Shell transfer device and battery production equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a shell transfer device and battery production equipment. The shell transfer device comprises a conveying assembly and a shaping assembly. The shaping assembly comprises a flange and a driving part, a shaping channel allowing the shell to pass through is defined by the flange, and the shaping channel is narrowed from the feeding end to the discharging end. The part, located at the discharging end, of the shaping channel can be arranged to be equivalent to the size of a single shell. A plurality of shells which are taken from the whole disc are firstly placed on the bearing face of the conveying assembly and are conveyed from the feeding end to the discharging end under the driving of the conveying assembly. The multiple shells pass through the shaping channel in the conveying process of the conveying assembly and can be extruded towards the middle of the shaping channel under the action of the flanges. In addition, the driving piece can enable the shell to vibrate by driving the flanges to vibrate, and therefore the situation that the shell is stuck in the shaping channel is avoided. Therefore, in the process of passing through the shaping channel, a plurality of shells are gradually shaped into a single row under the guide and vibration effects of the flanges, and are finally output from the discharging end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of new energy technology, and in particular to a shell transfer device and battery production equipment. Background Art

[0002] Before assembling the cylindrical battery steel shell, it needs to be loaded onto the feeding device and then tested, flipped, and dusted in sequence. In order to improve feeding efficiency, the feeding device of the related art uses a whole tray method to obtain steel shells from the tray. The steel shells taken from the whole tray are arranged in multiple rows on the feeding device, which is not conducive to the smooth execution of testing, flipping, dust removal, and other operations, nor is it conducive to the next process. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange multiple rows of steel shells into a single row. Summary of the invention

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a shell transfer device and battery production equipment that can reshape multiple rows of shells into a single row to address the above problems.

[0004] A shell transfer device, comprising:

[0005] A conveying assembly having an inlet end and an outlet end spaced apart along a preset direction, the conveying assembly being capable of carrying and conveying the shell along the preset direction; and

[0006] The shaping component includes a rib and a driving member, wherein the rib is arranged to form a shaping channel extending along the preset direction and for the shell to pass through, and the shaping channel narrows from the feeding end to the discharging end, and the driving member can drive the rib to generate vibration.

[0007] In one of the embodiments, a gap is formed between the bottom edge of the rib and the bearing surface of the conveying component.

[0008] In one embodiment, each of the ribs is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the bearing surface of the conveying assembly.

[0009] In one embodiment, the position of each of the driving members along the width direction of the conveying assembly is adjustable, and each of the driving members is capable of rotating around an axis perpendicular to the bearing surface of the conveying assembly.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, a magnetic attraction component is further included. The magnetic attraction component is arranged on a side of the conveying component that is away from the bearing surface and can be adsorbed on a shell supported by the conveying component.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the magnetic attraction component includes a plurality of permanent magnets arranged along the preset direction.

[0012] In one embodiment, a first sensor and a second sensor are further included, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are distributed on at least one side edge in the width direction of the conveying component, and in the height direction perpendicular to the carrying surface of the conveying component, the height of the first sensor is smaller than that of the second sensor.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, it further includes a baffle and a third sensor disposed at the feed end, and the baffle is distributed on both sides of the conveying component in the width direction.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, a cleaning component is further included, and the cleaning component is used to clean the bearing surface of the conveying component.

[0015] In one embodiment, the cleaning component includes a roller brush, which is arranged in the conveying path of the conveying component and contacts with the bearing surface of the conveying component.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, it further includes a material picking mechanism, which includes a transfer assembly and a suction cup assembly. The suction cup assembly has an adsorption surface for adsorbing the shell, and the transfer assembly can drive the adsorption assembly to move back and forth.

[0017] In one embodiment, the suction cup assembly includes an electromagnet and a controller, wherein the electromagnet can provide adsorption force for the adsorption surface, and the controller can control the on and off of the electromagnet and adjust the current flowing through the electromagnet.

[0018] A battery production equipment comprises a shell transfer device as described in any one of the above preferred embodiments.

[0019] In the above-mentioned shell transfer device and battery production equipment, the part of the shaping channel located at the discharge end can be set to be equivalent to the size of a single shell. The multiple shells of the whole tray are first placed on the bearing surface of the conveying component, and are conveyed from the feed end to the discharge end under the drive of the conveying component. The multiple shells will pass through the shaping channel during the transportation of the conveying component, and can be squeezed to the middle of the shaping channel under the action of the side guard. Moreover, the driving member can vibrate the shell by driving the side guard to vibrate, thereby preventing the shell from getting stuck in the shaping channel. Therefore, in the process of passing through the shaping channel, the multiple shells will be gradually shaped into a single row under the guidance and vibration of the side guard, and finally output from the discharge end. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. 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 paying creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a shell transfer device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the shell transfer device shown omits the structure of the rear part of the material taking mechanism;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A top view of the portion of the structure shown;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the structure of the portion shown;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A bottom view of the portion of the structure shown;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of the material taking mechanism in the shell transfer device is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention, so the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0028] 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.

[0029] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0030] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0032] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only implementation method.

[0033] See also Figure 1 The present invention provides a shell transfer device 100, which can shape the incoming multiple rows of shells 20 into a single row during the conveying process and output them one by one to the next process. The shell 20 can be square, cylindrical or other non-standard shapes. Specifically in this embodiment, the shell 20 is cylindrical and is suitable for cylindrical batteries.

[0034] In addition, the present invention also provides a battery production device, which includes the above-mentioned shell transfer device 100. The shells 20 formed into a single row by the shell transfer device 100 can be assembled into batteries after a series of operations such as detection and dust removal.

[0035] Please also read Figure 2 and Figure 3 In one embodiment of the present invention, a shell transfer device 100 includes a conveying component 110 and a shaping component 120 .

[0036] The conveying assembly 110 can carry and convey the housing 20 along a preset direction, where the preset direction refers to Figure 3 The cylindrical housing 20 is placed vertically on the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110, with the opening facing upward. The conveying assembly 110 has a feed end and a discharge end, which are arranged at intervals along a preset direction. The incoming housing 20 is first placed at the feed end, and then conveyed to the discharge end by the conveying assembly 110.

[0037] Specifically, the conveying assembly 110 includes a belt, a roller and a power element. The roller includes at least two groups, which are respectively installed at both ends of the bracket 130 of the shell transfer device 100 along the preset direction; the belt is sleeved on the rollers at both ends of the bracket 130 to carry the shell 20; the power element, such as a motor, can drive the belt to move around the rollers in a cycle, thereby conveying the shell 20. The surface of the belt is flat, and the shell 20 is placed on the surface of the belt and is not easy to tip over. Of course, in other embodiments, the conveying assembly 110 can also adopt other forms, such as a conveyor chain and a conveyor plate.

[0038] The shaping component 120 includes a rib 121 and a driving member 122. The rib 121 is arranged to surround a shaping channel 101 extending in a preset direction. The ribs 121 are distributed on both sides of the width direction of the conveying component 110, and each side can be provided with a baffle 121 with a longer length or multiple ribs 121 with a shorter length and connected end to end. The rib 121 is located above the bearing surface of the conveying component 110, and the shell 20 conveyed by the conveying component 110 can pass through the shaping channel 101. Moreover. The shaping channel 101 narrows from the feeding end to the discharging end. That is, the closer to the discharging end, the smaller the width of the shaping channel 101. Therefore, when the multiple shells 20 are conveyed to the discharging end along with the conveying component 110, they can be squeezed toward the middle of the shaping channel 101 under the action of the ribs 121 on both sides.

[0039] The portion of the shaping channel 101 near the discharge end can be set to be comparable to the size of a single shell 20, that is, the width of the portion of the shaping channel 101 located at the discharge end is substantially the same as the diameter of a single shell 20, generally slightly larger than the diameter of a single shell 20 but smaller than the diameters of two shells 20. Therefore, the shaping channel 101 only allows the shells 20 to pass through in a single row.

[0040] The driving member 122 can be a structure in which a cylinder, an electric cylinder or a motor cooperates with a cam, and can drive the rib 121 to vibrate. When the conveying assembly 110 drives the shell 20 to be conveyed along the shaping channel 101, the driving member 122 drives the rib 122 to vibrate, thereby causing the shell 20 to vibrate as well, thereby preventing the shell 20 from getting stuck when being squeezed toward the middle of the shaping channel 101. Finally, the multiple shells 20 are gradually shaped into a single row under the guidance and vibration of the rib 121, and are finally output one by one from the discharge end of the conveying assembly 110.

[0041] In this embodiment, each rib 121 can rotate around an axis perpendicular to the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110. Specifically, the rib 121 can be installed on the bracket 130 through the support plate 131, and the rib 121 and the support plate 131 are connected by a rotating shaft. The driving member 122 can achieve vibration by driving the rib 121 to swing back and forth around the axis, so the vibration amplitude of the rib 121 is larger and the vibration effect is more obvious.

[0042] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the rib 121 may also be fixed to the bracket 130 , and the driving member 122 may achieve vibration by driving the rib 121 to deform.

[0043] In this embodiment, the position of each driving member 122 along the width direction of the conveying assembly 110 is adjustable, and each driving member 122 can rotate around an axis perpendicular to the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110 .

[0044] The width direction is perpendicular to the preset direction, that is, Figure 3 By adjusting the position of the driving member 122 along the width direction, the distance between the driving member 122 and the rib 121 can be adjusted. By rotating the driving member 122, the angle between the driving end of the driving member 122 and the rib 121 can be adjusted. In this way, the driving member 122 and the rib 121 are connected smoothly.

[0045] Specifically, the driving member 122 can be installed on the bracket 130 through the connecting plate 132. The driving member 122 and the connecting plate 132 are connected by a rotating shaft so that the driving member 122 can rotate. In addition, a strip hole (not marked in the figure) is opened on the connecting plate 132, and the connecting plate 132 is installed on the bracket 130 through the strip hole and the threaded fastener, so that the connecting plate 132 can drive the driving member 122 to move along the width direction of the conveying assembly 110.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, a gap (not shown) is formed between the bottom edge of the retaining edge 121 and the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110 .

[0047] Specifically, the height of the gap is generally slightly larger than the diameter of a single shell 20. On the one hand, since the rib 121 does not contact the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110, it does not affect the normal conveying of the conveying assembly 110. On the other hand, when the shell 20 is tipped over, the shell 20 can be squeezed out of the shaping channel 101 through the gap between the rib 121 and the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110, thereby preventing the tipped shell 20 from blocking the shaping channel 101 and ensuring that the transfer of the shell 20 continues.

[0048] Please also read Figure 4 In this embodiment, the shell transfer device 100 further includes a magnetic attraction component 140 . The magnetic attraction component 140 is disposed on a side of the conveying component 110 that is away from the bearing surface and is capable of adsorbing the shell carried by the conveying component 110 .

[0049] Specifically, the bracket 130 is provided with a mounting plate 133 extending in a preset direction, and the magnetic suction component 140 is provided on the mounting plate 133. The magnetic suction component 140 can provide an adsorption force for the shell 20 transported by the conveying component 110, effectively preventing the shell 20 from tipping over during transportation. Moreover, the shell 20 can be positioned by the adsorption effect of the magnetic suction component 140, so the support cup in the traditional device can be omitted, thereby simplifying the structure of the shell transfer device 100 and reducing the cost.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the magnetic attraction component 140 includes a plurality of permanent magnets 141 arranged along a preset direction. The permanent magnets 141 have magnetism without being energized, so no additional wiring harness is required, which can further simplify the structure of the shell transfer device 100. Moreover, the positions of the plurality of permanent magnets 141 can be adjusted, so that the magnitude of the adsorption force on the carrying surface of the conveying component 110 can be adjusted according to demand.

[0051] Please refer again Figure 2 In this embodiment, the shell transfer device 100 also includes a first sensor 150 and a second sensor 160. The first sensor 150 and the second sensor 160 are distributed on at least one side edge of the conveying component 110 in the width direction, and in the height direction perpendicular to the bearing surface of the conveying component 110, the height of the first sensor 150 is smaller than that of the second sensor 160.

[0052] Both the first sensor 150 and the second sensor 160 can be electrical sensors. The first sensor 150 is used to detect the bottom of the shell 20 to monitor the conveying progress of the shell 20 in real time; and the second sensor 160 is used to detect the top of the shell 20 to determine whether the shell 20 is overturned.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the shell transfer device 100 further includes a baffle 170 and a third sensor 180 disposed at the feeding end, and the baffle 170 is distributed on both sides of the width direction of the conveying assembly 110. The baffle 170 can prevent the shell 20 loaded to the feeding end from sliding off the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110, and the third sensor 180 can detect whether the shell 20 is loaded in place.

[0054] Please also read Figure 5 In this embodiment, the shell transfer device 100 further includes a cleaning component 190, which is used to clean the bearing surface of the conveying component 110. The cleaning component 190 can keep the bearing surface of the conveying component 110 clean, thereby preventing the shell 20 from being contaminated again during the conveying process.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cleaning assembly 190 includes a roller brush 191, which is arranged in the conveying path of the conveying assembly 110 and contacts the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110. The rotating shaft of the roller brush 191 is substantially parallel to the bearing surface of the conveying assembly 110 and substantially perpendicular to a preset direction. As the conveying assembly 110 continues to operate, the roller brush 191 will be driven to rotate continuously, thereby automatically cleaning the bearing surface.

[0056] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the cleaning component 190 may also use other methods, such as blowing, to clean the bearing surface of the conveying component 110 .

[0057] Please refer again Figure 1 In this embodiment, the shell transfer device 100 further includes a material taking mechanism 200 . The material taking mechanism 200 is used to grab the shell 20 from the tray (not shown) and load the grabbed shell 20 to the shell transfer device 100 .

[0058] The material taking mechanism 200 can grasp the shells 20 in the tray by negative pressure adsorption, mechanical clamping, magnetic adsorption, etc. Optionally, the material taking mechanism 200 can grasp the entire tray, that is, grasp all the shells 20 in the tray at one time. Therefore, during the entire production process, the number of reciprocating movements of the material taking mechanism 200 between the tray and the shell transfer device 100 can be significantly reduced.

[0059] For more details, please refer to Figure 6 The material device 200 includes a transfer component 210 and an adsorption component 220. The adsorption component 220 has an adsorption surface for adsorbing the shell 20. The transfer component 210 can drive the adsorption component 220 to move back and forth.

[0060] The transfer assembly 210 can drive the adsorption assembly 220 to reciprocate between the tray (material picking position) and the feeding end (loading position) of the shell transfer device 100 to achieve the grabbing and loading of the shell 20. Specifically, the transfer assembly 210 includes three linear drive modules, which can be driven in three directions perpendicular to each other, thereby driving the adsorption assembly 220 to move within three degrees of freedom. Each linear drive module can adopt the same structure and can be driven by an electric cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. Of course, the transfer assembly 210 can also adopt a multi-axis manipulator.

[0061] The adsorption surface of the adsorption component 220 can increase the contact area between the adsorption component 220 and the shell 20, so as to facilitate the whole tray grabbing of the shell 20. The adsorption surface of the adsorption component 220 can adsorb the shell 20 through negative pressure or magnetic attraction, so as to achieve the grabbing of the shell 20. In this way, the material picking mechanism 200 will not squeeze the shell 20 during the process of grabbing the shell 20, so it is not easy to cause damage to the shell 20.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the adsorption component 220 includes an electromagnet 221 and a controller (not shown). The electromagnet 221 can provide adsorption force for the adsorption surface. The controller can control the on and off of the electromagnet 221 and can adjust the current flowing through the electromagnet 221.

[0063] When current flows through the electromagnet 221, the electromagnet 221 can generate magnetic force and adsorb the shell 20, and when the current is turned off, the magnetic force of the electromagnet 221 disappears and the adsorbed shell 20 is released. That is, the controller can realize the grabbing and releasing of the shell 20 by controlling the on and off of the electromagnet 221, thereby reducing the complexity of the structure of the material taking device 200. Moreover, the controller can also adjust the magnitude of the adsorption force by adjusting the magnitude of the current flowing through the electromagnet 221, thereby expanding the scope of application.

[0064] Of course, in other embodiments, an adsorption hole connected to a negative pressure device (not shown) may be provided on the adsorption surface, and the negative pressure may be used to adsorb the shell 20. The shell 20 may be grasped and released by controlling the on and off of the negative pressure device, and the adsorption force may be adjusted by adjusting the negative pressure of the negative pressure device.

[0065] In the above-mentioned shell transfer device 100 and battery production equipment, the part of the shaping channel 101 located at the discharge end can be set to be equivalent to the size of a single shell 20. The multiple shells 20 taken from the whole tray are first placed on the bearing surface of the conveying component 110, and are conveyed from the feeding end to the discharge end under the drive of the conveying component 110. During the process of being conveyed by the conveying component 110, the multiple shells 20 will pass through the shaping channel 101, and can be squeezed to the middle of the shaping channel 101 under the action of the rib 121. Moreover, the driving member 122 can vibrate the shell 20 by driving the rib 121 to vibrate, thereby preventing the shell 20 from getting stuck in the shaping channel 101. Therefore, in the process of passing through the shaping channel 101, the multiple shells 20 will be gradually shaped into a single row under the guidance and vibration of the rib 121, and finally output from the discharge end.

[0066] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0067] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A shell transfer device, characterized in that: include: A conveying assembly having a feeding end and a discharging end spaced apart along a preset direction, the conveying assembly being capable of carrying and conveying the shell along the preset direction; and The shaping component includes a rib and a driving member, wherein the rib is arranged to form a shaping channel extending along the preset direction and for the shell to pass through, and the shaping channel narrows from the feeding end to the discharging end, and the driving member can drive the rib to generate vibration.

2. The shell transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A gap is formed between the bottom edge of the rib and the bearing surface of the conveying assembly.

3. The shell transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the ribs is capable of rotating about an axis perpendicular to the bearing surface of the conveying assembly.

4. The shell transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position of each driving member along the width direction of the conveying assembly is adjustable, and each driving member can rotate around an axis perpendicular to the bearing surface of the conveying assembly.

5. The shell transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a magnetic attraction component, which is arranged on the side of the conveying component facing away from the bearing surface and can absorb the shell carried by the conveying component.

6. The shell transfer device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The magnetic attraction component includes a plurality of permanent magnets arranged along the preset direction.

7. The shell transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first sensor and a second sensor, which are distributed on at least one side edge of the conveying component in the width direction, and in the height direction perpendicular to the carrying surface of the conveying component, the height of the first sensor is smaller than that of the second sensor.

8. The shell transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a baffle and a third sensor arranged at the feeding end, and the baffle is distributed on both sides of the conveying component in the width direction.

9. The shell transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cleaning component, which is used to clean the bearing surface of the conveying component.

10. The shell transfer device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cleaning assembly includes a roller brush, which is arranged in a conveying path of the conveying assembly and contacts with a bearing surface of the conveying assembly.

11. The shell transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: It also includes a material picking mechanism, which includes a transfer component and a suction cup component. The suction cup component has an adsorption surface for adsorbing the shell, and the transfer component can drive the adsorption component to move back and forth.

12. The shell transfer device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The suction cup assembly includes an electromagnet and a controller. The electromagnet can provide adsorption force for the adsorption surface. The controller can control the on and off of the electromagnet and adjust the current flowing through the electromagnet.

13. A battery production device, characterized in that: It comprises a shell transfer device as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 above.

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