Welding equipment and welding method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses welding equipment and a welding method thereof. The welding equipment comprises a rack; the welding position can be used for storing a plurality of battery cells arranged along the first direction; the visual module is used for photographing the battery cell to obtain welding information of the battery cell; the welding module and the visual module are arranged at an interval and move synchronously, and the welding module is used for welding the battery cell according to the welding information; the driving mechanism is arranged on the rack, and the driving mechanism drives the visual module and the welding module to move synchronously; the driving mechanism can drive the visual module and the welding module to move in the first direction, so that the multiple battery cells are continuously welded. In the photographing process of the visual module and the welding process of the welding module, the visual module and the welding module keep constant-speed movement, a plurality of battery cells can be continuously welded, and the welding efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of laser welding, and in particular to a welding device and a welding method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Laser welding on the fly is mainly used in the busbar welding process, a key link in the production line of new energy lithium battery modules and battery packs. This process is an important step to ensure the overall performance of the battery pack, including reliability, stability and safety. It is responsible for accurately welding the positive and negative poles of the orderly arranged single cells to the busbar to achieve a parallel and series relationship.

[0003] The battery module achieves laser welding through visual positioning. A high-precision camera is used to photograph the welding area, obtain the geometric contour of the welding area, calculate and give the camera coordinates, and then calculate the final welding coordinates through the coordinate mapping relationship between the camera and the laser. Finally, the laser welding of the components is completed according to the coordinates.

[0004] In the related technology, the visual positioning and welding processes need to stop at each photo taking point and welding point. Only after welding is completed can we go to the next point to continue taking photos and welding. The whole process needs to be repeated many times until all welding points are processed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes a welding device, in which the visual module and the welding module both maintain uniform motion during the photo-taking process of the visual module and the welding process of the welding module, and can continuously weld multiple battery cells, thereby improving welding efficiency.

[0006] The invention also provides a welding method.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the welding equipment includes: a frame; a welding position, which can store multiple battery cells arranged along a first direction; a visual module, which is used to take pictures of the battery cells to obtain welding information of the battery cells; a welding module, which is arranged at an interval and moves synchronously with the visual module, and the welding module is used to weld the battery cells according to the welding information; a driving mechanism, which is arranged on the frame, and drives the visual module and the welding module to move synchronously; wherein the driving mechanism can drive the visual module and the welding module to move along the first direction to continuously weld the multiple battery cells.

[0008] According to the welding equipment of the embodiment of the present invention, during the photographing process of the vision module and the welding process of the welding module, the vision module and the welding module both maintain uniform motion, and multiple battery cells can be continuously welded, thereby improving welding efficiency.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the vision module includes: a camera assembly, wherein the camera assembly is used to obtain an image of a welding surface of the battery cell.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the vision module further includes: a distance measuring component, and the distance measuring component is used to obtain the welding distance of the battery cell.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the welding module includes: a laser welding component and a deviation correction component, the laser welding component is used to emit laser and weld the product to be tested, and the deviation correction component is used to correct the laser welding component.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the welding device further includes: a sensor, wherein the sensor is used to measure a movement speed of the welding module along the first direction.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the welding equipment also includes: a controller, which is communicatively connected to the visual module and the sensor, and is used to obtain the welding information and the movement speed of the welding module and obtain a welding trajectory; and the controller is electrically connected to the driving mechanism and the welding module, and the driving mechanism and the welding module move according to the welding trajectory.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the driving mechanism is a collaborative robot, which includes: multiple robotic arms, the vision module and the welding module are installed on the robotic arms at the ends of the collaborative robot, and the collaborative robot is used to drive the vision module and the welding module to move.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the welding equipment further includes: a loading module, the loading module includes: a lifting assembly and a loading assembly, the loading assembly is used to load the plurality of battery cells, and the lifting assembly is used to drive the plurality of battery cells to move to the welding position.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the welding equipment further includes: a clamping assembly, the clamping assembly is connected to the frame, the clamping assembly is located above the loading module, and the clamping assembly is used to clamp the plurality of battery cells.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the loading assembly includes: a plurality of conveying members, the conveying members are used to convey the plurality of battery cells to a loading position, and the conveying members cooperate with the lifting assembly in a limiting manner.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a positioning pin is provided on the conveying member, a positioning pin hole is provided on the lifting assembly, and the positioning pin and the positioning pin hole are limitedly matched.

[0019] The welding method of the welding equipment according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises the following steps: S1: Determine whether there is a battery cell at the welding position, if so, execute step S2, otherwise wait for loading; S2: The driving mechanism drives the vision module and the welding module to move to the initial position, the vision module takes a picture of the first battery cell to obtain welding information of the first battery cell, and the welding module welds the first battery cell according to the welding information; S3: Determine whether there are any unwelded cells, if so, execute step S4, otherwise return to step S1; S4: the driving mechanism drives the visual module and the welding module to move along the first direction, the visual module takes a picture of the next battery cell to obtain welding information of the next battery cell, and the welding module welds the next battery cell according to the welding information; S5: Repeat the above steps S3-S4.

[0020] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a welding device in one direction according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another direction of a welding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of another direction of a welding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a flow chart of a welding method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Reference numerals: 100. Welding equipment; 10. Rack; 21. Vision module; 22. Welding module; 23. Driving mechanism; 24. Lifting assembly; 25. Loading assembly; 26. Pressing assembly; 31. Bracket; 200. Battery cells. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary. Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.

[0024] Reference below Figure 1-Figure 4 The welding device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described, and a welding method used for the welding device 100 is also proposed.

[0025] Figure 1-Figure 3 The second direction in is the height direction.

[0026] Combination Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, the welding device 100 includes: a frame 10 and a welding position, and the welding position can store multiple battery cells 200 arranged along a first direction. The welding position is located below the frame 10, and the welding position can accommodate multiple battery cells 200, and the multiple battery cells 200 are adjacently arranged along the first direction, that is, the welding device 100 can weld multiple battery cells 200 at a time, for example, the welding device 100 can weld a battery module or a battery pack at one time.

[0027] The welding device 100 further includes: a visual module 21 and a welding module 22, wherein the visual module 21 is used to take a picture of the battery cell 200 to obtain welding information of the battery cell 200. Specifically, the visual module 21 takes a picture of the surface where the pole of the battery cell 200 is located to obtain welding information, and the welding information includes: an image of the welding surface of the battery cell 200 and the distance between the battery cell 200 and the visual module 21. The coordinates of the pole surface of the battery cell 200 can be obtained according to the welding surface image, and the height coordinate in the welding coordinate can be determined according to the distance between the battery cell 200 and the visual module 21.

[0028] If multiple battery cells 200 of the same model have been welded before, the photographing coordinates of the multiple battery cells 200 can be preset, and each pole coordinate position is triggered to take a photo, so as to obtain the identification contour of each pole and calculate the coordinates of the centers of all poles.

[0029] The coordinates of the pole surface of the battery cell 200 can be converted into planar two-dimensional coordinates in the welding coordinates. The welding distance of the battery cell 200 can determine the height coordinates in the welding coordinates, thereby determining the welding coordinates. The welding distance can ensure that the pole of the battery cell 200 is within the focal length of the welding module 22 to ensure the welding effect.

[0030] The welding module 22 is spaced apart from the visual module 21 and moves synchronously, and the welding module 22 is used to weld the battery cell 200 according to the welding information. Specifically, the welding module 22 is spaced apart from the visual module 21, and the welding module 22 moves synchronously with the visual module 21. The welding module 22 can determine the welding trajectory and welding focal length according to the welding information obtained by the visual module 21, so as to weld the battery cell 200.

[0031] The welding device 100 further includes: a driving mechanism 23, which is disposed on the frame 10, and the driving mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move synchronously. Specifically, after determining that there is a battery cell 200 at the welding position, the driving mechanism 23 can drive the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move to the initial welding position, and the driving mechanism 23 can drive the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move to a position suitable for welding the battery cell 200.

[0032] The driving mechanism 23 can drive the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move along the first direction to continuously weld multiple battery cells 200. That is, the driving mechanism 23 can make the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 move at a constant speed along the first direction. During the welding process, the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 keep moving at a constant speed along the first direction. After the previous battery cell 200 is welded, the next battery cell 200 can be welded, thereby improving the welding efficiency.

[0033] Therefore, during the photographing process of the vision module 21 and the welding process of the welding module 22, the vision module 21 and the welding module 22 maintain uniform motion, and multiple battery cells 200 can be continuously welded, thereby improving welding efficiency.

[0034] Furthermore, the visual module 21 includes: a camera component, which is used to obtain the welding surface image of the battery cell 200. A marking point can be set on the pole surface of the battery cell 200. When the visual module 21 moves to correspond to any battery cell 200, the camera component determines the shooting time according to the marking point, or the camera coordinates of multiple battery cells 200 are preset, and the camera component triggers a shooting every time it reaches a pole coordinate position, thereby obtaining the identification contour of each pole and calculating the coordinates of all pole centers.

[0035] After the camera assembly takes a picture of the welding surface of the battery cell 200, an image of the welding surface of the battery cell 200 is obtained. The camera assembly may be a high-resolution array camera or a 3D camera, so as to obtain the initial coordinates of the welding of the battery cell 200 more accurately.

[0036] Furthermore, the visual module 21 further includes: a distance measuring component, which is used to obtain the welding distance of the battery cell 200. Specifically, the welding distance of the battery cell 200 is the height coordinate, and according to the position difference between the distance measuring component and the welding module 22, the distance to the battery cell 200 measured by the distance measuring component is converted into the distance from the welding module 22 to the battery cell 200, that is, the welding distance of the battery cell 200.

[0037] In some embodiments, the welding module 22 includes: a laser welding component and a correction component, wherein the laser welding component is used to emit laser light and weld the product to be tested, and the correction component is used to correct the laser welding component. During the welding process, the correction component is combined with the light emitting position trajectory of the laser welding component to achieve flying welding.

[0038] The laser welding components include: a galvanometer and three XYZ deflection motors. The Z-axis motor is responsible for compensating for the defocus amount, and the XY-axis motor is responsible for driving the two internal reflectors to move together to complete the welding trajectory pattern. At the same time, the laser welding components also include: a control component that controls the deflection angle of the galvanometer to complete the welding trajectory.

[0039] In some other embodiments, the welding device 100 further includes: a sensor, the sensor being used to measure the movement speed of the welding module 22 along the first direction. The sensor may be disposed on the driving mechanism 23, for example, the sensor may be disposed on the welding module 22 or the vision module 21. The sensor measures the movement speed of the welding module 22 along the first direction.

[0040] In some embodiments, the welding device 100 further includes: a controller, which is connected to the visual module 21 and the sensor for obtaining welding information and the movement speed of the welding module 22 and obtaining a welding trajectory, and the controller is electrically connected to the driving mechanism 23 and the welding module 22, and the driving mechanism 23 and the welding module 22 act according to the welding trajectory. The compensation trajectory of the laser welding assembly is calculated by inverse kinematics, and is superimposed with the welding trajectory of the pole surface of the battery cell 200 and the movement speed of the laser welding assembly to achieve flying welding, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the movement trajectory and eliminating trajectory distortion.

[0041] Combination Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, the driving mechanism 23 is a collaborative robot, which includes: multiple mechanical arms, the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 are installed on the mechanical arms at the end of the collaborative robot, and the collaborative robot is used to drive the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move. Specifically, the collaborative robot includes: a base and a mechanical arm, the base is fixed on the frame 10, and the mechanical arm is connected to the base. The mechanical arm can move the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to any position to perform on-the-fly welding of battery cells 200 of different sizes.

[0042] The frame 10 is cast from heavy-duty materials and has excellent stability and load-bearing capacity, ensuring that the collaborative robot is not easily disturbed by the outside world during work. A fixing device is provided at the bottom of the frame 10, which can be tightly connected to the ground or workbench to prevent the robot from deflecting or shaking during movement. A hidden electric control is provided in the middle of the frame 10, which ensures aesthetics and avoids the risk of accidental electric shock.

[0043] As shown in the figure, the collaborative robot includes: a flange, a bracket 31 is installed on the flange, and the vision module 21 and the welding module 22 are connected to the bracket 31.

[0044] The robot arm includes: multiple axes, each of which is equipped with high-precision sensors and drivers. The design of the robot arm fully considers the principles of ergonomics, making it have a wide range of motion, flexible operation, and can adapt to various complex working environments. Each axis of the robot arm can be made of precision-machined metal materials with good wear resistance and corrosion resistance.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, there may be six mechanical arms, and the six mechanical arms may form six axes, namely one axis, two axes, three axes, four axes, five axes and six axes, which are connected in sequence, one axis is connected to the base, and the sixth axis is connected to the mounting plate. The six axes of the collaborative robot have different movement modes and directions, and each axis actually simulates the movements of the joints of the human hand to ensure the accuracy of the movement trajectory of the mechanical arm.

[0046] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the welding equipment 100 also includes: a loading module, the loading module includes: a lifting component 24 and a loading component 25, the loading component 25 is used to load multiple battery cells 200, and the lifting component 24 is used to drive the multiple battery cells 200 to move in the height direction to the welding position. Specifically, the loading component 25 transports the multiple battery cells 200 to the loading position, and the lifting component 24 lifts the multiple battery cells 200 to the welding position, so that the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 can take pictures of the battery cells 200 and weld them. The lifting component 24 includes: a first lifting member, and the first lifting member can drive the multiple battery cells 200 to move in the height direction.

[0047] like Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, the welding device 100 also includes: a clamping assembly 26, which is connected to the frame 10, and the clamping assembly 26 is located above the loading module, and the clamping assembly 26 is used to clamp multiple battery cells 200. Specifically, the clamping assembly 26 is connected to the frame 10, and the clamping assembly 26 includes: multiple clamping members, which correspond to the multiple battery cells 200 respectively, and the multiple clamping members respectively clamp the multiple battery cells 200; the clamping assembly 26 also includes: a second lifting member, which is connected to the multiple clamping members, and the second lifting member drives the multiple clamping members to move in the height direction, so that the multiple clamping members clamp the multiple battery cells 200, so that the welding module 22 can weld the battery cells 200.

[0048] The pressing piece can be removed from the frame 10 , and when a plurality of battery cells 200 are stacked, the pressing piece is manually installed to press the battery cells 200 in advance.

[0049] And, the loading assembly 25 includes: a plurality of conveying members, the conveying members are used to convey the plurality of battery cells 200 to the loading position, and the conveying members are limitedly matched with the lifting assembly 24. Specifically, the conveying member can be a loading trolley, with rollers at the bottom and can support a plurality of battery cells 200 at the top. During production, the battery module (a plurality of battery cells 200) is first piled on the conveying member. When the conveying member reaches the specified position, the lifting assembly 24 starts to move upward until the conveying member is limitedly matched with the lifting assembly 24, and the conveying member and the battery cell 200 module are lifted off the ground until the height ready for welding stops.

[0050] In some embodiments, a positioning pin is provided on the conveyor, and a positioning pin hole is provided on the lifting assembly 24, and the positioning pin and the positioning pin hole are limitedly matched. Specifically, during production, the battery module (multiple battery cells 200) is first piled up on the conveyor. When the conveyor reaches the specified position, the lifting assembly 24 starts to move upward until the positioning pin on the conveyor smoothly enters the positioning pin hole on the lifting assembly 24. The conveyor and the battery cell 200 module are lifted off the ground until they are at the height ready for welding and then stop. At this time, after the drive mechanism 23 receives the material arrival signal, the drive mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move toward the battery cell 200, and takes pictures of the battery cell 200 and welds it.

[0051] like Figure 4 As shown, the welding method of the welding device 100 according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises the following steps: S1: Determine whether there is a battery cell 200 at the welding position. If so, execute step S2; otherwise, wait for material loading.

[0052] If there is no battery cell 200 at the welding position, wait for loading.

[0053] S2: the driving mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move to the initial position, the visual module 21 takes a picture of the first battery cell 200 to obtain welding information of the first battery cell 200, and the welding module 22 welds the first battery cell 200 according to the welding information.

[0054] The driving mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move to a position corresponding to the first battery cell 200, that is, the initial position for welding. After the visual module 21 takes a picture of the first battery cell 200, it obtains welding information of the welding surface of the first battery cell 200, and the welding module 22 welds the first battery cell 200 according to the obtained welding information.

[0055] S3: Determine whether there are any battery cells 200 that are not welded. If yes, execute step S4; otherwise, return to step S1.

[0056] After the welding of the first battery cell 200 is completed, the driving mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to continue to move along the first direction to confirm whether there are subsequent battery cells 200. If yes, step S4 is executed.

[0057] If there is only a single battery cell 200, the driving mechanism 23 returns to its original position after welding the single battery cell 200, waiting for material loading.

[0058] S4: the driving mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move along the first direction, the visual module 21 takes a picture of the next battery cell 200 to obtain welding information of the next battery cell 200, and the welding module 22 welds the next battery cell 200 according to the welding information.

[0059] After welding the previous battery cell 200, the driving mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to move along the first direction. After the visual module 21 takes a picture of the first battery cell 200, it obtains the welding information of the next battery cell 200. The welding module 22 then welds the pole surface of the next battery cell 200 according to the welding information of the next battery cell 200.

[0060] S5: Repeat the above steps S3-S4.

[0061] The driving mechanism 23 drives the visual module 21 and the welding module 22 to continuously weld the multiple battery cells 200 until the last battery cell 200 is welded.

[0062] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0063] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0064] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A welding device, characterized in that: include: Rack (10); A welding position, wherein the welding position can accommodate a plurality of battery cells (200) arranged along a first direction; A visual module (21), the visual module (21) being used to take a photo of the battery cell (200) to obtain welding information of the battery cell (200); a welding module (22), the welding module (22) and the visual module (21) being arranged at an interval and moving synchronously, the welding module (22) being used to weld the battery cell (200) according to the welding information; A driving mechanism (23), the driving mechanism (23) being arranged on the frame (10), and the driving mechanism (23) driving the visual module (21) and the welding module (22) to move synchronously; The driving mechanism (23) can drive the visual module (21) and the welding module (22) to move along a first direction, so as to continuously weld the plurality of battery cells (200).

2. The welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that The visual module (21) comprises: a camera component, the camera component being used to obtain an image of a welding surface of the battery cell (200).

3. The welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that The visual module (21) further comprises: a distance measuring component, the distance measuring component being used to obtain the welding distance of the battery cell (200).

4. The welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding module (22) comprises: a laser welding component and a deviation correction component, the laser welding component is used to emit laser and weld the product to be tested, and the deviation correction component is used to correct the deviation of the laser welding component.

5. The welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A sensor is used to measure the movement speed of the welding module (22) along a first direction.

6. The welding device according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: a controller, the controller being in communication connection with the visual module (21) and the sensor, and being used for acquiring the welding information and the movement speed of the welding module (22) and obtaining a welding trajectory; and The controller is electrically connected to the driving mechanism (23) and the welding module (22), and the driving mechanism (23) and the welding module (22) operate according to the welding trajectory.

7. The welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that The driving mechanism (23) is a collaborative robot, the collaborative robot comprising: a plurality of mechanical arms, the visual module (21) and the welding module (22) being mounted on the mechanical arms at the ends of the collaborative robot, the collaborative robot being used to drive the visual module (21) and the welding module (22) to move.

8. The welding device according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: A loading module, the loading module comprising: a lifting assembly (24) and a loading assembly (25), the loading assembly (25) being used to load the plurality of battery cells (200), and the lifting assembly (24) being used to drive the plurality of battery cells (200) to move to the welding position.

9. The welding device according to claim 8, characterized in that Also includes: A clamping assembly (26), the clamping assembly (26) being connected to the frame (10), the clamping assembly (26) being located above the loading module, and the clamping assembly (26) being used to clamp the plurality of battery cells (200).

10. The welding device according to claim 8, characterized in that The loading assembly (25) comprises: a plurality of conveying members, the conveying members being used to convey the plurality of battery cells (200) to a loading position, the conveying members being limitedly matched with the lifting assembly (24).

11. The welding device according to claim 10, characterized in that The conveying member is provided with a positioning pin, the lifting assembly (24) is provided with a positioning pin hole, and the positioning pin and the positioning pin hole are limitedly matched.

12. A welding method according to the welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: Determine whether there is a battery cell (200) at the welding position; if so, execute step S2; otherwise, wait for loading; S2: the driving mechanism (23) drives the visual module (21) and the welding module (22) to move to an initial position, the visual module (21) takes a photo of the first battery cell (200) to obtain welding information of the first battery cell (200), and the welding module (22) welds the first battery cell (200) according to the welding information; S3: Determine whether there is a battery cell (200) that is not welded, if so, execute step S4, otherwise return to step S1; S4: the driving mechanism (23) drives the visual module (21) and the welding module (22) to move along a first direction, the visual module (21) takes a picture of the next battery cell (200) to obtain welding information of the next battery cell (200), and the welding module (22) welds the next battery cell (200) according to the welding information; S5: Repeat the above steps S3-S4.

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