 102b corresponds to a half-cell battery, it can be understood that the length of the second transmission component 102b along the battery cell transmission direction is roughly equivalent to the width of the half-cell battery. The first transmission component 101a and the third transmission component 101b are primarily used for transmitting battery cells, and their lengths along the battery cell transmission direction are not limited by the width of the half-cell battery. Therefore, compared to the second transmission component 102b, the lengths of the first transmission component 101a and the third transmission component 101b along the battery cell transmission direction can be increased, so that the transmission area 101 can transmit battery cells and reduce transmission costs.

[0049] The loading area 102 also includes a sensor 102c for detecting the position of the upper half of the battery cell on the second transmission member 102b. The sensor 102c and the second transmission member 102b are configured in a one-to-one correspondence. The sensor 102c detects the position of the upper half of the battery cell on each second transmission member 102b, and controls the operation of each second transmission member 102b accordingly to adjust the position of the battery cell on it, thereby arranging the battery cells in the loading area 102 according to a preset spacing. The sensor 102c may be a laser sensor or similar device capable of locating the position of a half-cell battery cell.

[0050] This invention aims to reduce the number of printheads and improve the printing efficiency of half-cell batteries, enabling two half-cell batteries to share a single printhead. Specifically, it sets two printing zones on one printhead to simultaneously screen print two half-cell batteries. Understandably, to achieve this, the spacing between the two half-cell batteries must first be reduced, and secondly, the consistency between the spacing between the two half-cell batteries and the spacing between the two printing zones on the printhead must be ensured.

[0051] Based on this, the present invention also provides a feeding method applied to the above-mentioned feeding device 100, comprising the following steps:

[0052] Half of the battery cell is placed on the first transmission member 101a, and the width direction of the half battery cell is consistent with the transmission direction of the first transmission member 101a.

[0053] The first transmission element 101a transmits half of the battery cell to each set of loading positions 102a in the loading area 102. Each set of loading positions 102a includes two separate second transmission elements 102b.

[0054] In this configuration, each of the second transmission components 102b has a half-cell battery placed on it. The position of the half-cell battery on each of the second transmission components 102b is adjusted so that the half-cell battery is arranged at a preset interval.

[0055] First, to reduce the spacing between the two half-cells, this invention replaces the existing two-line feeding with a single-line feeding. Simultaneously, this invention changes the placement direction of the half-cells during transport, ensuring that the width direction of the half-cell matches the transport direction. This avoids the printing head becoming too long and narrow, which would affect printing and structural stability.

[0056] Secondly, to ensure the consistency of the spacing between the two half-cells and the spacing between the two printing areas on the printing head, two separate second transmission components 102b are used to place the two half-cells respectively. Each second transmission component 102b can be controlled independently to adjust the position of its upper half-cell, so that the two half-cells located in the same loading position 102a are arranged according to a preset spacing, which is the spacing between the two printing areas on the printing head.

[0057] The following is for reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 The feeding device 100 shown illustrates the feeding method provided by the present invention, which includes the following steps:

[0058] S1. The half-cell battery is transferred to the third transmission component 101b via the first transmission component 101a;

[0059] S2. The half-cell battery is positioned and corrected by the third transmission component 101b and then transmitted to the loading area 102.

[0060] S3. Half of the battery cell is transferred to each of the second transmission components 102b, and each of the second transmission components 102b performs position correction on the half of the battery cell so that the half of the battery cell is arranged according to a preset spacing.

[0061] In step S1, generally speaking, the first transmission device 101a transmits two half-cells of battery each time. When placing the half-cells, it is necessary to ensure that the width direction of the half-cells is consistent with the transmission direction of the first transmission device 101a.

[0062] In step S2, when half of the battery cell is transmitted to the area where the corrector 101b-1 is located, the corrector 101b-1 is activated to correct the half of the battery cell, so that the half of the battery cell is kept in a centered state on the third transmission member 101b, and is transmitted to each of the second transmission members 102b in this state.

[0063] In step S3, half-cell batteries are sequentially transferred to each of the second transfer members 102b, with each second transfer member 102b holding a single half-cell battery. The position of the half-cell battery on each second transfer member 102b is detected by the sensor 102c, and the operation of each second transfer member 102b is controlled accordingly to adjust the position of its half-cell battery, thereby arranging the half-cell batteries within the loading area 102 at a preset spacing. That is, the distance between two half-cell batteries in the same loading position 102a is equal to the distance between the two printing areas on the printing head.

[0064] In one specific embodiment, the distance between the two printing areas on the printing head is ΔL1, the width of half a battery cell is L, and the distance between the centerlines of the two second transmission components 102b located in the same set of loading positions 102a along the transmission direction is L1, where L1 = L + ΔL1. Thus, by adjusting the centerline of the half battery cell on each of the second transmission components 102b along the width direction to coincide with the centerline of the second transmission component 102b, the distance between the two half battery cells in the same loading position 102a can be made equal to the distance between the two printing areas on the printing head.

[0065] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 6The feeding position 102a is provided in two sets, meaning that the feeding area 102 of the feeding device has four separately arranged second transmission components 102b. As discussed above, second transmission component 1 and second transmission component 2 are located in the same set of feeding positions 102a, with a center-to-center distance of L1 between them, and the two half-cells on second transmission component 1 and second transmission component 2 share a single printing head. Second transmission component 3 and third transmission component 4 are located in the same set of feeding positions 102a, with a center-to-center distance of L1 between them, and the two half-cells on second transmission component 3 and second transmission component 4 share a single printing head.

[0066] Understandably, two printing heads require two printing platforms. To enable the transfer of four solar cells to the two printing platforms at once via the conveying device, a certain distance needs to be maintained between the two printing platforms. Thus, compared to two half-cell solar cells located in the same loading area 102, the spacing ΔL2 between the two half-cell solar cells on the second conveying member 2 and the second conveying member 3 needs to be appropriately increased, i.e., ΔL2 > ΔL1.

[0067] Based on this, the spacing between the second transmission member 2 and the second transmission member 3 can be increased. The spacing between the centerline of the second transmission member 2 along the battery cell transmission direction and the centerline of the second transmission member 3 along the battery cell transmission direction is L2, such that L2 = L + ΔL2. Thus, by simply adjusting the centerline of the half-cell on each of the second transmission members 102b along the width direction to coincide with the centerline of the second transmission member 102b, the half-cells can be arranged according to a preset spacing.

[0068] Of course, in other embodiments, the spacing between each of the second transmission elements 102b can be kept the same, i.e., L1 = L2. In this way, after aligning the centerline of each half-cell along the width direction with the centerline of each of the second transmission elements 102b, it is necessary to control the half-cell in one of the two sets of feeding areas 102 to move away from the half-cell in the other set, thereby increasing the spacing between the two half-cells on the second transmission elements 2 and 3, so that the half-cells are arranged according to the preset spacing.

[0069] In summary, the present invention transmits half-cell batteries through a single transmission line, and the second transmission component 102b, which is separately configured, allows the half-cell batteries to be arranged at a preset interval within the feeding area 102. In this way, two half-cell batteries can share a single printing head, thereby reducing the number of printing heads and improving the printing efficiency of half-cell batteries.

[0070] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0071] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific illustrations of feasible embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding device (100), characterized in that, include: The transmission area (101) includes a first transmission element (101a) for transmitting the battery cells. The loading area (102) located downstream of the transmission area (101) includes a number of loading positions (102a) arranged along the direction of battery cell transmission. Each loading position (102a) includes two separate second transmission components (102b) arranged along the direction of battery cell transmission. The two second transmission components (102b) are used to place two half-cells of battery cells respectively. The spacing between two second transmission components (102b) within any group of loading positions (102a) is the same, and the spacing between two second transmission components (102b) located within the same group of loading positions (102a) is smaller than the spacing between two adjacent second transmission components (102b) located in different groups of loading positions (102a). Each of the second transmission components (102b) is individually controlled to adjust the position of the half-cell placed on it, so that the half-cells are arranged at a preset interval in the loading area (102) for the transport device to transport and load.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second transmission component (102b) includes a support frame (102b-1) and transmission belts (102b-2) located on both sides of the support frame (102b-1) perpendicular to the direction of cell transmission. The distance between the two transmission belts (102b-2) is less than or equal to a first preset distance, which is less than the length of the cell transmitted by the feeding device.

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding area (102) also includes a sensor (102c) for detecting the position of the upper half of the battery cell of the second transmission element (102b).

4. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding position (102a) is provided in two sets.

5. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The transmission area (101) further includes a third transmission member (101b) for transmitting the battery cell from the first transmission member (101a) to the second transmission member (102b), and the third transmission member (101b) is provided with a correction member (101b-1) for correcting the battery cell pose.

6. The feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lengths of the first transmission element (101a) and the third transmission element (101b) along the battery cell transmission direction are greater than the lengths of the second transmission element (102b) along the battery cell transmission direction.

7. A method for feeding solar cells, employing the feeding device as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Half of the battery cell is placed on the first transmission member (101a), and the width direction of the half battery cell is consistent with the transmission direction of the first transmission member (101a). The first transmission device (101a) transmits half of the battery cell to each set of loading positions (102a) in the loading area (102), and each set of loading positions (102a) includes two separate second transmission devices (102b). In this configuration, each of the second transmission components (102b) has a half-cell battery placed on it. The position of the half-cell battery on each of the second transmission components (102b) is adjusted so that the half-cell battery is arranged at a preset interval for the conveying device to transport and load the material.

8. The method for feeding battery cells according to claim 7, characterized in that: The half-cells are arranged at a preset interval to ensure that the central axis of each half-cell along the width direction coincides with the central axis of each of the second transmission components (102b) along the transmission direction.

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