An automatic loading device for soft-pack battery module production

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of transportation devices, and in particular to an automatic loading device for the production of soft-pack battery modules, which includes a gantry, a three-dimensional mobile device, and a loading mechanism. The loading mechanism includes: a vertical beam, the top of which is vertically connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device; a horizontal beam, which is horizontally fixed to the bottom end of the vertical beam; two adsorption devices, respectively fixed to the two ends of the bottom of the horizontal beam, with their adsorption surfaces facing vertically downward and corresponding to the extended sections at both ends of the soft-pack battery module; a rolling assembly, which includes a linear drive horizontally installed in the middle of the horizontal beam and located between the two adsorption devices, and a pressure roller connected to the output end of the linear drive, with the roller axis perpendicular to the length direction of the horizontal beam; wherein the working surface of the pressure roller contacts the extended section of the end of the soft-pack battery module facing away from the tab. The present invention has the effect of reducing the probability of damage to the tab of the battery cell during the demolding process of the soft-pack battery module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of transportation devices, and in particular to an automatic loading device for producing soft-pack battery modules. Background Art

[0002] As the core component of new energy power batteries and energy storage systems, soft-pack battery modules are currently widely used in the industry to complete processes such as module handling, positioning, and battery cell assembly. The positioning accuracy and demoulding stability of the loading process directly affect the subsequent packaging quality and battery performance. In the existing technology, the loading device mostly uses a gantry equipped with a multi-axis robotic arm to achieve three-dimensional movement, and the module is adsorbed by a vacuum suction cup to achieve the transfer function. However, due to the rigid structure and insufficient positioning accuracy of the end effector of the robotic arm, the module posture maintenance and adsorption stability are easily affected by motion inertia and vibration interference. Especially when performing battery cell demoulding operations, traditional devices mostly rely on simple methods such as overall module vibration or mechanical pushing to achieve battery cell separation. It is difficult to accurately control the demoulding direction and force distribution, resulting in the battery cell tabs being susceptible to mechanical impact or bending damage during the demoulding process.

[0003] As power battery energy density and safety requirements continue to increase, soft-pack battery modules are becoming thinner and more multi-layered. Controlling the adhesion between the internal battery cells and the packaging film, as well as ensuring non-destructive demolding, are key factors limiting production yield. Automated loading devices must ensure module stability during high-speed transfer and precisely apply directionally controlled mechanical forces during demolding to prevent tab deformation or damage to the cell structure.

[0004] Refer to the Chinese patent application with publication number CN117068678A, published on November 17, 2023, entitled "Battery Cell Loading System and Method, Battery Cell Grouping System and Method, and Operation System." This patent application focuses on battery cell loading, implementing battery cell loading operations through a series of systems and methods. It focuses on automating the gripping and transfer of battery cells throughout the entire operation process to improve production efficiency and space utilization. By orderly gripping and transferring battery cells, it achieves a certain degree of automation in battery cell loading.

[0005] From the analysis of the above-mentioned related technologies, it can be seen that although it realizes the automation of battery cell loading, the existing technology still needs to use high-frequency vibration to unload the battery cells in the soft-pack battery module. During the unloading process, the forces on various parts of the battery cell are highly random. The tab area of the battery cell is easily bent or broken due to the concentrated vibration energy due to its thin structure. Secondly, the high-frequency vibration unloading method cannot effectively control the demolding order of the battery cell, and it is easy for the tab to touch the ground first, causing the tab to deform and damage, affecting the structural integrity of the battery cell and the loading yield, and cannot provide stable standardized material guarantees for subsequent high-precision assembly processes. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention provides an automatic loading device for the production of soft-pack battery modules, which is mainly used to solve the problem that the tabs of the battery cells are easily damaged during the demoulding process of the existing soft-pack battery modules.

[0007] The present invention provides an automatic loading device for producing soft-pack battery modules, which adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] An automatic loading device for the production of soft-pack battery modules, comprising a gantry, a three-dimensional mobile device mounted on the gantry, and a loading mechanism connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device, the loading mechanism comprising: a vertical beam, the top of which is vertically connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device; a horizontal beam, which is horizontally fixed to the bottom end of the vertical beam and forms an inverted T-shaped support structure with the vertical beam; two adsorption devices, respectively fixed to the two ends of the bottom of the horizontal beam, with their adsorption surfaces facing vertically downward and corresponding to the extended sections at both ends of the soft-pack battery module; a rolling assembly, comprising a linear drive horizontally mounted in the middle of the horizontal beam and located between the two adsorption devices, a pressing roller connected to the output end of the linear drive, and the axis of the roller is perpendicular to the length direction of the horizontal beam; wherein the working surface of the pressing roller is in contact with the extended section of the end of the soft-pack battery module facing away from the tab.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, precise positioning is achieved by driving the vertical beam vertically connected to the execution end through the three-dimensional mobile device and the loading mechanism horizontally fixed to the bottom end of the vertical beam to form an inverted T-shaped support structure, so that the adsorption devices arranged at both ends of the bottom of the beam (the adsorption surface of which is vertically facing downward and corresponding to the long sections extended at both ends of the soft-pack battery module) can reliably adsorb the extended section of the soft-pack battery module, ensuring the stability of the posture of the soft-pack battery module during the three-dimensional movement; when the loading mechanism for adsorbing the soft-pack battery module is positioned to the target workstation, the linear drive in the middle of the beam drives the roller axis to move perpendicular to the length direction of the beam, and with the help of the contact pressure between the working surface of the roller and the extended section of the module away from the tab end, directional pressure drop control is achieved to preferentially demold the battery cell away from the tab end, effectively avoiding the risk of the tab leading to touch the ground, reducing the probability of tab deformation and damage, significantly improving the structural integrity of the battery cell and the loading yield, and providing standardized material guarantee for subsequent high-precision assembly processes.

[0010] Optionally, vertical downward mounting brackets are fixed at both ends of the bottom of the beam, and each mounting bracket is provided with a vertically extending negative pressure adsorption tube. The top of the negative pressure adsorption tube is connected to a negative pressure generating device, and the bottom of the negative pressure adsorption tube is provided with an elastic suction cup, wherein the opening plane of the elastic suction cup is horizontally set and the contour matches the end face of the extended section of the soft-pack battery module.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, the mounting brackets fixed vertically downward at both ends of the bottom of the beam provide a stable and precise installation and positioning foundation for the negative pressure adsorption tube, ensuring that the negative pressure adsorption tube is accurately located above the extended sections at both ends of the soft-pack battery module; the vertically extended negative pressure adsorption tube is used to efficiently transmit the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generating device to the elastic suction cup at the bottom, reducing transmission loss and enhancing the adsorption response speed; a stable and continuous negative pressure supply is achieved by connecting the top of the negative pressure adsorption tube with the negative pressure generating device, avoiding adsorption interruption; the opening plane of the elastic suction cup is set horizontally to fully fit the adsorption surface of the module extension section, combined with the adaptive deformation characteristics of the elastic material, while increasing the adsorption contact area, air leakage is prevented, ensuring that the adsorption process is tight and reliable, and achieving a firm grasp of the extended sections at both ends of the soft-pack battery module.

[0012] Optionally, the mounting bracket is provided with a vertical fine-tuning mechanism capable of driving the elastic suction cup to move relative to the mounting bracket, and the stroke range of the vertical fine-tuning mechanism includes a lifting displacement amount that causes the extended section of the soft-pack battery module to form an inclined angle of 3°-5°.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, before the pressure roller performs the downward pressure operation on the battery cell in the soft-pack battery module, the elastic suction cup is driven to move relative to the mounting bracket through the vertical fine-tuning mechanism, and the tilting height of the extension section of the soft-pack battery module relative to the pressure roller is adjusted, thereby changing the initial posture of the battery cell in the module and destroying its original fitting state with the module, thereby providing pre-release conditions for demolding; at the same time, by controlling the inclination amplitude of the extension section, while avoiding excessive force on the module, the synergistic effect of the battery cell's own weight and the inclined force component is utilized to guide the battery cell out of the module along a predetermined trajectory, thereby eliminating the risk of jamming or residual during the demolding process, ensuring that the battery cell completes the demolding action in a directional and orderly posture, and improving the demolding success rate and the stability of the loading process.

[0014] Optionally, the vertical fine-tuning mechanism includes a sleeve connected to the top of the elastic suction cup, the sleeve is nested inside the negative pressure adsorption tube and forms a sliding sealing pair, the inner wall of the negative pressure adsorption tube is provided with two upper and lower annular limit bosses, the distance between the two annular limit bosses constitutes an axial sliding stroke of 2-5mm, and a positioning ring is fixedly provided on the outer wall of the sleeve and located between the two annular limit bosses.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, a sliding sealing pair formed by the sleeve and the negative pressure adsorption tube can realize smooth axial displacement of the sleeve under the action of negative pressure, thereby improving the adsorption tightness of the elastic suction cup to the soft-pack battery module; the axial sliding stroke between the two annular limiting bosses is used to limit the movement range of the sleeve, ensuring that the sleeve drives the elastic suction cup to adaptively adjust the height during the movement of the pressure roller, accurately matching the lifting height of the module extension section with the movement trajectory of the pressure roller; the positioning ring fixed on the outer wall of the sleeve forms a double limiting constraint between the two annular limiting bosses, which not only maintains the stability of the sleeve sliding path, but also ensures the smoothness of the vertical fine-tuning mechanism by suppressing radial shaking; the overall structure realizes adaptive lifting and lowering adjustment of the sleeve through negative pressure drive, without the need to add an independent power source, while simplifying the equipment configuration and reducing the difficulty of maintenance, significantly improving the operation reliability and adjustment accuracy of the mechanism.

[0016] Optionally, a sliding pair arranged along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module and a lateral fine-tuning mechanism for driving the negative pressure adsorption tube to move along the sliding pair are provided between the mounting bracket and the negative pressure adsorption tube.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the sliding pair arranged between the mounting bracket and the negative pressure adsorption tube along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module is combined with the lateral fine-tuning mechanism to achieve precise adjustment of the distance between the two adsorption devices to adapt to the size differences of modules in different batches; the distance between the adsorption devices is flexibly adjusted based on the actual length of the module to ensure that the adsorption devices are accurately aligned with the extended sections at both ends of the module; through spacing matching, when the pressure roller presses the battery cells in the module to demould, the multi-directional forces acting on the module are evenly distributed, avoiding damage to the module structure caused by adsorption position deviation or spacing mismatch, improving the module loading positioning accuracy and operation stability, and thus ensuring the continuity of the production process and product yield.

[0018] Optionally, the lateral fine-tuning mechanism includes vertical uprights symmetrically arranged on both sides of the mounting bracket, a linear guide rail parallel to the length direction of the soft-pack battery module is connected between the two vertical uprights, an electric slide is mounted on the linear guide rail, the negative pressure adsorption tube passes through the supporting substrate fixed to the electric slide, and the bottom plate of the mounting bracket is provided with an avoidance gap extending along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module, and the width of the avoidance gap is greater than the outer diameter of the negative pressure adsorption tube and smaller than the width of the electric slide substrate.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, the vertical plates symmetrically arranged on both sides of the mounting bracket are used to provide rigid support for the linear guide rail, thereby ensuring the installation accuracy and lateral force resistance of the linear guide rail along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module, and ensuring the smooth lateral movement of the adsorption equipment; the lateral positioning of the negative pressure adsorption tube is realized based on the high-precision transmission cooperation between the linear guide rail and the electric slide, so that the distance between the two adsorption devices can be adapted to the requirements of modules of different sizes, ensuring the precise alignment of the adsorption equipment and the extended sections at both ends of the module; the negative pressure adsorption tube passes through the rigid connection structure fixed to the supporting base plate of the electric slide, eliminating the transmission gap and improving the power transmission efficiency, ensuring the lateral fine-tuning response speed and positioning accuracy; the avoidance gap opened on the bottom plate of the mounting bracket matches the outer diameter of the negative pressure adsorption tube and the size of the electric slide base plate through the width, forming a mechanical limit constraint while providing lateral movement space, preventing the electric slide from overtravel movement, and ensuring the reliability of the mechanism operation.

[0020] Optionally, the negative pressure adsorption tubes are arranged in at least two groups at intervals along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module, each group contains 2-4 independent negative pressure adsorption tubes distributed in a linear array, and the avoidance gaps are distributed in a linear array along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, the adsorption force of the extended section of the module is evenly distributed through multiple groups of negative pressure adsorption tubes distributed in a linear array, reducing the risk of local loss of adsorption; each group consists of 2-4 independent adsorption tubes arranged linearly to form a dynamic adsorption force gradient compensation mechanism. When the module undergoes thermal expansion and deformation, the adsorption force gradient is adjusted to compensate for the deformation gap, maintaining the continuity of the adsorption seal, and ensuring the adsorption stability and reliability of the module under dynamic deformation conditions.

[0022] Optionally, the three-dimensional mobile device includes three linear motion units arranged orthogonally to each other: a transverse linear guide pair installed on the top of the gantry, the guide axis of which is parallel to the span direction of the gantry; a longitudinal drive module driven by a servo motor slidably connected to the transverse linear guide pair, the movement direction of which is perpendicular to the transverse linear guide axis; a ball screw lifting module installed on the moving platform of the longitudinal drive module, and the vertical beam is connected to the execution end of the ball screw lifting module.

[0023] Optionally, the rolling assembly includes: a vertical mounting plate, which is fixedly connected to the output end of the linear drive, and at least two pieces are symmetrically arranged along the axis direction of the pressure roller; a circular bearing mounting hole, which is opened at the bottom of the vertical mounting plate; and an annular groove, which is distributed in an annular array along the surface of the pressure roller; wherein the working end surface of the pressure roller is not lower than the bottom surface of the vertical mounting plate.

[0024] Optionally, a coaxially arranged bearing is provided between the vertical mounting plate and the pressure roller, the inner ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the pressure roller, and the outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the vertical plate.

[0025] In summary, the present invention includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0026] 1. The three-dimensional mobile device drives the vertical beam vertically connected to the execution end and the loading mechanism horizontally fixed to the bottom end of the vertical beam to form an inverted T-shaped support structure to achieve precise positioning, so that the adsorption devices set at both ends of the bottom of the beam (the adsorption surface is vertically downward and corresponding to the long sections extended at both ends of the soft-pack battery module) can reliably adsorb the extended section of the soft-pack battery module, ensuring the stability of the soft-pack battery module during the three-dimensional movement; when the loading mechanism that adsorbs the soft-pack battery module is positioned to the target workstation, the linear drive in the middle of the beam drives the roller to move with the axis of the roller perpendicular to the length direction of the beam. With the help of the contact pressure between the working surface of the roller and the extended section of the module away from the tab end, directional pressure drop control is achieved, with the battery cell preferentially demoulding from the end away from the tab, effectively avoiding the risk of the tab leading to the ground, reducing the probability of tab deformation and damage, significantly improving the structural integrity of the battery cell and the loading yield, and providing standardized material guarantee for subsequent high-precision assembly processes;

[0027] 2. Before the pressure roller presses down on the battery cell in the soft-pack battery module, the vertical fine-tuning mechanism drives the elastic suction cup to move relative to the mounting bracket, adjusting the tilting height of the soft-pack battery module extension relative to the pressure roller, changing the initial posture of the battery cell in the module and destroying its original bonding state with the module, providing pre-release conditions for demolding; at the same time, by controlling the inclination amplitude of the extension section, while avoiding excessive stress on the module, the synergistic effect of the battery cell's own weight and the tilting force is utilized to guide the battery cell out of the module along a predetermined trajectory, eliminating the risk of jamming or residue during the demolding process, ensuring that the battery cell completes the demolding action in a directional and orderly manner, and improving the demolding success rate and the stability of the loading process;

[0028] 3. Through the sliding sealing pair formed by the sleeve and the negative pressure adsorption tube, the sleeve can be smoothly displaced in the axial direction under the action of negative pressure, thereby improving the adsorption tightness of the elastic suction cup to the soft-pack battery module; the axial sliding stroke between the two annular limiting bosses is used to limit the movement range of the sleeve to ensure that the sleeve drives the elastic suction cup to adaptively adjust the height during the movement of the pressure roller, accurately matching the lifting height of the module extension section with the movement trajectory of the pressure roller; the positioning ring fixed on the outer wall of the sleeve forms a double limiting constraint between the two annular limiting bosses, which not only maintains the stability of the sleeve sliding path, but also ensures the smoothness of the vertical fine-tuning mechanism by suppressing radial shaking; the overall structure realizes adaptive lifting and lowering adjustment of the sleeve through negative pressure drive, without the need for an independent power source, which simplifies the equipment configuration and reduces the difficulty of maintenance while significantly improving the operating reliability and adjustment accuracy of the mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2is a top view of the soft pack battery module of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 is a side view of the soft pack battery module of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the rolling assembly in the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 is a front view of the rolling assembly of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the negative pressure adsorption tube in the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram embodying the avoidance gap in the present invention.

[0036] Description of reference numerals:

[0037] 1. Vertical beam;

[0038] 2. Beam; 21. Mounting bracket; 22. Negative pressure adsorption tube; 23. Elastic suction cup;

[0039] 3. Adsorption equipment;

[0040] 4. Roller assembly; 41. Linear drive; 42. Pressing roller; 43. Vertical mounting plate; 44. Circular bearing mounting hole; 45. Annular slot;

[0041] 5. Casing;

[0042] 6. Horizontal fine-tuning mechanism; 61. Vertical stand; 62. Linear guide; 63. Electric slide; 64. Avoidance gap;

[0043] 100. Gantry; 101. Three-dimensional mobile device; 300. Loading mechanism; 400. Soft-pack battery module; 401. Extension section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the following will be combined with the appended drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 -Attached Figure 7 , clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0045] An embodiment of the present invention discloses an automatic loading device for producing soft-pack battery modules.

[0046] Reference Figure 1An automatic loading device for the production of soft-pack battery modules includes a gantry 100, a three-dimensional mobile device 101 mounted on the gantry 100, and a loading mechanism 300 connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device 101. The three-dimensional mobile device 101 includes three linear motion units arranged orthogonally to each other: a transverse linear guide pair mounted on the top of the gantry 100, the guide axis of which is parallel to the span direction of the gantry 100; a longitudinal drive module driven by a servo motor slidably connected to the transverse linear guide pair, the motion direction of which is perpendicular to the axis of the transverse linear guide pair; and a ball screw lifting module mounted on the moving platform of the longitudinal drive module, with the vertical beam 1 connected to the execution end of the ball screw lifting module.

[0047] The transverse linear guide pair is installed on the top of the gantry 100, and the guide axis is parallel to the span direction of the gantry 100, providing a stable transverse movement foundation for the entire three-dimensional mobile device 101. This layout makes the transverse movement range larger, and can flexibly cover the transverse distance from the storage area of the soft-pack battery module 400 to the loading station, ensuring that the adsorption mechanism can be accurately moved to the required position.

[0048] The longitudinal drive module is slidably connected to the transverse linear guide pair and driven by a servo motor, with its movement direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the transverse linear guide pair. This design not only enables precise longitudinal positioning based on lateral movement, but also ensures high precision and repeatability of longitudinal movement through the servo motor drive. Through precise program control, the longitudinal drive module can quickly and accurately adjust the longitudinal position according to the positioning requirements of different soft-pack battery modules 400, effectively improving loading efficiency and accuracy.

[0049] The ball screw lifting module is installed on the mobile platform of the longitudinal drive module, and the vertical beam 1 is connected to the execution end of the module. This structure enables the feeding mechanism 300 to achieve smooth and precise lifting in the vertical direction. The ball screw transmission has the characteristics of high precision, high rigidity and high efficiency, and can accurately convert the rotational motion of the motor into linear motion, thereby ensuring the vertical displacement accuracy of the feeding mechanism 300 driven by the vertical beam 1. This is crucial for accurately controlling the feeding height of the soft-pack battery module 400, and can effectively avoid problems such as inaccurate cell placement due to height deviation or collision of the soft-pack battery module 400 with other components.

[0050] The orthogonal arrangement of the three linear motion units enables precise positioning and movement of the three-dimensional mobile device 101 in space. This orthogonal structure significantly improves the device's spatial flexibility and positioning accuracy, accommodating the loading requirements of soft-pack battery modules 400 of varying specifications and placements. This reduces manual intervention, improves production efficiency, and reduces the potential errors and uncertainties associated with manual operation, thereby enhancing the stability and reliability of the entire soft-pack battery module 400 production process.

[0051] Reference Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 The feeding mechanism 300 includes a vertical beam 1, a horizontal beam 2, two adsorption devices 3, and a rolling assembly 4. The top of the vertical beam 1 is vertically connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device 101. The horizontal beam 2 is horizontally fixed to the bottom end of the vertical beam 1 and forms an inverted T-shaped support structure with the vertical beam 1; the two adsorption devices 3 are respectively fixed to the two ends of the bottom of the horizontal beam 2, with their adsorption surfaces facing vertically downward and corresponding to the extension sections 401 at both ends of the soft-pack battery module 400 (refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) is provided. The rolling assembly 4 includes a linear actuator 41 mounted horizontally in the middle of the crossbeam 2 and located between the two adsorption devices 3, and a pressing roller 42 connected to the output end of the linear actuator 41, with the roller axis perpendicular to the length of the crossbeam 2. The working surface of the pressing roller 42 contacts the extended section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400 at the end facing away from the tab.

[0052] The three-dimensional mobile device 101 drives the loading mechanism 300, which is vertically connected to the execution end and horizontally fixed to the bottom end of the vertical beam 1 to form an inverted T-shaped support structure, to accurately move to the storage position of the soft-pack battery module 400. The adsorption device 3 fixed to the two ends of the bottom of the beam 2, with the adsorption surface facing vertically downward and corresponding to the extension sections 401 at both ends of the soft-pack battery module 400, can firmly adsorb the extension sections 401 at both ends of the soft-pack battery module 400 to ensure the stability of the module during transportation. Afterwards, the three-dimensional mobile device 101 drives the loading mechanism 300 with the soft-pack battery module 400 adsorbed thereon to accurately move to the loading station. At this time, the linear drive 41 horizontally installed in the middle of the beam 2 and located between the two adsorption devices 3 comes into play, driving the pressure roller 42 connected to its output end and with the roller axis perpendicular to the length direction of the beam 2 to move. Since the working surface of the pressing roller 42 contacts the extended section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400 away from the tab, the pressing roller 42 can press the battery cells in the soft-pack battery module 400 away from the tab to release them from the mold.

[0053] This working mode ensures that when the battery cell falls from the soft-pack battery module 400 to the loading station, the end facing away from the tab falls first, effectively avoiding the situation where the battery cell tab falls first, thereby greatly reducing the probability of the battery cell tab being deformed or damaged due to falling first, improving the integrity and quality of the battery cell during the loading process of the soft-pack battery module 400, and facilitating the smooth progress of subsequent production processes.

[0054] Vertically downward mounting brackets 21 are fixed at both ends of the bottom of the beam 2. Each mounting bracket 21 is provided with a vertically extending negative pressure adsorption tube 22. The top of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 is connected to a negative pressure generating device, and the bottom of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 is provided with an elastic suction cup 23, wherein the opening plane of the elastic suction cup 23 is horizontally set and the contour matches the end face of the extended section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400.

[0055] The mounting brackets 21 fixed vertically downward at both ends of the bottom of the beam provide a stable and precisely positioned installation base for the negative pressure adsorption tube 22, ensuring that the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 can be accurately located above the extension sections 401 at both ends of the soft-pack battery module 400, ensuring the accuracy and stability of the adsorption position, and making the entire adsorption process more reliable. Secondly, the vertically extending negative pressure adsorption tube 22, this setting can effectively guide the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generating device to be transmitted to the elastic suction cup 23 at the bottom. Due to its vertical direction, the loss of negative pressure during transmission is reduced, and sufficient negative pressure can be formed more quickly and efficiently at the elastic suction cup 23, thereby enhancing the adsorption capacity. Furthermore, the top of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 is connected to the negative pressure generating device. Compared with ordinary negative pressure extraction equipment, the negative pressure generating device can generate negative pressure more stably and continuously, providing a stable and reliable power source for the adsorption process, ensuring that the adsorption process will not be interrupted due to unstable negative pressure. In addition, the setting of the elastic suction cup 23 is of great significance. Its open plane is set horizontally, fully fitting with the adsorption surface of the extension section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400, thereby increasing the adsorption area and improving the firmness of the adsorption. At the same time, the elastic suction cup 23 can be adaptively adjusted to a certain extent according to the actual shape of the extension section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400, further enhancing the adsorption effect. Its contour matches the end face of the extension section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400, ensuring close contact between the elastic suction cup 23 and the extension section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400, preventing air leakage during the adsorption process, greatly improving the reliability of adsorption, and being able to stably adsorb the soft-pack battery module 400 from the extension sections 401 at both ends.

[0056] The mounting bracket 21 is provided with a vertical fine-tuning mechanism capable of driving the elastic suction cup 23 to move relative to the mounting bracket 21 . The travel range of the vertical fine-tuning mechanism includes a lifting displacement amount that causes the extension section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400 to form an inclined angle of 3°-5°.

[0057] Before the pressure roller 42 presses down on the battery cells on the soft-pack battery module 400, the elastic suction cup 23 is driven to move relative to the mounting bracket 21 through the vertical fine-tuning mechanism. On the one hand, this changes the height of the extension section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400 relative to the pressure roller 42, effectively changing the initial state of the battery cells in the module, destroying the original tight fit between the battery cells and the module, and creating favorable conditions for the smooth demolding of the battery cells. On the other hand, the 3°-5° inclination angle has been carefully designed. It will not cause excessive pulling or damage to the soft-pack battery module 400 due to excessive angles. It can also ensure that when the pressure roller 42 presses down, the battery cells fall smoothly from the soft-pack battery module 400 by virtue of their own gravity and the component force generated by the inclination. This greatly improves the success rate of battery cell demolding, reduces the failure of loading due to problems such as battery cell jamming and retention, and ensures that the entire loading process is efficient and stable.

[0058] Reference Figure 5 The vertical fine-tuning mechanism includes a sleeve 5 connected to the top of the elastic suction cup 23. The sleeve 5 is nested in the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 and forms a sliding sealing pair. The inner wall of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 is provided with two upper and lower annular limit bosses. The distance between the two annular limit bosses constitutes an axial sliding stroke of 2-5mm. A positioning ring is fixed on the outer wall of the sleeve 5 and is located between the two annular limit bosses.

[0059] The sleeve 5 and the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 form a sliding sealing pair. Under the action of negative pressure, the sleeve 5 can move upward smoothly. This feature significantly improves the adsorption tightness of the elastic suction cup 23 on the soft-pack battery module 400. The axial sliding stroke of 2-5mm between the two annular limiting bosses provides an accurate and reasonable space for the movement of the sleeve 5. During the movement of the pressure roller 42, the sleeve 5 drives the elastic suction cup 23 to automatically adjust the height according to actual conditions and accurately adapt to the movement of the pressure roller 42. This adaptive adjustment enables the lifting height of the extension section 401 of the soft-pack battery module 400 to be well matched with the movement of the pressure roller 42. The positioning ring fixed on the outer wall of the sleeve 5 is located between the two annular limiting bosses. It not only plays a positioning role, ensuring that the sleeve 5 moves stably within the axial sliding stroke, but also further enhances the stability of the structure. During the operation of the equipment, the positioning ring can effectively reduce the shaking of the sleeve 5, making the movement of the entire vertical fine-tuning mechanism more stable and reliable, and ensuring the stable performance of the adsorption and fine-tuning functions. The entire vertical fine-tuning mechanism has a compact and ingenious structure. It uses negative pressure to drive the sleeve 5 to slide to achieve highly adaptive adjustment. It does not require an additional complex power device, simplifies the equipment structure, reduces the equipment's maintenance cost and failure rate, and improves the equipment's overall operating efficiency and reliability.

[0060] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5A sliding pair is provided between the mounting bracket 21 and the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module 400, and a lateral fine-tuning mechanism 6 that drives the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 to move along the sliding pair.

[0061] The sliding pair arranged between the mounting bracket 21 and the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module 400, in conjunction with the lateral fine-tuning mechanism 6, can accurately adjust the distance between the two adsorption devices 3. Since the sizes of soft-pack battery modules 400 in different batches may vary to a certain extent, the lateral fine-tuning mechanism 6 can flexibly change the distance between the two adsorption devices 3 according to the actual module length and other dimensions, so that the adsorption device 3 can more accurately adsorb the extended sections 401 at both ends of the soft-pack battery module 400. In this way, when the pressure roller 42 operates to press the battery cells in the soft-pack battery module 400 to release the mold, the forces acting on the soft-pack battery module 400 in all directions are more uniform and stable, greatly reducing the probability of damage to the soft-pack battery module 400 caused by factors such as inaccurate adsorption position and inappropriate adsorption spacing, improving the feeding quality of the soft-pack battery module 400, and ensuring the stability of the production process and the yield rate of the product.

[0062] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 The lateral fine-tuning mechanism 6 includes vertical uprights 61 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the mounting bracket 21. A linear guide rail 62 parallel to the length direction of the soft-pack battery module 400 is connected between the two vertical uprights 61. An electric slide 63 is assembled on the linear guide rail 62. The negative pressure adsorption tube 22 passes through the supporting substrate fixed to the electric slide 63. The bottom plate of the mounting bracket 21 is provided with an avoidance notch 64 extending along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module 400. The width of the avoidance notch 64 is greater than the outer diameter of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 and smaller than the width of the substrate of the electric slide 63.

[0063] The vertical uprights 61 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the mounting bracket 21 provide a stable support structure for the linear guide rail 62, ensuring the installation accuracy and stability of the linear guide rail 62 in the direction parallel to the length of the soft-pack battery module 400. Its rigid support structure can effectively resist the lateral force generated during the movement of the electric slide 63, ensuring the stability of the adsorption device 3 during lateral movement, and greatly reducing the risk of unstable adsorption and damage to the soft-pack battery module 400 due to vibration.

[0064] The linear guide 62 and the electric slide 63 work together to achieve precise lateral movement of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22. The high-precision transmission system of the electric slide 63 can control the positioning accuracy of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 to ±0.05mm. The distance between the two adsorption devices 3 can be precisely adjusted according to the size of different soft-pack battery modules 400, ensuring precise alignment between the adsorption devices 3 and the extension sections 401 at both ends of the soft-pack battery module 400, effectively preventing uneven force on the soft-pack battery module 400 due to deviation in the adsorption position.

[0065] The negative pressure adsorption tube 22 extends through the supporting base plate fixed to the electric slide 63, forming a reliable and rigid connection structure. This connection ensures that the electric slide 63 can efficiently transmit power when driving the negative pressure adsorption tube 22, avoiding transmission backlash or looseness. This ensures the response speed and accuracy of the adsorption device 3 during lateral fine-tuning, allowing the adsorption device 3 to reach the specified position quickly and accurately, improving the overall operating efficiency of the loading device.

[0066] Reference Figure 7 The avoidance gap 64 opened on the bottom plate of the mounting bracket 21 has a width greater than the outer diameter of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 and smaller than the width of the base plate of the electric slide 63, which provides the necessary space for the lateral movement of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22, while limiting the excessive displacement of the electric slide 63 during the movement, and plays the role of mechanical limit.

[0067] At least two groups of negative pressure adsorption tubes 22 are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module 400, each group includes 2-4 independent negative pressure adsorption tubes 22 distributed in a linear array, and multiple avoidance gaps 64 are distributed in a linear array along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module 400.

[0068] Multiple groups of negative pressure adsorption tubes 22 distributed in a linear array make the adsorption force distribution of the module extension section 401 more uniform, reducing the risk of local loss of adsorption; the linear arrangement of 2-4 independent adsorption tubes in each group forms a dynamic adsorption force gradient compensation mechanism, which can maintain continuous adsorption sealing when responding to thermal expansion and deformation of the module.

[0069] The three-dimensional mobile device 101 includes three linear motion units arranged orthogonally to each other: a transverse linear guide pair installed on the top of the gantry 100, whose guide axis is parallel to the span direction of the gantry 100; a longitudinal drive module driven by a servo motor slidably connected to the transverse linear guide pair, whose movement direction is perpendicular to the axis of the transverse linear guide 62; a ball screw lifting module installed on the moving platform of the longitudinal drive module, and the vertical beam 1 is connected to the execution end of the ball screw lifting module.

[0070] The transverse linear guide pair is installed on the top of the gantry 100, and the guide axis is parallel to the span direction of the gantry 100, providing a stable transverse movement foundation for the entire three-dimensional movement. This layout makes the transverse movement range larger, and can flexibly cover the transverse distance from the storage area of the soft-pack battery module 400 to the loading station, ensuring that the adsorption mechanism can be accurately moved to the required position.

[0071] The longitudinal drive module is slidably connected to the transverse linear guide pair and driven by a servo motor, with its movement direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the transverse linear guide 62. This design not only achieves precise longitudinal positioning based on lateral movement, but also ensures high precision and repeatability of longitudinal movement through the servo motor drive. Through precise program control, the longitudinal drive module can quickly and accurately adjust the longitudinal position according to the positioning requirements of different soft-pack battery modules 400, effectively improving the efficiency and accuracy of loading.

[0072] The ball screw lifting module is installed on the mobile platform of the longitudinal drive module, and the vertical beam 1 is connected to the execution end of the module. This structure enables the feeding mechanism 300 to achieve smooth and precise lifting in the vertical direction. The ball screw transmission has the characteristics of high precision, high rigidity and high efficiency, and can accurately convert the rotational motion of the motor into linear motion, thereby ensuring the vertical displacement accuracy of the feeding mechanism 300 driven by the vertical beam 1. This is crucial for accurately controlling the feeding height of the soft-pack battery module 400, and can effectively avoid problems such as inaccurate cell placement due to height deviation or collision of the soft-pack battery module 400 with other components.

[0073] The orthogonal arrangement of the three linear motion units enables precise positioning and movement of the three-dimensional mobile device 101 in space. This orthogonal structure significantly improves the device's spatial flexibility and positioning accuracy, accommodating the loading requirements of soft-pack battery modules 400 of varying specifications and placements. This reduces manual intervention, improves production efficiency, and reduces the potential errors and uncertainties associated with manual operation, thereby enhancing the stability and reliability of the entire soft-pack battery module 400 production process.

[0074] The rolling assembly 4 includes: a vertical mounting plate 43, which is fixedly connected to the output end of the linear drive 41, and at least two of which are symmetrically arranged along the axis of the pressure roller 42; a circular bearing mounting hole 44, which is opened at the bottom of the vertical mounting plate 43; and an annular groove 45, which is distributed in an annular array along the surface of the pressure roller 42; wherein the working end surface of the pressure roller 42 is not lower than the bottom surface of the vertical mounting plate 43.

[0075] At least two symmetrically arranged vertical mounting plates 43 are fixedly connected to the output end of the linear drive 41, providing a stable and reliable support structure for the pressure roller 42, ensuring that it can withstand the corresponding pressure without shaking or offset during the rolling process, thereby improving the stability and accuracy of the rolling operation; the circular bearing mounting hole 44 opened at the bottom of the vertical mounting plate 43 provides an accurate positioning reference for the installation of the bearing, so that the pressure roller 42 can rotate smoothly, reducing the jamming or abnormal wear caused by installation deviation; the annular grooves 45 distributed in an annular array on the surface of the pressure roller 42 are helpful for installation The pressing roller 42 is accurately positioned axially when rolling, so as to prevent the pressing roller 42 from axially moving during the rotation process, thereby further improving the working stability of the rolling assembly 4; and the setting that the working end surface of the pressing roller 42 is not lower than the bottom surface of the vertical mounting plate 43 ensures that the pressing roller 42 and the module have sufficient contact area and appropriate contact position when rolling the soft-pack battery module 400, thereby effectively improving the rolling effect, ensuring that the battery cell can be smoothly pressed and demolded from the soft-pack battery module 400, and reducing the risk of poor battery cell demolding or damage to the soft-pack battery module 400 due to improper positioning of the pressing roller 42.

[0076] A coaxially arranged bearing is provided between the vertical mounting plate 43 and the pressure roller 42 , the inner ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the pressure roller 42 , and the outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the vertical plate.

[0077] The implementation principle of an automatic loading device for the production of soft-pack battery modules in an embodiment of the present invention is as follows: a transverse linear guide pair installed on the top of the gantry 100 is used to construct a transverse movement foundation, and a longitudinal drive module is used to achieve high-precision longitudinal positioning. At the same time, a ball screw lifting module is used to drive the vertical beam 1 to complete precise vertical lifting. The three-dimensional mobile device 101 composed of three mutually orthogonal linear motion units realizes multi-axis collaborative positioning in space. The loading mechanism 300 is vertically connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device 101 through the vertical beam 1, and the horizontal beam 2 is horizontally fixed to the bottom end of the vertical beam 1 to form an inverted T-shaped support structure. The adsorption device 3 set at both ends of the bottom of the horizontal beam 2 uses the vertical upright plate 61 of the mounting bracket 21 to support the negative pressure adsorption tube 22. The top of the negative pressure adsorption tube 22 is connected to the negative pressure generating device, and the bottom end is provided with an elastic suction cup 23 with a horizontal opening plane and a contour matching the end face of the module extension section 401. The negative pressure adsorption tube 22 and the sleeve 5 are formed by a sliding sealing pair to form a negative pressure driven vertical fine-tuning mechanism, which cooperates with the horizontal fine-tuning mechanism 6 to adjust The internode spacing ensures that the module extension section 401 is accurately adsorbed; the linear driver 41 of the rolling assembly 4 drives the pressure roller 42 to apply pressure along the middle of the beam 2, and the pressure roller 42 is rigidly connected to the output end of the linear driver 41 through a symmetrical vertical mounting plate 43. A circular bearing mounting hole 44 is provided at the bottom of the vertical mounting plate 43 to fix the coaxially arranged bearings (the inner ring is fixed to the pressure roller 42, and the outer ring is fixed to the vertical plate). Combined with the setting that the working end surface of the pressure roller 42 is not lower than the bottom surface of the vertical mounting plate 43, stable control of the directional pressing and removal of the battery cell from the end of the soft-pack battery module 400 away from the pole ear is achieved.

[0078] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "vertical", "horizontal", etc. indicating orientations or positional relationships are 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, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic loading device for producing soft-pack battery modules, comprising a gantry, a three-dimensional mobile device mounted on the gantry, and a loading mechanism connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism includes: a vertical beam, the top end of which is vertically connected to the execution end of the three-dimensional mobile device; The horizontal beam is fixed horizontally to the bottom end of the vertical beam, forming an inverted T-shaped support structure with the vertical beam; Two adsorption devices are fixed at the two ends of the bottom of the beam, with their adsorption surfaces facing vertically downward and corresponding to the extended sections at both ends of the soft pack battery module; A roller pressing assembly, comprising a linear drive mounted horizontally in the middle of the beam and located between the two adsorption devices, and a pressing roller connected to the output end of the linear drive, with the roller axis perpendicular to the length direction of the beam; The working surface of the pressing roller contacts the extended section of the soft-pack battery module away from the tab end; A vertical downward mounting bracket is fixed at each end of the bottom of the beam. Each mounting bracket is provided with a vertically extending negative pressure adsorption tube. The top of the negative pressure adsorption tube is connected to the negative pressure generating device, and the bottom of the negative pressure adsorption tube is provided with an elastic suction cup. The opening plane of the elastic suction cup is set horizontally and its contour matches the end face of the extended section of the soft pack battery module. The mounting bracket is provided with a vertical fine-tuning mechanism that can drive the elastic suction cup to move relative to the mounting bracket. The travel range of the vertical fine-tuning mechanism includes a lifting displacement that causes the extension section of the soft-pack battery module to form a 3°-5° tilt angle; The vertical fine-tuning mechanism includes a sleeve connected to the top of the elastic suction cup. The sleeve is nested inside the negative pressure adsorption tube and forms a sliding seal pair. The inner wall of the negative pressure adsorption tube is provided with two upper and lower annular limit bosses. The distance between the two annular limit bosses constitutes an axial sliding stroke of 2-5mm. A positioning ring is fixed on the outer wall of the sleeve and located between the two annular limit bosses. A sliding pair arranged along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module is provided between the mounting bracket and the negative pressure adsorption tube, as well as a lateral fine-tuning mechanism that drives the negative pressure adsorption tube to move along the sliding pair; The lateral fine-tuning mechanism includes vertical plates symmetrically arranged on both sides of the mounting bracket, a linear guide rail parallel to the length direction of the soft-pack battery module is connected between the two vertical plates, an electric slide is mounted on the linear guide rail, the negative pressure adsorption tube passes through the carrier base fixed to the electric slide, and the bottom plate of the mounting bracket is provided with an avoidance notch extending along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module, and the width of the avoidance notch is greater than the outer diameter of the negative pressure adsorption tube and less than the width of the electric slide base; When the loading mechanism of the adsorbed soft-pack battery module is positioned at the target workstation, the linear driver in the middle of the beam drives the roller to move with the axis of the roller perpendicular to the length direction of the beam. By means of the contact pressure between the working surface of the roller and the extended section of the module facing away from the tab end, directional pressure drop control is achieved to preferentially demold the battery cell from the end facing away from the tab, effectively avoiding the risk of the tab touching the ground first and reducing the probability of tab deformation and damage.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The negative pressure adsorption tubes are arranged in at least two groups at intervals along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module, each group contains 2-4 independent negative pressure adsorption tubes distributed in a linear array, and the avoidance gaps are distributed in a linear array along the length direction of the soft-pack battery module.

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three-dimensional mobile device includes three linear motion units arranged orthogonally to each other: a transverse linear guide pair installed on the top of the gantry, the guide axis of which is parallel to the span direction of the gantry; a longitudinal drive module driven by a servo motor slidably connected to the transverse linear guide pair, the movement direction of which is perpendicular to the transverse linear guide axis; a ball screw lifting module installed on the moving platform of the longitudinal drive module, and the vertical beam is connected to the execution end of the ball screw lifting module.

4. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rolling assembly comprises: A vertical mounting plate, which is fixedly connected to the output end of the linear drive, and at least two of which are symmetrically arranged along the axis of the pressure roller; A circular bearing mounting hole is provided at the bottom of the vertical mounting plate; Annular grooves are distributed in an annular array along the surface of the pressure roller; Wherein, the working end surface of the pressing roller is not lower than the bottom surface of the vertical mounting plate.

5. The feeding device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A coaxially arranged bearing is provided between the vertical mounting plate and the pressure roller, the inner ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the pressure roller, and the outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the vertical plate.

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