Airbag blade battery gripper

Abstract

The application provides an air bag type blade battery gripper, and relates to the technical field of blade battery clamps; the gripper comprises a clamping jaw mounting plate, the bottom of the clamping jaw mounting plate is fixed with a support, the bottom of the support is provided with a connecting plate, the bottom of the connecting plate is provided with a plurality of gripper devices along the arrangement direction of the blade batteries, the gripper device comprises at least one gripper group; the gripper group comprises two oppositely arranged gripper plates, and at least one air bag is arranged on the inner wall of at least one of the gripper plates; the air inlets of the plurality of air bags are communicated with a main pipe through pipelines, and the main pipe is communicated with an air source. The battery gripper provided by the application no longer uses a cylinder to drive the gripper to grab the blade battery, so that the overall weight of the battery gripper is reduced, the manufacturing cost is lowered, the structure is simpler, and maintenance is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of blade battery clamping technology, and more particularly to an airbag-type blade battery gripper. Background Technology

[0002] Existing blade battery grippers typically grasp four blade batteries at a time. To improve efficiency, the gripper needs to grasp more, such as eight blade batteries at a time. However, as the requirement to grasp more blade batteries increases, several new problems arise. The most critical issue is the increased weight, which places a greater load on the robot and leads to a higher failure rate. The core reasons for the excessive weight and high failure rate are:

[0003] Traditional blade battery grippers consist of a first gripper and a second gripper, each driven by an independent cylinder. The two cylinders move the first and second grippers towards or away from each other to hold a single blade battery, as shown in the patent application "2022225067462". Furthermore, each blade battery requires two grippers to hold it and maintain its stability. This means that to grip eight blade batteries, 16 cylinders are needed just to hold them in place, significantly increasing the overall weight of the gripper to approximately 40 kg. Such weight negatively impacts the robot's movement accuracy and speed.

[0004] When using a cylinder structure, each cylinder requires at least two air paths, which results in at least 32 air paths and 32 magnetic switches in traditional equipment. This leads to a large number of components inside the equipment, greatly increasing the failure rate and making maintenance very inconvenient, with an average maintenance time of more than 2 hours.

[0005] Using so many cylinders undoubtedly increases manufacturing costs, and the excessive consumption of compressed air further increases production costs. In addition, since the distance between two adjacent blade batteries is constant, in order to install 16 cylinders, sufficient space needs to be left in the upper part of the entire blade battery gripper to install the cylinders, which will undoubtedly increase the lateral dimension of the entire blade battery gripper (the dimension perpendicular to the blade battery), thus limiting the robot's range of motion.

[0006] Therefore, a new battery gripper is needed that is lightweight, simple, and has a low failure rate. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In response to the aforementioned technical problems, an airbag-type blade battery gripper is provided.

[0008] The technical means employed in this invention are as follows:

[0009] An airbag-type blade battery gripper includes a gripper mounting plate, a bracket fixed to the bottom of the gripper mounting plate, a connecting plate mounted on the bottom of the bracket, and multiple gripper devices arranged along the arrangement direction of the blade batteries on the bottom of the connecting plate. Each gripper device includes at least one gripper group. Each gripper group includes two opposing gripping plates, and an airbag group is mounted on the inner wall of at least one gripping plate. Each airbag group contains at least one airbag. The airbag group is connected to an air source.

[0010] Preferably, in the gripper assembly, one of the two gripping plates has the airbag assembly installed on its inner wall, while the other gripping plate does not have the airbag assembly installed but has multiple rubber nails installed.

[0011] Preferably, the airbag is embedded in the inner wall of the gripper plate. The airbag includes a cylindrical airbag body, an inflation plug at the bottom of the airbag body, and an inflation nozzle at the top of the airbag body. The airbag assembly is connected to the main pipeline via a branch pipeline, and the main pipeline is connected to the air source. The main pipeline is equipped with a main pipeline pressure reducing valve and a pressure alarm, and the branch pipeline is equipped with a branch pipeline pressure reducing valve.

[0012] Preferably, the gripper assembly further includes a central connecting block, the tops of the two gripping plates are respectively fixed to the two sides of the central connecting block, and the central connecting block is fixed to the bottom of the connecting plate.

[0013] Preferably, the connecting plate is composed of multiple independent connecting rods, the arrangement direction of the multiple connecting rods being parallel to the arrangement direction of the blade battery, and a gripper device is installed at the bottom of each connecting rod; both ends of the connecting rod are respectively attached to the bottom crossbeam of the bracket, and both ends of the connecting rod are slidably engaged with the bracket through vertical guide posts fixed to the bracket, the vertical guide posts penetrating the connecting rod; limit sensors fixed to the bracket are respectively provided above both ends of the connecting rod, and the bottom contacts of the limit sensors abut against the upper surface of the connecting rod.

[0014] Preferably, a compression spring is installed on the outside of the vertical guide post to ensure that the blade battery is kept pressed tightly during the robot's movement.

[0015] Preferably, the bracket includes a left bracket and a right bracket with the same structure. Each of the left bracket and the right bracket includes two vertical rods. The tops of the two vertical rods are fixed to the bottom of the gripper mounting plate, and the bottoms are respectively fixed to both ends of the bottom crossbeam. The middle mounting plate is located above the bottom crossbeam, and its two ends are respectively fixed to the middle of the two vertical rods.

[0016] The limit sensor is fixed to the side wall of the central mounting plate;

[0017] The compression spring is located between the central mounting plate and the connecting plate.

[0018] Preferably, two sets of gripper groups are fixed at the bottom of the connecting rod, and the two sets of gripper groups on two adjacent connecting rods are arranged alternately; the limit sensors above two adjacent connecting rods are arranged alternately and are respectively fixed on both sides of the middle mounting plate.

[0019] Preferably, the gripper mounting plate is equipped with battery bottom-holding devices at both ends of the blade battery along its length. The battery bottom-holding device includes a cylinder mounting bracket fixed to the side wall of the gripper mounting plate, a cylinder vertically fixed to the cylinder mounting bracket, a hinge member hinged to the output end of the cylinder and the bottom of the cylinder mounting bracket, a flip plate hinged to the hinge member, and an L-shaped battery baffle fixed to the bottom of the flip plate. The cylinder drives the flip plate and the L-shaped battery baffle to flip 90° through the hinge member to hold the lower edge of the blade battery at its end.

[0020] Preferably, the hinge includes a first hinge and a second hinge. The first hinge is vertically arranged and its sidewall is fixed to the flip plate. Its upper end is hinged to the bottom of the cylinder fixing frame. The second hinge is inclined to the outside and its top is hinged to the output end of the cylinder. Its bottom end is hinged to the bottom sidewall of the first hinge.

[0021] Preferably, the gripper mounting plate, the cylinder fixing bracket, and the flip plate are all provided with weight reduction holes.

[0022] Preferably, the gripper mounting plate is made of aluminum alloy 7075.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0024] 1. This invention provides an airbag-type blade battery gripper. It replaces the original cylinder-driven gripper assembly with an airbag-type gripper assembly. Instead of using cylinders and other complex, fault-prone devices to drive the gripper's movement towards or away from the blade battery, an airbag is directly installed on the gripper plate. Utilizing the inflatable nature of the airbag, the distance between the gripper plate and the blade battery is reduced, thus securing the battery. This significantly reduces the overall weight of the battery gripper to approximately 20% of traditional structures, greatly reducing the robot's load. Furthermore, it requires fewer pipes, has a simpler structure, and is easier to maintain. Even with an increased number of blade batteries to be gripped, the lateral dimensions of the device do not increase as much as with traditional gripper devices. Simultaneously, the amount and pressure of compressed air required by the airbag are far less than those required by the cylinder.

[0025] 2. To prevent the blade battery from tilting when gripping due to each gripper plate having an airbag, this invention includes one gripper plate with an airbag in the gripper assembly, while the other gripper plate does not. The gripper plate without an airbag is simply a vertically positioned plate, serving as a reference plane to ensure the blade battery remains vertical after clamping. To increase friction, rubber studs are added to the gripper plate without an airbag, increasing the coefficient of friction to 1.2.

[0026] 3. Traditional blade battery grippers either lack or only have two limit sensors. When a blade battery fails to accurately enter the battery transfer basket (which has multiple grooves for placing blade batteries), although a signal is emitted, it is unclear which blade battery is misplaced and has collided. Furthermore, due to the integrated connecting plate structure, even a small displacement caused by a blade battery collision does not displace the entire connecting plate, or if it does, the displacement is too small to trigger the limit sensors. This results in insufficient anti-collision accuracy. This invention, however, uses multiple separate connecting rods as the connecting plate, with a gripper device installed at the bottom of each rod. Each connecting rod is vertically slidably connected, and limit sensors are installed at both ends of each rod. When a collision occurs, it can directly determine which blade battery has not accurately entered the basket, and the limit sensors are triggered even with only a small displacement of the connecting rod, thus improving anti-collision accuracy.

[0027] 4. The clamping springs installed on the vertical guide columns ensure that the blade battery is kept pressed firmly during the robot's movement, preventing the blade battery from slipping as the robot moves the entire device and the blade battery.

[0028] 5. The two sets of gripper groups on the two adjacent connecting rods are arranged in an alternating manner, and the limit sensors above the two adjacent connecting rods are arranged in an alternating manner, and are respectively fixed on both sides of the central mounting plate, which can minimize the overall lateral space of the blade battery gripper.

[0029] 6. The battery support device enables rapid movement of the blade battery and the entire device. During the robot's rapid movement, the blade battery will not shake or become misaligned.

[0030] 7. The gripper mounting plate, the cylinder fixing bracket, and the flip plate are all provided with weight reduction holes; the structural design of multiple connecting rods and the structural design of the bracket can greatly reduce the weight of these basic mounting components, thereby reducing the weight of the entire device.

[0031] 8. The airbag, connecting rod, limit sensor, compression spring and other structures adopt a modular design, and the replacement time of a single airbag is ≤5 minutes.

[0032] 9. The airbag structure has no mechanical wear, reducing the failure rate to 1 / 7 of the original.

[0033] 10. The overall manufacturing cost of the equipment is reduced by 40%, and energy consumption is reduced by 68%.

[0034] 11. Each airbag assembly can independently adjust the pressure via a pressure reducing valve, and the flexible structure of the airbag can compensate for battery thickness tolerances.

[0035] Based on the above reasons, this invention can be widely applied in fields such as blade battery clamps. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of an airbag-type blade battery gripper according to the present invention.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the gripper assembly and the support frame of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the gripper group in this invention.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper assembly structure of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the airbag assembly structure in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the airbag assembly and the air source pipeline in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the battery bottom support device in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] In the diagram: 1. Gripper mounting plate; 2. Bracket; 21. Vertical rod; 22. Bottom crossbeam; 23. Middle mounting plate; 24. Vertical guide column; 25. Compression spring; 3. Connecting rod; 4. Grip assembly; 41. Grip plate; 42. Middle connecting block; 43. Airbag; 431. Airbag body; 432. Inflation plug; 433. Inflation nozzle; 44. Rubber nail; 45. Air source; 46. Main pipe pressure reducing valve; 47. Air pressure alarm; 48. Branch pipe pressure reducing valve; 5. Limit sensor; 6. Battery bottom support device; 61. Cylinder fixing bracket; 62. Cylinder; 63. First hinge; 64. Second hinge; 65. Flip plate; 66. L-shaped battery baffle; 7. Blade battery. Detailed Implementation

[0045] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of this invention can be combined with each other. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0046] like Figures 1-7 As shown, an airbag-type blade battery gripper includes a gripper mounting plate 1, which is used to fix to the output end of a robot. A bracket 2 is fixed to the bottom of the gripper mounting plate 1, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the bracket 2 includes a left bracket and a right bracket with the same structure. Both the left bracket and the right bracket include two vertical rods 21, a bottom crossbeam 22, and a middle mounting plate 23. The tops of the two vertical rods 21 are fixed to the bottom of the gripper mounting plate 1, and the bottoms are respectively fixed to both ends of the bottom crossbeam 22. The middle mounting plate 23 is located above the bottom crossbeam 22, and its two ends are respectively fixed to the middle of the two vertical rods 21.

[0047] like Figure 3As shown, a connecting plate is installed at the bottom of the bracket 2. The connecting plate consists of multiple independent connecting rods 3 (eight in this specific embodiment). The arrangement direction of the multiple connecting rods 3 is parallel to the arrangement direction of the blade battery 7. A gripper device is installed at the bottom of each connecting rod 3. The gripper device includes at least one set of gripper groups 4. In this specific embodiment, two sets of gripper groups 4 are used, and the two sets of gripper groups 4 clamp both sides of the blade battery 7 along its length direction, which can clamp it more stably. Figure 4 As shown, the gripper assembly 4 includes two opposing gripping plates 41, the tops of which are fixed to the sides of the central connecting block 42, and the central connecting block 42 is fixed to the bottom of the connecting rod 3; and an airbag assembly is installed on the inner wall of at least one gripping plate 41, the airbag assembly including at least one airbag 43; in this specific embodiment, one gripping plate 41 has two airbags 43, and the other gripping plate 41 does not have airbags 43, but has multiple rubber nails 44. Figure 5 As shown, the airbag 43 includes a cylindrical airbag body 431, an inflation plug 432 located at the bottom of the airbag body 431, and an inflation nozzle 433 located at the top of the airbag body 431. Figure 6 As shown, the inflation nozzles 433 of two airbags 43 in the same airbag group are connected to the main pipeline via a tee and a branch line, and the main pipeline is connected to the air source 45. The main pipeline is equipped with a main pipeline pressure reducing valve 46 and an air pressure alarm 47, and the branch pipeline is equipped with a branch pipeline pressure reducing valve 48.

[0048] The two ends of the connecting rod 3 are respectively attached to the two bottom crossbeams 22. The two ends of the connecting rod 3 are respectively slidably engaged with the bracket 2 through the vertical guide post 24 fixed between the middle mounting plate 23 and the bottom crossbeam 22. The vertical guide post 24 passes through the connecting rod 3, and a compression spring 25 is installed on the outside of the vertical guide post.

[0049] Limiting sensors 5, fixed to the middle mounting plate 23, are respectively installed above both ends of the connecting rod 3, with the bottom contact of the limiting sensor 5 abutting against the upper surface of the connecting rod 3. The limiting sensors 5 above two adjacent connecting rods 3 are arranged alternately and are respectively fixed to both sides of the middle mounting plate 23.

[0050] like Figure 7As shown, the gripper mounting plate 1 installs battery bottom-holding devices 6 at both ends of the blade battery 7 along its length. The battery bottom-holding device 6 includes a cylinder mounting bracket 61, a cylinder 62, a first hinge 63, a second hinge 64, a flipping plate 65, and an L-shaped battery baffle 66. The cylinder mounting bracket 61 is fixed to the gripper mounting plate 1, and the cylinder 62 is vertically fixed to the cylinder mounting bracket 61. The first hinge 63 is vertically arranged, and its sidewall is fixed to the flipping plate 65. Its upper end is hinged to the bottom of the cylinder mounting bracket 61. The second hinge 64 is inclined outward, and its top is hinged to the output end of the cylinder 62. Its bottom end is hinged to the bottom sidewall of the first hinge 63. The horizontal part of the L-shaped battery baffle 66 is fixed to the bottom of the flip plate 65; the cylinder 62 drives the flip plate 65 and the L-shaped battery baffle 66 to rotate 90° through the first hinge 63 and the second hinge 64 to hold the lower edge of the blade battery 7.

[0051] The gripper mounting plate 1, the cylinder fixing bracket 61, and the flipping plate 65 are all provided with weight reduction holes.

[0052] During operation, the robot is fixed to the gripper mounting plate 1 and moves to the location of the blade batteries 7 (such as a sorting logistics conveyor line). The air source 45 inflates the airbag 43, clamping the 8 blade batteries 7. The cylinder 62 presses down on the first hinge 63, and the horizontal flip plate 65 flips 90° to become vertical. The L-shaped battery baffle 66 holds the lower edge of the blade battery 7. Then, the robot moves the airbag-type blade battery gripper into the battery transfer basket. If some blade batteries 7 do not fit perfectly into the basket and collide during placement, the connecting rod 3 will be forced to move upward, thereby triggering the limit sensor 5, and the robot will stop working.

[0053] The performance comparison between this invention and a traditional 16-cylinder blade battery gripper is as follows:

[0054]

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An airbag blade battery gripper characterized by, The clamping jaw mounting plate is fixed at the bottom of a support, the bottom of the support is provided with a connecting plate, the bottom of the connecting plate is provided with eight gripper devices along the arrangement direction of the blade battery, the gripper device includes two groups of gripper groups; one of the inner walls of the gripper plate is provided with an air bag group, and the air bag group has at least one air bag; The air bag group is connected with the main pipe through a branch pipe, and the main pipe is communicated with the gas source, the main pipe is provided with a main pipe pressure reducing valve and a gas pressure alarm, and the branch pipe is provided with a branch pipe pressure reducing valve; The connecting plate is composed of a plurality of independent connecting rods, the arrangement direction of the connecting rods is parallel to the arrangement direction of the blade battery, and the bottom of each connecting rod is provided with a gripper device; the two ends of the connecting rod are respectively overlapped on the bottom beam of the support, and the two ends of the connecting rod are respectively connected with the support through the vertical guide column fixed on the support and the sliding fit of the support, and the vertical guide column penetrates the connecting rod; the two ends of the connecting rod are provided with a limit sensor fixed on the support, and the bottom contact of the limit sensor is in contact with the upper surface of the connecting rod; The vertical guide column is provided with a compression spring outside to ensure that the robot can press the blade battery at any time during movement; The support includes a left support and a right support which are the same structure, the left support and the right support each include two vertical rods, the top of the two vertical rods is fixed with the bottom of the clamping jaw mounting plate, and the bottom is fixed with the two ends of the bottom beam; the middle mounting plate is located above the bottom beam, and the two ends are respectively fixed with the middle of the two vertical rods; the limit sensor is fixed on the side wall of the middle mounting plate; the compression spring is located between the middle mounting plate and the connecting plate; The two groups of gripper groups on the two adjacent connecting rods are staggered; the limit sensors above the two adjacent connecting rods are staggered and fixed on the two sides of the middle mounting plate; The clamping jaw mounting plate is provided with a battery bottom pocket device at both ends in the length direction of the blade battery.

2. An air bag blade battery gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that, A plurality of rubber nails are installed on the gripper plate without the air bag group.

3. An air bag blade battery gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air bag includes a cylindrical air bag body, an inflation plug at the bottom of the air bag body, and an inflation nozzle at the top of the air bag body.

4. An air bag blade battery gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper group further includes a middle connecting block, the top of the two gripper plates is respectively fixed with the two sides of the middle connecting block, and the middle connecting block is fixed with the bottom of the connecting plate.

5. An air bag blade battery gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery pocketing device comprises a cylinder fixing frame fixed to the side wall of the clamp jaw mounting plate, a cylinder vertically fixed to the cylinder fixing frame, a hinge piece hinged to the output end of the cylinder and the bottom of the cylinder fixing frame, a turnover plate hinged to the hinge piece, and an L-shaped battery baffle fixed to the bottom of the turnover plate; the cylinder drives the turnover plate and the L-shaped battery baffle to turn over 90° through the hinge piece to pocket the lower edge of the end of the blade battery; the hinge piece comprises a first hinge piece and a second hinge piece, the first hinge piece is vertically arranged, the side wall thereof is fixed to the turnover plate, and the upper end thereof is hinged to the bottom of the cylinder fixing frame; the second hinge piece is outwardly inclined, the top thereof is hinged to the output end of the cylinder, and the bottom thereof is hinged to the bottom side wall of the first hinge piece.

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