Line-following type laminated cell detection device and detection method

Abstract

The invention discloses a line-following type laminated battery cell detection device, which comprises a conveying mechanism, m first detection mechanisms and n second detection mechanisms, n is greater than or equal to m, m and n are positive integers not less than 1, the conveying mechanism is an original conveying line of a battery cell production line of a battery cell manufacturer, and m is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. M first detection stations and n second detection stations are sequentially arranged on a conveying path of the conveying line; a first detection mechanism is arranged at each first detection station, and the first detection mechanisms are used for performing defect detection on the first surface of the battery cell body and the side surfaces of the two tabs; a second detection mechanism is arranged at each second detection station, and the second detection mechanisms are used for detecting the top surfaces and the layer number of the two tabs and detecting the two end surfaces and the second surface of the battery cell body; the detection device has the advantages of small occupied space, low cost, high detection efficiency and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of visual inspection of battery cells, and particularly relates to a on-line laminated battery cell inspection device and an inspection method. Background Technique

[0002] The laminated battery cell stacks materials such as the positive electrode sheet, separator, and negative electrode sheet of the battery in a certain way to form a complete battery cell structure. The laminated battery cell usually includes a battery cell body and two tab ears respectively located at both ends of the battery cell body, and the electrical connection inside and outside the battery is realized through the tab ears.

[0003] During the production process of the laminated battery cell, it is necessary to inspect the battery cell body and tab ears of the laminated battery cell to determine whether the laminated battery cell is qualified. The existing inspection methods are mainly divided into manual inspection and CCD visual inspection. The manual inspection has low inspection efficiency and large inspection errors; and the existing CCD visual inspection device is usually an all-in-one machine installed on the battery cell production line of the battery cell manufacturer, which occupies a large space and has a high cost; moreover, it is necessary to remove the laminated battery cell from the original battery cell production line for inspection, and then send the inspected laminated battery cell back to the battery cell production line, resulting in low production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a on-line laminated battery cell inspection device to solve the problems of large occupied space and low production efficiency existing in the existing inspection of laminated battery cells. Another purpose of this application is to provide an inspection method based on the on-line laminated battery cell inspection device.

[0005] To achieve this purpose, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In the first aspect, this application proposes a on-line laminated battery cell inspection device. The laminated battery cell includes a battery cell body and two tab ears, and the two tab ears are respectively arranged at both ends along the length direction of the battery cell body itself. The on-line laminated battery cell inspection device includes a conveying mechanism, m first inspection mechanisms, and n second inspection mechanisms, n≥m, and both m and n are positive integers not less than 1, where:

[0007] The conveying mechanism is the original conveyor line of the battery cell production line of the battery cell manufacturer. m first inspection stations and n second inspection stations are sequentially arranged on the conveying path of the conveyor line. The conveyor line is configured to sequentially convey the laminated battery cell along the first direction to the first inspection station and the second inspection station;

[0008] One of the first detection mechanisms is provided at each of the first detection stations. The first detection mechanism is configured to perform defect detection on the sides of the two tab ears at the first detection station, and is further configured to perform appearance detection on the first surface of the battery cell body at the first detection station.

[0009] One of the second detection mechanisms is provided at each of the second detection stations. The second detection mechanism is configured to perform defect detection on the top surfaces and the number of layers of the two tab ears at the second detection station, and is further configured to perform appearance detection on the two end faces and the second surface of the battery cell body along its own length at the second detection station.

[0010] Optionally, the conveyor line conveys the stacked battery cells in a step-by-step manner, and is configured to convey n stacked battery cells forward each time.

[0011] Optionally, n - m buffer stations are provided between adjacent first detection stations and second detection stations. Each of the buffer stations is configured to temporarily store one stacked battery cell to be sent to the second detection station.

[0012] Optionally, the first detection mechanism includes a first detection component and two groups of second detection components, where:

[0013] The first detection component includes a first base, at least one first camera, and two first linear light sources. The first base is fixedly installed above the first detection station. The first camera is installed on the first base. The shooting end of at least one first camera faces downward and the shooting range covers the first surface of the battery cell body at the first detection station. The first camera is configured to take pictures of the first surface of the battery cell body at the first detection station to cooperate with the processing unit to perform appearance detection on the first surface of the battery cell body. The two first linear light sources are arranged at intervals on both sides of the first base. The first linear light sources extend along the second direction. The two first linear light sources are configured to project light onto the stacked battery cells at the first detection station. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0014] The tab is square as a whole. The tab includes an end face, a top face, a bottom face, a first side face, and a second side face. The two sets of second detection components are respectively arranged on both sides of the first detection station along the first direction. Each set of the second detection components corresponds to one tab. Each set of the second detection components includes a second base, a second camera, and a third camera. The second camera and the third camera are installed on the second base at intervals along the first direction. The second camera is configured to capture images of the end face and the first side face of the corresponding tab and send the captured image information to the processing unit. The third camera is configured to capture images of the end face and the second side face of the corresponding tab and send the captured image information to the processing unit. The processing unit is configured to process the image information sent by the second camera and the third camera, and then determine whether there are defects in the corresponding tab according to the processing results.

[0015] Optionally, the second detection mechanism includes a flipping component, a third detection component, two sets of fourth detection components, two sets of fifth detection components, and two sets of sixth detection components, where:

[0016] The flipping component is arranged at the second detection station and on the side of the conveyor line. The flipping component is configured to pick up the stacked battery cell at the second detection station, lift the picked-up stacked battery cell to the detection position, and then flip it 180° so that the second face of the stacked battery cell faces upward.

[0017] The third detection component is arranged above the detection position. The third detection component is configured to take a picture of the second face of the battery cell body at the detection position to cooperate with the processing unit to perform appearance detection on the second face of the battery cell body.

[0018] The two sets of fourth detection components are arranged at intervals on both sides of the detection position along the second direction. Each set of the fourth detection components corresponds to one end face of the battery cell body at the detection position in the second direction. The two sets of fourth detection components are configured to respectively take pictures of the two end faces of the battery cell body at the detection position in the second direction to cooperate with the processing unit to perform appearance detection on the two end faces of the battery cell body in the second direction.

[0019] The two sets of fifth detection components are arranged at intervals above the detection position. Each set of the fifth detection components corresponds to one tab of the stacked battery cell at the detection position. The two sets of fifth detection components are configured to respectively take pictures of the top faces of the two tabs of the stacked battery cell at the detection position to cooperate with the processing unit to perform appearance detection on the two tabs of the stacked battery cell.

[0020] The two sets of sixth detection components are arranged at intervals at the detection position. Each set of the sixth detection components corresponds to one tab of the stacked battery cell at the detection position. The two sets of sixth detection components are configured to respectively take pictures of the first side or the second side of the two tabs of the stacked battery cell at the detection position, so as to cooperate with the processing unit to detect the number of layers of the two tabs of the stacked battery cell.

[0021] Optionally, the flipping component includes a base frame, a lifting driving member, a lifting member, a flipping driving member, a flipping seat, a clamping component, and two backlight sources, where:

[0022] The base frame is fixedly installed on the side of the conveyor line. The lifting member is installed on the base frame in a liftable manner. The driving end of the lifting driving member is connected to the lifting member. The lifting driving member is configured to drive the lifting member to lift and lower;

[0023] The fixed end of the flipping driving member is installed on the lifting member. The driving end of the flipping driving member is connected to the flipping seat. The flipping driving member is configured to drive the flipping seat to flip by a preset angle;

[0024] The clamping component is installed on the flipping seat. The clamping component is configured to clamp or release the stacked battery cell;

[0025] The two backlight sources are installed on the flipping seat at intervals along the second direction. Each backlight source corresponds to one tab of the stacked battery cell. The two tabs of the flipped stacked battery cell are respectively located directly above the two backlight sources. The backlight sources are configured to provide supplementary lighting when the second detection mechanism detects the appearance of the tabs of the stacked battery cell.

[0026] Optionally, the third detection component includes a third base, at least one fourth camera, and two second strip-shaped light sources, where:

[0027] The third base is fixedly installed above the detection position. The fourth camera is fixedly installed on the third base. The shooting end of the at least one fourth camera faces vertically downward and the shooting range covers the second surface of the stacked battery cell. The two second strip-shaped light sources are arranged at intervals along the first direction on both sides of the third base. The second strip-shaped light sources extend along the second direction;

[0028] The fourth detection component includes a fourth base, at least one fifth camera, and a third strip-shaped light source, where:

[0029] The fourth base is fixedly installed on one side of the detection position, the fifth camera is fixedly installed on the fourth base, the shooting end of the at least one fifth camera faces the stacked battery cell horizontally, and the shooting range covers one end face of the battery cell body in the second direction. The third strip light source is installed on the fourth base and is obliquely above the fifth camera close to the stacked battery cell, and the third strip light source extends along the first direction;

[0030] The fifth detection assembly includes a fifth base and a sixth camera. The fifth base is fixed above the detection position, the sixth camera is fixedly installed on the fifth base, the shooting end of the sixth camera faces vertically downward, and the shooting range covers the top surface of a corresponding tab of the stacked battery cell;

[0031] The sixth detection assembly includes a sixth base, a seventh camera and an annular light source. The sixth base is fixedly installed on one side of the detection position, the seventh camera is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the sixth base, the shooting end of the seventh camera faces horizontally towards the side surface of a tab of the stacked battery cell, and the annular light source is fixedly installed on the shooting path of the seventh camera.

[0032] Optionally, the in-line stacked battery cell detection device further includes a plurality of battery cell toolings, and the battery cell toolings are configured to carry and position the stacked battery cells;

[0033] Two sets of limiting components are arranged at both the first detection station and the second detection station of the conveyor line. The two sets of limiting components are arranged at intervals along the first direction. The limiting component includes a limiting driving part and a limiting part. The limiting part is rotatably installed on the conveyor line, and the driving end of the limiting driving part is connected to the limiting part. The limiting driving part is configured to drive the limiting part to rotate so that the limiting part switches to the limiting state or the avoiding state;

[0034] The limiting driving parts of the two sets of limiting components drive the corresponding limiting parts to rotate upward to the limiting state, so as to respectively abut against both sides of the battery cell tooling at the first detection station or the second detection station in the first direction, thereby positioning the battery cell tooling at the first detection station or the second detection station;

[0035] The limiting driving parts of the two sets of limiting components drive the corresponding limiting parts to rotate downward to the avoiding state, so that the two limiting parts move below the bottom surface of the battery cell tooling, thereby avoiding the removed stacked battery cell from the corresponding detection station and the incoming next stacked battery cell to be detected from entering the corresponding detection station.

[0036] Optionally, the inline laminated cell detection device further includes a handling mechanism and an NG material conveyor line, where:

[0037] A blanking station is further provided on the conveyor line behind the second detection station, and the NG material conveyor line is arranged on the side of the blanking station;

[0038] The handling mechanism is arranged at the blanking station. The handling mechanism docks the conveyor line and the NG material conveyor line, and is configured to pick up the NG laminated cells at the blanking station and transport the picked-up NG laminated cells to the NG material conveyor line;

[0039] The NG material conveyor line is configured to transport the NG laminated cells to the next process.

[0040] In a second aspect, the present application proposes a method for detecting laminated cells, characterized in that the method for detecting laminated cells is implemented by the above-mentioned inline laminated cell detection device, and includes the following steps:

[0041] The conveyor line receives the laminated cells to be tested and transports the received laminated cells to the first detection station;

[0042] The first detection mechanism performs defect detection on the sides of the two tab ears of the laminated cell at the first detection station and performs appearance detection on the first surface of the cell body;

[0043] The conveyor line transports the laminated cells that have been detected at the first detection station to the second detection station;

[0044] The second detection mechanism performs defect detection on the top surfaces and the number of layers of the two tab ears of the laminated cell at the second detection station and performs appearance detection on the two end faces and the second surface of the cell body along its own length;

[0045] The conveyor line transports the laminated cells that have been detected at the second detection station to the next process.

[0046] The beneficial effects of the inline laminated cell detection device proposed by the present application are as follows:

[0047] 1) Integrate the first detection mechanism and the second detection mechanism on the original conveyor line in the cell production line of the cell manufacturer, realizing defect detection of laminated cells, providing an inline detection device, which occupies less space, has lower cost and higher detection efficiency compared with the existing all-in-one machine;

[0048] 2) It can configure the number of the first detection mechanism and the second detection mechanism according to the actual production requirements of the cell manufacturer to meet different beat requirements, with good flexibility and adaptability;

[0049] 3) Each laminated battery cell only requires two detection processes to complete the appearance defect detection of the two large surfaces and two end faces of the battery cell body, as well as the appearance and layer number detection of the two tab ears. The process steps are simple, the layout is reasonable, and the detection efficiency is high;

[0050] 4) The detection accuracy and precision of the first detection mechanism and the second detection mechanism are high;

[0051] 5) The laminated battery cell is transferred through the battery cell tooling, and a limiting component for limiting the battery cell tooling is arranged at the detection station, ensuring the position accuracy of the battery cell tooling at the detection station and facilitating the improvement of the detection precision of the laminated battery cell. Description of the Drawings

[0052] Figure 1 is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of an existing laminated battery cell;

[0053] Figure 2 is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 3 is a schematic side view of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 4 is a schematic top view of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 5 is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the first detection mechanism of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 6 is Figure 5 a partial enlarged view of A in

[0058] Figure 7 is a schematic top view of the first detection mechanism of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 8 is a schematic side view of the first detection mechanism of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 9 is a schematic top view of the second detection mechanism of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 10 is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of the second detection mechanism of the in-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 11It is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of a flipping component of a on-line laminated battery cell detection device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0063] To make the technical problems solved by the present application, the technical solutions adopted, and the achieved technical effects clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0064] The present application proposes an on-line laminated battery cell detection device. Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the laminated battery cell 10 includes a battery cell body 11 and two tabs 12. The two tabs 12 are respectively arranged at both ends along the length direction of the battery cell body 11 itself. The tab 12 is a square structure as a whole. The tab 12 includes an end face 120, a top face 121, a bottom face 122, a first side face 123, and a second side face 124. The on-line laminated battery cell detection device includes a conveying mechanism, m first detection mechanisms 20, and n second detection mechanisms 30, where n≥m, and both m and n are positive integers not less than 1. The conveying mechanism is the original conveying line 40 of the battery cell production line of the battery cell manufacturer. m first detection stations 41 and n second detection stations 42 are sequentially arranged on the conveying path of the conveying line 40. The conveying line 40 is configured to sequentially convey the laminated battery cell 10 along the first direction ( Figure 1 the X direction in ) to the first detection station 41 and the second detection station 42; one first detection mechanism 20 is arranged at each first detection station 41. The first detection mechanism 20 is configured to perform defect detection on the end face 120, the first side face 123, and the second side face 124 of the two tabs 12 at the first detection station 41. The first detection mechanism 20 is also configured to perform appearance detection on the first surface of the battery cell body 11 at the first detection station 41; one second detection mechanism 30 is arranged at each second detection station 42. The second detection mechanism 30 is configured to perform defect detection on the top face 121 and the number of layers of the two tabs 12 at the second detection station 42. The second detection mechanism 30 is also configured to perform appearance detection on the two end faces and the second surface of the battery cell body 11 along its own length at the second detection station 42.

[0065] The in-line laminated battery cell detection device proposed in the embodiments of the present application integrates the first detection mechanism 20 and the second detection mechanism 30 on the original conveyor line 40 in the battery cell production line of the battery cell manufacturer, realizing the defect detection of the laminated battery cell 10, providing an in-line detection device, which has a small occupied space, low cost and high detection efficiency compared with the existing all-in-one machine; at the same time, the number of the first detection mechanism 20 and the second detection mechanism 30 can be configured according to the actual production requirements of the battery cell manufacturer to meet different beat requirements, with good flexibility and adaptability; moreover, each laminated battery cell 10 only needs two detection processes to complete the appearance defect detection of the two large surfaces and two end faces of the battery cell body 11 and the appearance and layer number detection of the two tab ears 12. The process steps are simple, the layout is reasonable, and the detection efficiency is high.

[0066] As an implementation manner, the conveyor line 40 conveys the laminated battery cell 10 in a stepping manner, and the conveyor line 40 is configured to convey n laminated battery cells 10 forward each time; there are n - m buffer stations 43 provided between the adjacent first detection station 41 and the second detection station 42, and each buffer station 43 is configured to temporarily store a laminated battery cell 10 to be sent to the second detection station 42.

[0067] Specifically, there is one first detection station 41 and two second detection stations 42 provided on the conveyor line 40, and one buffer station 43 is provided between the first detection station 41 and the second detection station 42. The conveyor line 40 conveys two laminated battery cells 10 forward each time to meet the simultaneous operation of the two second detection mechanisms 30.

[0068] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8 As shown, as an implementation manner, the first detection mechanism 20 includes a first detection component 21 and two groups of second detection components 22. The first detection component 21 includes a first base 210, at least one first camera 211 and two first linear light sources 212. The first base 210 is fixedly installed above the first detection station 41, the first camera 211 is installed on the first base 210, the shooting end of at least one first camera 211 faces downward and the shooting range covers the first surface of the battery cell body 11 at the first detection station 41. The first camera 211 is configured to take a picture of the first surface of the battery cell body 11 at the first detection station 41 to cooperate with the processing unit to perform appearance detection on the first surface of the battery cell body 11; the two first linear light sources 212 are spaced on both sides of the first base 210, the first linear light sources 212 extend along the second direction, and the two first linear light sources 212 are configured to project light toward the laminated battery cell 10 at the first detection station 41. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction;

[0069] Two sets of second detection components 22 are respectively arranged on both sides of the first detection station 41 along the first direction. Each set of second detection components 22 corresponds to a tab 12. Each set of second detection components 22 includes a second base 220, a second camera 221 and a third camera 222. The second camera 221 and the third camera 222 are installed on the second base 220 at intervals along the first direction. The second camera 221 is configured to capture images of the end face 120 and the first side face 123 of the corresponding tab 12 and send the captured image information to the processing unit. The third camera 222 is configured to capture images of the end face 120 and the second side face 124 of the corresponding tab 12 and send the captured image information to the processing unit. The processing unit is configured to process the image information sent by the second camera 221 and the third camera 222, and then determine whether there are defects in the corresponding tab 12 according to the processing result.

[0070] Specifically, a code scanner 23 is further installed on the first base 210. The code scanner 23 is configured to scan the identification code on the first surface of the stacked battery cell 10 on the first detection station 41 to identify the identity information of the stacked battery cell 10 on the first detection station 41.

[0071] The general detection process of the first detection mechanism 20 proposed in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0072] S1. The conveyor line 40 receives the stacked battery cell 10 to be tested and conveys the received stacked battery cell 10 to the first detection station 41.

[0073] S2. The second cameras 221 and the third cameras 222 of the two sets of second detection components 22 take pictures of the corresponding tabs 12 to obtain two images of the corresponding tabs 12 and send the two obtained images to the processing unit. The first image includes the end face 120 and the first side face 123 of the corresponding tab 12, and the second image includes the end face 120 and the second side face 124 of the corresponding tab 12.

[0074] S3. The processing unit processes the two images of the corresponding tab 12 received, and determines whether there are defects in the corresponding tab 12 according to the processing result. When the processing unit processes the two images of the corresponding tab 12, it includes performing image screening or image fusion processing on the end face parts in the two images of the corresponding tab 12.

[0075] The image screening in step S3 can be to compare with a standard image and select one of the images that is closest to the standard image. The image fusion can be to perform fusion processing on the end face parts in the two images to obtain a more accurate image of the end face part.

[0076] It can be seen that through the first camera 211 and the two first strip-shaped light sources 212, the appearance inspection of the first surface of the battery cell body 11 on the first inspection station 41 is realized; by setting two groups of second inspection components 22, the synchronous inspection of the two tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 is realized on the first inspection station 41, and the inspection efficiency is high; at the same time, each of the second cameras 221 and the third cameras 222 of each group of second inspection components 22 takes a photo of an L-shaped surface of the corresponding tab 12, realizing the shooting of the end face 120, the first side face 123 and the second side face 124 of the tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10, and processing the image according to the image information of the three surfaces, and then judging whether there are defects in the tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10, improving the accuracy and precision of the defect detection of the tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10; moreover, the image information of the end face 120 of the tab 12 is included in both of the two images taken by the second camera 221 and the third camera 222, so that two pieces of feature information of the end face 120 of the tab 12 can be obtained, and the processing unit processes the images of the end face parts in the two images, further improving the accuracy and precision of the second inspection component 22.

[0077] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 and Figures 9 to 11As shown in the figure, as an implementation manner, the second detection mechanism 30 includes a flipping assembly 31, a third detection assembly 32, two sets of fourth detection assemblies 33, two sets of fifth detection assemblies 34, and two sets of sixth detection assemblies 35. The flipping assembly 31 is disposed at the second detection station 42 and on the side of the conveyor line 40. The flipping assembly 31 is configured to pick up the stacked battery cell 10 at the second detection station 42, lift the picked-up stacked battery cell 10 to the detection position, and then flip it by 180°, so that the second side of the cell body 11 of the stacked battery cell 10 faces upward. The third detection assembly 32 is disposed above the detection position. The third detection assembly 32 is configured to take a picture of the second side of the cell body 11 at the detection position to cooperate with the processing unit to perform an appearance inspection on the second side of the cell body 11. The two sets of fourth detection assemblies 33 are arranged at intervals along the second direction on both sides of the detection position. Each set of fourth detection assemblies 33 corresponds to one end face of the cell body 11 at the detection position in the second direction. The two sets of fourth detection assemblies 33 are configured to take pictures of the two end faces of the cell body 11 at the detection position in the second direction respectively to cooperate with the processing unit to perform an appearance inspection on the two end faces of the cell body 11 in the second direction. The two sets of fifth detection assemblies 34 are arranged at intervals along the second direction above the detection position. Each set of fifth detection assemblies 34 corresponds to one tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 at the detection position. The two sets of fifth detection assemblies 34 are configured to take pictures of the top surfaces 121 of the two tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 at the detection position respectively to obtain the projected images of the two tabs 12 on the horizontal plane, and further cooperate with the processing unit to perform an appearance inspection on the two tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10. The two sets of sixth detection assemblies 35 are arranged at intervals along the second direction at the detection position. Each set of sixth detection assemblies 35 corresponds to one tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 at the detection position. The two sets of sixth detection assemblies 35 are configured to take pictures of the first side or the second side of the two tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 at the detection position respectively to cooperate with the processing unit to detect the number of layers of the two tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10.

[0078] It can be seen that through the cooperation of the flipping assembly 31, the third detection assembly 32, the two sets of fourth detection assemblies 33, the two sets of fifth detection assemblies 34, and the two sets of sixth detection assemblies 35, the appearance inspection of the cell body 11 and the tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 and the detection of the number of layers of the tabs 12 are realized at one detection station. The function integration degree is high, the occupied space is small, and the detection efficiency of the stacked battery cell 10 is improved.

[0079] As an implementation manner, the flipping component 31 includes a base frame 310, a lifting driving member 311, a lifting member 312, a flipping driving member 313, a flipping seat 314, a clamping component 315, and two backlight light sources 316. The base frame 310 is fixedly installed on the side of the conveyor line 40. The lifting member 312 is installed on the base frame 310 in a liftable manner. The driving end of the lifting driving member 311 is connected to the lifting member 312, and the lifting driving member 311 is configured to drive the lifting member 312 to lift and lower. The fixed end of the flipping driving member 313 is installed on the lifting member 312, and the driving end of the flipping driving member 313 is connected to the flipping seat 314. The flipping driving member 313 is configured to drive the flipping seat 314 to flip by a preset angle. The clamping component 315 is installed on the flipping seat 314, and the clamping component 315 is configured to clamp or release the stacked battery cell 10. The two backlight light sources 316 are installed on the flipping seat 314 at intervals along the second direction. Each backlight light source 316 corresponds to one tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10. The two tabs 12 of the flipped stacked battery cell 10 are respectively located directly above the two backlight light sources 316. The backlight light sources 316 are configured to provide supplementary light when the second detection mechanism 30 performs appearance detection on the tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10.

[0080] Specifically, the lifting driving member 311 is a cylinder, the flipping driving member 314 is a rotary cylinder, the clamping component 315 is a pneumatic gripper, and the stacked battery cell 10 clamped by the clamping component 315 extends along the second direction.

[0081] It can be seen that through the cooperation of the lifting driving member 311, the lifting member 312, the flipping driving member 313, the flipping seat 314, and the clamping component 315, the stacked battery cell 10 at the second detection station 42 is picked up, lifted to the detection position, and then flipped by 180°, which is convenient for the appearance detection of the second surface of the battery cell body 11, providing a flipping component 31 with a simple structure and stable and reliable operation. At the same time, by arranging two backlight light sources 316 on the flipping seat 314, supplementary light is provided below the tabs 12 when performing appearance detection on the tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10, improving the accuracy and precision of the appearance detection of the tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10. At the same time, the space on the flipping seat 314 is reasonably utilized, with a reasonable layout and ingenious design.

[0082] As an implementation manner, the third detection component 32 includes a third base 320, at least one fourth camera 321, and two second strip-shaped light sources 322. The third base 320 is fixedly installed above the detection position. The fourth camera 321 is fixedly installed on the third base 320. The shooting end of at least one fourth camera 321 faces vertically downward, and the shooting range covers the second surface of the battery cell body 11 of the stacked battery cell 10. The two second strip-shaped light sources 322 are arranged at intervals on both sides of the third base 320 along the first direction, and the second strip-shaped light source 322 extends along the second direction. The fourth detection component 33 includes a fourth base 330, at least one fifth camera 331, and a third strip-shaped light source 332. The fourth base 330 is fixedly installed on one side of the detection position. The fifth camera 331 is fixedly installed on the fourth base 330. The shooting end of at least one fifth camera 331 faces horizontally toward the stacked battery cell 10, and the shooting range covers one end face of the battery cell body 11 in the second direction. The third strip-shaped light source 332 is installed on the fourth base 330 and is located obliquely above the fifth camera 331 close to the stacked battery cell 10. The third strip-shaped light source 332 extends along the first direction. The fifth detection component 34 includes a fifth base 340 and a sixth camera 341. The fifth base 340 is fixed above the detection position. The sixth camera 341 is fixedly installed on the fifth base 340. The shooting end of the sixth camera 341 faces vertically downward, and the shooting range covers the top surface 121 of a corresponding tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10. The sixth detection component 35 includes a sixth base 350, a seventh camera 351, and an annular light source 352. The sixth base 350 is fixedly installed on one side of the detection position. The seventh camera 351 is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the sixth base 350. The shooting end of the seventh camera 351 faces horizontally toward the first side surface 123 or the second side surface 124 of a tab 12 of the stacked battery cell 10. The annular light source 352 is fixedly installed on the shooting path of the seventh camera 351.

[0083] The general detection process of the second detection mechanism 30 proposed in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0084] S1. The conveyor line 40 conveys the stacked battery cell 10 detected by the first detection mechanism 20 to the second detection station 42.

[0085] S2. The flipping component 31 picks up the stacked battery cell 10 on the second detection station 42, lifts the stacked battery cell 10 to the detection position, and then flips it 180°, so that the second surface of the battery cell body 11 of the stacked battery cell 10 faces upward.

[0086] S3, the fourth camera 321 takes a picture of the second side of the battery body 11 of the laminated battery cell 10 at the detection position and sends the captured image information to the processing unit, the two fifth cameras 331 respectively take pictures of the two end faces of the battery body 11 of the laminated battery cell 10 at the detection position in the second direction and send the captured image information to the processing unit, the two sixth cameras 341 respectively take pictures of the top surface 121 of the two pole ears 12 of the laminated battery cell 10 at the detection position and send the captured image information to the processing unit, the two seventh cameras 351 respectively take pictures of the first side surface 123 or the second side surface 124 of the two pole ears 12 of the laminated battery cell 10 at the detection position and send the captured image information to the processing unit;

[0087] S4, the processing unit processes the images received from the fourth camera 321, the fifth camera 331, the sixth camera 341 and the seventh camera 351, and determines whether the appearance of the second surface and the two end surfaces of the battery cell body 11 is qualified according to the processing results, and determines whether the appearance and the number of layers of the two tabs 12 of the laminated battery cell 10 are qualified;

[0088] S5, the conveyor line 40 conveys the inspected laminated battery cells 10 to the next process.

[0089] See also Figures 1 to 6 As shown, as an embodiment, the on-line laminated battery cell detection device also includes a plurality of battery cell fixtures 50, and the battery cell fixtures 50 are configured to carry and position the laminated battery cells 10; the conveyor line 40 is provided with two sets of limit assemblies 60 at the first detection station 41 and the second detection station 42, and the two sets of limit assemblies 60 are arranged at intervals along the first direction, and the limit assemblies 60 include a limit driving member 61 and a limit member 62, and the limit member 62 is rotatably installed on the conveyor line 40, and the driving end of the limit driving member 61 is connected to the limit member 62, and the limit driving member 61 is configured to drive the limit member 62 to rotate so that the limit member 62 switches to a limit state or an avoidance state; the two sets of limit The limit driving member 61 of the assembly 60 drives the corresponding limit member 62 to rotate upward to a limit state, so that the two limit members 62 respectively abut against the two sides of the battery cell fixture 50 at the first inspection station 41 or the second inspection station 42 in the first direction, thereby positioning the battery cell fixture 50 at the first inspection station 41 or the second inspection station 42; the limit driving members 61 of the two sets of limit assemblies 60 drive the corresponding limit members 62 to rotate downward to an avoidance state, so that the two limit members 62 move to below the bottom surface of the battery cell fixture 50, thereby avoiding the detected stacked battery cell 10 from moving out of the corresponding inspection station and the next stacked battery cell 10 to be inspected from moving into the corresponding inspection station.

[0090] Specifically, a roller 620 is rotatably installed at the end of the limiting member 62, so that the contact between the limiting member 62 and the battery core tooling 50 is a rolling contact, thereby reducing the wear on the battery core tooling 50.

[0091] Specifically, a lifting assembly 24 is further provided at the first detection station 41. The lifting assembly 24 includes a lifting driving member 240 and a bearing plate 241. The bearing plate 241 is located below the battery core tooling 50. The driving end of the lifting driving member 240 is connected to the bearing plate 241. The lifting driving member 240 is configured to drive the bearing plate 241 to rise by a preset height, so that the stacked battery core 10 on the battery core tooling 50 is in a suspended state, facilitating the first detection mechanism 20 to perform detection on the stacked battery core 10.

[0092] Specifically, the limiting driving member 61 is a cylinder, and the lifting driving member 240 is a cylinder or other linear modules.

[0093] It can be seen that by providing a plurality of battery core toolings 50, the automatic transfer and precise positioning of the stacked battery core 10 in each process are realized, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of visual inspection; by providing two sets of limiting assemblies 60, the battery core tooling 50 is positioned at the second detection station 42 through the limiting assembly 60, thereby improving the position accuracy of the stacked battery core 10 at the second detection station 42 and the accuracy rate of detecting the stacked battery core 10.

[0094] As an implementation manner, the in-line stacked battery core detection device further includes a handling mechanism 70 and an NG material conveying line 71. A blanking station 44 located after the second detection station 42 is further provided on the conveying line 40. The NG material conveying line 71 is arranged on the side of the blanking station 44; the handling mechanism 70 is arranged at the blanking station 44. The handling mechanism 70 is connected to the conveying line 40 and the NG material conveying line 71. The handling mechanism 70 is configured to pick up the NG stacked battery core at the blanking station 44 and transport the picked-up NG stacked battery core to the NG material conveying line 71; the NG material conveying line 71 is configured to convey the NG stacked battery core to the next process.

[0095] Specifically, the handling mechanism 70 includes a horizontal linear module, a lifting linear module and a clamping jaw. The driving end of the horizontal linear module is connected to the lifting linear module. The driving end of the lifting linear module is connected to the clamping jaw. The horizontal linear module drives the lifting linear module to reciprocate in the second direction. The lifting linear module drives the clamping jaw to lift. The clamping jaw is configured to pick up the NG stacked battery core at the blanking station 44 and release the picked-up NG stacked battery core on the NG material conveying line 71.

[0096] It can be seen that through the cooperation of the handling mechanism 70 and the NG material conveying line 71, the automatic blanking of the unqualified stacked battery core 10 detected by the first detection mechanism 20 and the second detection mechanism 30 is realized, and the degree of automation is high.

[0097] The general working principle of the in-line stacked battery cell detection device proposed in the embodiments of this application is as follows:

[0098] S1. The conveyor line 40 receives the stacked battery cell 10 to be tested flowing out from the battery cell production line and conveys the received stacked battery cell 10 to the first detection station 41;

[0099] S2. The first detection mechanism 20 performs defect detection on the sides of the two tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 at the first detection station 41 and performs appearance detection on the first surface of the battery cell body 11;

[0100] S3. The conveyor line 40 conveys the stacked battery cell 10 detected by the first detection mechanism 20 to the second detection station 42;

[0101] S4. The second detection mechanism 30 performs defect detection on the top surfaces and the number of layers of the two tabs 12 of the stacked battery cell 10 at the second detection station 42 and performs appearance detection on the two end faces and the second surface of the battery cell body 11 along its own length;

[0102] S5. The conveyor line 40 conveys the stacked battery cell 10 that has been detected at the second detection station 42 to the blanking station 44. The handling mechanism 70 transports the unqualified stacked battery cells 10 to the NG material conveyor line 71, and the qualified stacked battery cells 10 are directly conveyed by the conveyor line 40 to the next process.

[0103] The above embodiments only illustrate the basic principles and characteristics of this application. This application is not limited by the above examples. Without departing from the spirit and scope of this application, there are various changes and modifications to this application, and these changes and modifications all fall within the scope of this application claimed. The scope of protection claimed by this application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wire - following laminated cell detection device, the laminated cell comprising a cell body and two tab ears, the two tab ears being respectively arranged at both ends along the length direction of the cell body itself, characterized in that, The in-line laminated cell detection device includes a conveying mechanism, m first detection mechanisms, and n second detection mechanisms, where n≥m, and both m and n are positive integers not less than 1. Among them: The conveying mechanism is the original conveyor line of the cell production line of the cell manufacturer. m first detection stations and n second detection stations are sequentially arranged on the conveying path of the conveyor line. The conveyor line is configured to sequentially convey the laminated cells to the first detection station and the second detection station along the first direction; One of the first detection mechanisms is arranged at each of the first detection stations. The first detection mechanism is configured to perform defect detection on the sides of the two tab ears at the first detection station, and the first detection mechanism is also configured to perform appearance detection on the first surface of the cell body at the first detection station; One of the second detection mechanisms is arranged at each of the second detection stations. The second detection mechanism is configured to perform defect detection on the top surfaces and the number of layers of the two tab ears at the second detection station, and the second detection mechanism is also configured to perform appearance detection on the two end faces and the second surface of the cell body along its own length at the second detection station.

2. The inline laminated cell detection device according to claim 1, wherein, The conveyor line conveys the laminated cells in a step-by-step manner, and the conveyor line is configured to convey n of the laminated cells forward each time.

3. The inline laminated cell detection device according to claim 2, wherein There are n - m buffer stations arranged between adjacent first detection stations and second detection stations. Each buffer station is configured to temporarily store one of the laminated cells to be sent to the second detection station.

4. The inline laminated cell detection device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first detection mechanism includes a first detection component and two groups of second detection components. Among them: The first detection component includes a first base, at least one first camera, and two first linear light sources. The first base is fixedly installed above the first detection station. The first camera is installed on the first base. The shooting end of at least one first camera faces downward and the shooting range covers the first surface of the cell body at the first detection station. The first camera is configured to take a picture of the first surface of the cell body at the first detection station to cooperate with the processing unit to perform appearance detection on the first surface of the cell body; the two first linear light sources are spaced on both sides of the first base, the first linear light sources extend along the second direction, and the two first linear light sources are configured to illuminate the laminated cells at the first detection station. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; The tab is entirely a square structure. The tab includes an end face, a top face, a bottom face, a first side face, and a second side face. The two sets of second detection components are respectively arranged on both sides of the first detection station along the first direction. Each set of the second detection components corresponds to one tab. Each set of the second detection components includes a second base, a second camera, and a third camera. The second camera and the third camera are installed on the second base at intervals along the first direction. The second camera is configured to capture images of the end face and the first side face of the corresponding tab and send the captured image information to the processing unit. The third camera is configured to capture images of the end face and the second side face of the corresponding tab and send the captured image information to the processing unit. The processing unit is configured to process the image information sent by the second camera and the third camera, and then determine whether there are defects in the corresponding tab according to the processing results.

5. The inline laminated cell detection device according to claim 4, wherein The second detection mechanism includes a flipping component, a third detection component, two sets of fourth detection components, two sets of fifth detection components, and two sets of sixth detection components, where: The flipping component is arranged at the second detection station and on the side of the conveyor line. The flipping component is configured to pick up the stacked battery cell at the second detection station, lift the picked-up stacked battery cell to the detection position, and then flip it 180° so that the second face of the stacked battery cell faces upward. The third detection component is arranged above the detection position. The third detection component is configured to take a picture of the second face of the battery cell body at the detection position to cooperate with the processing unit to perform an appearance inspection on the second face of the battery cell body. The two sets of fourth detection components are arranged at intervals on both sides of the detection position along the second direction. Each set of the fourth detection components corresponds to one end face of the battery cell body at the detection position in the second direction. The two sets of fourth detection components are configured to respectively take pictures of the two end faces of the battery cell body at the detection position in the second direction to cooperate with the processing unit to perform an appearance inspection on the two end faces of the battery cell body in the second direction. The two sets of fifth detection components are arranged at intervals above the detection position. Each set of the fifth detection components corresponds to one tab of the stacked battery cell at the detection position. The two sets of fifth detection components are configured to respectively take pictures of the top faces of the two tabs of the stacked battery cell at the detection position to cooperate with the processing unit to perform an appearance inspection on the two tabs of the stacked battery cell. The two sets of sixth detection components are arranged at intervals at the detection position. Each set of the sixth detection components corresponds to one tab of the stacked battery cell at the detection position. The two sets of sixth detection components are configured to respectively take pictures of the first side face or the second side face of the two tabs of the stacked battery cell at the detection position to cooperate with the processing unit to detect the number of layers of the two tabs of the stacked battery cell.

6. The inline laminated cell detection device according to claim 5, wherein, The flipping assembly includes a base frame, a lifting driving member, a lifting member, a flipping driving member, a flipping seat, a clamping assembly, and two backlight sources, where: The base frame is fixedly installed on the side of the conveyor line. The lifting member is installed on the base frame in a liftable manner. The driving end of the lifting driving member is connected to the lifting member, and the lifting driving member is configured to drive the lifting member to lift and lower. The fixed end of the flipping driving member is installed on the lifting member, and the driving end of the flipping driving member is connected to the flipping seat. The flipping driving member is configured to drive the flipping seat to flip by a preset angle. The clamping assembly is installed on the flipping seat, and the clamping assembly is configured to clamp or release the stacked battery cell. The two backlight sources are installed on the flipping seat at intervals along the second direction. Each backlight source corresponds to one tab of the stacked battery cell. The two tabs of the flipped stacked battery cell are respectively located directly above the two backlight sources. The backlight sources are configured to provide supplementary lighting when the second detection mechanism detects the appearance of the tabs of the stacked battery cell.

7. The inline laminated cell detection device according to claim 5, wherein The third detection assembly includes a third base, at least one fourth camera, and two second strip-shaped light sources, where: The third base is fixedly installed above the detection position. The fourth camera is fixedly installed on the third base. The shooting end of the at least one fourth camera faces vertically downward, and the shooting range covers the second surface of the stacked battery cell. The two second strip-shaped light sources are arranged on both sides of the third base at intervals along the first direction, and the second strip-shaped light sources extend along the second direction. The fourth detection assembly includes a fourth base, at least one fifth camera, and a third strip-shaped light source, where: The fourth base is fixedly installed on one side of the detection position. The fifth camera is fixedly installed on the fourth base. The shooting end of the at least one fifth camera faces horizontally towards the stacked battery cell, and the shooting range covers one end face of the battery cell body in the second direction. The third strip-shaped light source is installed on the fourth base and is located obliquely above the fifth camera close to the stacked battery cell. The third strip-shaped light source extends along the first direction. The fifth detection assembly includes a fifth base and a sixth camera. The fifth base is fixed above the detection position. The sixth camera is fixedly installed on the fifth base. The shooting end of the sixth camera faces vertically downward, and the shooting range covers the top surface of one tab of the corresponding stacked battery cell. The sixth detection assembly includes a sixth base, a seventh camera, and an annular light source. The sixth base is fixedly installed on one side of the detection position. The seventh camera is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the sixth base. The shooting end of the seventh camera faces horizontally towards the side surface of one tab of the stacked battery cell. The annular light source is fixedly installed on the shooting path of the seventh camera.

8. The inline laminated cell detection device according to claim 5, wherein The in-line stacked battery cell detection device further includes a plurality of battery cell toolings, and the battery cell toolings are configured to carry and position the stacked battery cells. Two sets of limiting components are provided at both the first detection station and the second detection station of the conveyor line. The two sets of limiting components are arranged at intervals along the first direction. The limiting component includes a limiting driving member and a limiting member. The limiting member is rotatably installed on the conveyor line. The driving end of the limiting driving member is connected to the limiting member. The limiting driving member is configured to drive the limiting member to rotate so that the limiting member switches to a limiting state or an avoidance state; The limiting driving members of the two sets of limiting components drive the corresponding limiting members to rotate upward to the limiting state, so as to respectively abut against both sides of the battery cell tooling at the first detection station or the second detection station in the first direction, thereby positioning the battery cell tooling at the first detection station or the second detection station; The limiting driving members of the two sets of limiting components drive the corresponding limiting members to rotate downward to the avoidance state, so that the two limiting members move below the bottom surface of the battery cell tooling, thereby avoiding the removal of the stacked battery cells after detection from the corresponding detection station and the entry of the next stacked battery cell to be detected into the corresponding detection station.

9. The inline laminated cell detection device according to claim 1, wherein The in-line stacked battery cell detection device further includes a handling mechanism and an NG material conveyor line, wherein: A blanking station is further provided on the conveyor line behind the second detection station. The NG material conveyor line is arranged on the side of the blanking station; The handling mechanism is arranged at the blanking station. The handling mechanism is connected to the conveyor line and the NG material conveyor line. The handling mechanism is configured to pick up the NG stacked battery cells at the blanking station and transport the picked-up NG stacked battery cells to the NG material conveyor line; The NG material conveyor line is configured to transport the NG stacked battery cells to the next process.

10. A method for detecting a laminated battery cell, characterized in that, The stacked battery cell detection method is implemented by the in-line stacked battery cell detection device according to any one of claims 1-9, and includes the following steps: The conveyor line receives the stacked battery cells to be detected and transports the received stacked battery cells to the first detection station; The first detection mechanism performs defect detection on the sides of the two tab ears of the stacked battery cells at the first detection station and performs appearance detection on the first surface of the battery cell body; The conveyor line transports the stacked battery cells detected at the first detection station to the second detection station; The second detection mechanism performs defect detection on the top surfaces and the number of layers of the two tab ears of the stacked battery cells at the second detection station and performs appearance detection on the two end faces and the second surface of the battery cell body along its own length; The conveyor line transports the stacked battery cells detected at the second detection station to the next process.

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