Appearance detection system and method for lithium battery cell

Abstract

The invention relates to an appearance detection system and method for a lithium battery cell, and the system comprises a bearing pedestal, a tray, a supporting plate, an annular driving guide rail, a rotary table mechanism, a positioning clamp, a guiding slide rail, a detection head, a lifting driving mechanism, and a visual detection mechanism, the bearing pedestal is a plate-shaped structure with a rectangular cross section, and the upper end surface of the bearing pedestal is connected with the tray through the rotary table mechanism; the upper end face of the tray is connected with the supporting plate through a lifting driving mechanism, the upper end face of the supporting plate is provided with an assembling groove, meanwhile, each assembling groove is internally provided with an annular driving guide rail, at least two positioning clamps evenly distributed around the axis of the annular driving guide rail are arranged in the annular driving guide rail, and the detection head is in sliding connection with the upper end face of the bearing base through a guide sliding rail. According to the invention, the requirement of rapid and efficient detection operation on the appearance quality of lithium battery cells of various structure types can be effectively met, and the precision and comprehensiveness of the appearance detection operation on the lithium battery cells are greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to lithium battery production equipment, in particular to a system and method for detecting the appearance of lithium battery cells. Background Art

[0002] In the production of lithium battery products, it is often necessary to inspect the appearance of lithium batteries in order to promptly discover safety hazards in lithium battery equipment. Therefore, in the current lithium battery production, a variety of lithium battery cell appearance quality inspection equipment has been developed. However, in actual use, it is found that the current lithium battery cell appearance quality inspection equipment is often single-function and has low inspection efficiency. For example, during the inspection operation, on the one hand, the staff is required to frequently adjust the inspection position of the lithium battery to be inspected. On the other hand, the inspection operation is mainly carried out by the staff through visual inspection and then the camera equipment. Although it can meet the needs of use, the inspection accuracy is relatively poor. As a result, the efficiency and accuracy of the current lithium battery cell appearance inspection work are relatively poor, which makes it difficult to effectively meet the needs of production.

[0003] In addition, current traditional lithium battery cell appearance inspection equipment is often unable to effectively detect the heat generated by the battery cell during the charging and discharging process, and therefore cannot effectively and intuitively detect the charging and discharging performance of the battery cell. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a system and method for lithium battery cell appearance inspection. The system of the invention is modular, highly integrated, and has strong environmental adaptability. It is based on a machine vision inspection mechanism and can effectively meet the needs of fast and efficient inspection of the appearance quality of lithium battery cells of various structural types. At the same time, it greatly improves the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the appearance inspection of lithium battery cells, thereby helping to improve the production efficiency of battery products and the stability of product quality.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a system and method for inspecting the appearance of lithium battery cells: A system for inspecting the appearance of lithium battery cells, comprising a bearing base, a tray, a support plate, an annular drive guide rail, a turntable mechanism, a positioning fixture, a guide slide, a detection head, a lifting drive mechanism, a visual inspection mechanism and a drive circuit. The bearing base is a plate-shaped structure with a rectangular cross section, the upper end face of which is connected to the tray through a turntable mechanism, and the tray can rotate within a range of 0°-360° through the turntable mechanism. The tray, the bearing base and the turntable mechanism are coaxially distributed, the upper end face of the tray is connected to the support plate through a lifting drive mechanism, the support plate is a plate-shaped mechanism with a rectangular cross section, the plate surface of which is perpendicular to the upper end face of the tray, there are two support plates, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the center line of the tray, and each support plate upper end face is provided with an arc-shaped assembly groove, and each assembly groove is provided with a coaxial assembly groove. The annular drive guide rail is arranged in a circular manner, and at least two positioning fixtures are arranged in the annular drive guide rail, which are evenly distributed around the axis of the annular drive guide rail, and the positioning fixtures in the two annular drive guide rails are symmetrically distributed with respect to the axis of the pallet, and each positioning fixture is slidingly connected to the pallet through the annular drive guide rail. There are two detection heads in total, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the axis of the annular drive guide rail and are slidingly connected to the upper end face of the bearing base through the guide slide rail, and the axis of the guide slide rail is perpendicular to the axis of the annular drive guide rail. A visual detection mechanism is provided on the upper end face of the detection head, and the detection axis of the visual detection mechanism is perpendicular to and intersects with the axis of the annular drive guide rail. The driving circuit is connected to the outer side surface of the bearing base, and is respectively electrically connected to the annular drive guide rail, the turntable mechanism, the positioning fixtures, the guide slide rail, the visual detection mechanism, and the lifting drive mechanism.

[0006] Furthermore, the visual detection mechanism includes a gimbal stabilizer, a fill light, an infrared temperature measuring camera, a 3D scanner, a terminal block, and a video processing circuit. The infrared temperature measuring camera and the 3D scanner are each provided with one, and are respectively hinged to the detection head through the gimbal stabilizer, wherein the infrared temperature measuring camera is connected to the front end face of the detection head, and the 3D scanner is connected to the upper end face of the detection head, and the infrared temperature measuring camera and the 3D scanner are both located at the midpoint between the two annular drive rails, and the axes of the infrared temperature measuring camera and the 3D scanner are vertically distributed and intersected with the axes of the annular drive rails, and the axes of the infrared temperature measuring camera The axis of the annular drive guide rail is located in the same plane parallel to the upper end surface of the tray. The axis of the 3D scanner is located above the axis of the annular drive guide rail and forms an angle of 15°-60° with the upper end surface of the tray. There are at least two fill lights, which are symmetrically distributed on the two end surfaces of the detection head and whose optical axes are perpendicular to and intersect with the axis of the annular drive guide rail. The gimbal stabilizer, fill light, infrared temperature measurement camera, and 3D scanner are respectively electrically connected to the video processing circuit and the wiring terminals. At the same time, the video processing circuit is also electrically connected to the wiring terminals. At least one of the wiring terminals is embedded outside the rear end surface of the detection head and is electrically connected to the drive circuit.

[0007] Furthermore, a brightness sensor and an illuminometer are provided on the front end surface of the detection head, and both the brightness sensor and the illuminometer are electrically connected to the wiring terminals.

[0008] Furthermore, the annular drive guide rail is connected to the bottom of the assembly groove of the support plate through a positioning buckle, and the outer side surface of the annular drive guide rail is connected to the outer side surface of the support plate through at least one auxiliary support arm.

[0009] Furthermore, the tray and the lifting drive mechanism are connected to each other via at least one slide groove, and the axis of the slide groove is parallel to the axis of the annular drive guide rail.

[0010] Furthermore, the annular driving guide rail and the guide slide rail are driven by any one of a gear rack mechanism, a linear motor mechanism and a chain drive mechanism.

[0011] Furthermore, the driving circuit is a circuit system based on a programmable controller, and the driving circuit is further provided with a serial communication circuit and a control interface based on any one of a multi-touch display and a keyboard or a combination of both.

[0012] A method for using a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system, characterized in that the method for using the lithium battery cell appearance inspection system comprises the following steps: S1, system assembly: First, assemble the supporting base, tray, support plate, annular drive rail, turntable mechanism, positioning fixture, guide rail, detection head, lifting drive mechanism, visual inspection mechanism and drive circuit to obtain the finished inspection equipment. Then, adjust the working position of each detection head and the visual inspection mechanism connected to the detection head, and adjust the spacing between the two annular drive rails according to the structure of the battery to be inspected. S2, inspection operation, the two ends of the battery to be inspected are fixed in the two annular drive rails by positioning fixtures and are coaxially distributed between the annular drive rails. Then, on the one hand, the visual inspection mechanism is driven to operate, and the infrared temperature measurement camera and 3D scanner of the visual inspection mechanism perform machine vision inspection on the battery appearance mechanism. On the other hand, the annular drive rail is driven to operate, so that the lithium battery to be inspected rotates 360°, and a comprehensive machine vision inspection operation is performed on the appearance of the lithium battery cell to be inspected during the rotation process; finally, the tray is driven to rotate by the turntable mechanism, and the two ends of the lithium battery to be inspected are respectively within the inspection range of the visual inspection mechanism, thereby realizing the need for comprehensive inspection of the lithium battery to be inspected as a whole.

[0013] Compared with the existing technology, the system of the present invention is highly modularized and integrated, and has strong environmental adaptability. Based on a machine vision inspection mechanism, it can effectively meet the needs of fast and efficient inspection of the appearance quality of lithium battery cells of various structural types. At the same time, it greatly improves the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the appearance inspection of lithium battery cells, thereby helping to improve the production efficiency of battery products and the stability of product quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of the side view of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a top view of a local structure of the present invention; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the process of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0016] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2, a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system, including a carrying base 1, a tray 2, a support plate 3, an annular drive guide rail 4, a turntable mechanism 5, a positioning fixture 6, a guide slide 7, a detection head 8, a lifting drive mechanism 9, a visual inspection mechanism 10 and a drive circuit 11. The carrying base 1 is a plate-shaped structure with a rectangular cross section, and its upper end surface is connected to the tray 3 through the turntable mechanism 5, and the tray 3 can rotate in the range of 0°-360° through the turntable mechanism 5. The tray 2, the carrying base 1 and the turntable mechanism 5 are coaxially distributed. The upper end surface of the tray 2 is connected to the support plate 3 through the lifting drive mechanism 9. The support plate 3 is a plate-shaped mechanism with a rectangular cross section, and its plate surface is perpendicular to the upper end surface of the tray 2. There are two support plates 3, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the center line of the tray 2, and each support plate 3 has an arc-shaped assembly groove 12 on its upper end surface, and each assembly groove 12 is provided with a An annular drive guide rail 4 is distributed along the axis, and at least two positioning fixtures 6 are arranged in the annular drive guide rail 4, which are evenly distributed around the axis thereof, and the positioning fixtures 6 in the two annular drive guide rails 4 are symmetrically distributed about the axis of the tray 2, and each positioning fixture 6 is slidingly connected to the pallet 3 through the annular drive guide rail 4. There are two detection heads 8, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the axis of the annular drive guide rail 4 and are slidingly connected to the upper end face of the bearing base 1 through the guide slide rail 7, and the axis of the guide slide rail 7 is perpendicular to the axis of the annular drive guide rail 4. A visual detection mechanism 10 is arranged on the upper end face of the detection head 8, and the detection axis of the visual detection mechanism 10 is perpendicular to and intersects with the axis of the annular drive guide rail 4. The drive circuit 11 is connected to the outer side surface of the bearing base 1, and is respectively electrically connected to the annular drive guide rail 4, the turntable mechanism 5, the positioning fixture 6, the guide slide rail 7, the visual detection mechanism 10, and the lifting drive mechanism 9.

[0017] In this embodiment, the lifting drive mechanism 9 is any one of an electric telescopic rod, a pneumatic telescopic rod and a hydraulic telescopic rod.

[0018] It is emphasized that the visual detection mechanism 10 includes a gimbal stabilizer 101, a fill light 102, an infrared temperature measuring camera 103, a 3D scanner 104, a terminal 105, and a video processing circuit 106. The infrared temperature measuring camera 103 and the 3D scanner 104 are each provided with one, and are respectively hinged to the detection head 8 through the gimbal stabilizer 101, wherein the infrared temperature measuring camera 103 is connected to the front end surface of the detection head 8, and the 3D scanner 104 is connected to the upper end surface of the detection head 8, and the infrared temperature measuring camera 103 and the 3D scanner 104 are both located at the midpoint between the two annular drive rails 4, and the axes of the infrared temperature measuring camera 103 and the 3D scanner 104 are perpendicular to and intersect with the axes of the annular drive rails 4, and the infrared temperature measuring camera The axis of the camera 103 and the axis of the annular drive guide rail 4 are located in the same plane parallel to the upper end surface of the tray 2. The axis of the 3D scanner 104 is located above the axis of the annular drive guide rail 4 and forms an angle of 15°-60° with the upper end surface of the tray 2. There are at least two fill lights 102, which are symmetrically distributed on the two end surfaces of the detection head 8, and their optical axes are perpendicular to and intersect with the axis of the annular drive guide rail 4. The gimbal stabilizer 101, fill light 102, infrared temperature measurement camera 103, and 3D scanner 104 are respectively electrically connected to the video processing circuit 106 and the wiring terminal 105. At the same time, the video processing circuit 106 is also electrically connected to the wiring terminal 105. At least one of the wiring terminals 105 is embedded outside the rear end surface of the detection head 8 and is electrically connected to the drive circuit 11.

[0019] The installed 3D scanner can accurately detect the appearance structure of lithium battery cells. While detecting the structural dimensions of the battery cells, it can also achieve comprehensive and accurate detection of surface defects such as bumps, cracks, and burrs on the battery cells. The installed infrared temperature measurement camera can accurately detect and identify the heat generation and heating parts of lithium battery cells during charging and discharging.

[0020] For further optimization, the video processing circuit 106 is arranged in any structure, either inside or outside the detection head.

[0021] Furthermore, a brightness sensor 14 and an illuminometer 13 are further provided on the front end surface of the detection head 8 , and both the brightness sensor 14 and the illuminometer 13 are electrically connected to the connection terminal 105 .

[0022] The annular drive guide rail 4 is connected to the bottom of the assembly groove 13 of the support plate 3 via a positioning buckle 15 , and the outer side surface of the annular drive guide rail 4 is connected to the outer side surface of the support plate 3 via at least one auxiliary support arm 16 .

[0023] At the same time, the tray 2 and the lifting drive mechanism 9 are connected to each other through at least one slide groove 17, and the axis of the slide groove 17 is parallel to the axis of the annular drive guide rail 4.

[0024] In this embodiment, the annular driving guide rail 4 and the guide slide rail 7 are driven by any one of a gear rack mechanism, a linear motor mechanism and a chain drive mechanism.

[0025] In this embodiment, the driving circuit 11 is a circuit system based on a programmable controller, and the driving circuit 11 is further provided with a serial communication circuit and a control interface based on any one of a multi-touch display and a keyboard, or both.

[0026] like Figure 3 As shown, a method for using a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system is characterized in that the method for using the lithium battery cell appearance inspection system includes the following steps: S1, system assembly: First, assemble the supporting base, tray, support plate, annular drive rail, turntable mechanism, positioning fixture, guide rail, detection head, lifting drive mechanism, visual inspection mechanism and drive circuit to obtain the finished inspection equipment. Then, adjust the working position of each detection head and the visual inspection mechanism connected to the detection head, and adjust the spacing between the two annular drive rails according to the structure of the battery to be inspected. S2, inspection operation, the two ends of the battery to be inspected are fixed in the two annular drive rails by positioning fixtures and are coaxially distributed between the annular drive rails. Then, on the one hand, the visual inspection mechanism is driven to operate, and the infrared temperature measurement camera and 3D scanner of the visual inspection mechanism perform machine vision inspection on the battery appearance mechanism. On the other hand, the annular drive rail is driven to operate, so that the lithium battery to be inspected rotates 360°, and a comprehensive machine vision inspection operation is performed on the appearance of the lithium battery cell to be inspected during the rotation process; finally, the tray is driven to rotate by the turntable mechanism, and the two ends of the lithium battery to be inspected are respectively within the inspection range of the visual inspection mechanism, thereby realizing the need for comprehensive inspection of the lithium battery to be inspected as a whole.

[0027] Compared with the existing technology, the system of the present invention is highly modularized and integrated, and has strong environmental adaptability. Based on a machine vision inspection mechanism, it can effectively meet the needs of fast and efficient inspection of the appearance quality of lithium battery cells of various structural types. At the same time, it greatly improves the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the appearance inspection of lithium battery cells, thereby helping to improve the production efficiency of battery products and the stability of product quality.

[0028] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a" does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0029] In the description of this specification, the terms "connect", "install", "fix", "set", etc. are understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate component without affecting the relationship between components and the technical effect. It can also be an integral connection or a partial connection. As in this example, for ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention or in the invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0030] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A lithium battery cell appearance inspection system, characterized in that: The lithium battery cell appearance inspection system includes a bearing base, a tray, a support plate, an annular drive guide rail, a turntable mechanism, a positioning fixture, a guide slide, a detection head, a lifting drive mechanism, a visual detection mechanism and a drive circuit. The bearing base is a plate-like structure with a rectangular cross section, and its upper end face is connected to the tray through a turntable mechanism, and the tray can rotate in the range of 0°-360° through the turntable mechanism. The tray, the bearing base and the turntable mechanism are coaxially distributed, and the upper end face of the tray is connected to the support plate through a lifting drive mechanism. The support plate is a plate-like mechanism with a rectangular cross section, and its plate surface is perpendicular to the upper end face of the tray. There are two support plates in total, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the center line of the tray, and the upper end face of each support plate is provided with an arc-shaped assembly groove, and each assembly groove is provided with a coaxial assembly groove. The annular drive guide rail is provided with at least two positioning fixtures evenly distributed around its axis, and the positioning fixtures in the two annular drive guide rails are symmetrically distributed with respect to the tray axis, and each positioning fixture is slidingly connected to the tray through the annular drive guide rail. There are two detection heads, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the annular drive guide rail axis and are slidingly connected to the upper end face of the bearing base through the guide slide rail, and the axis of the guide slide rail is perpendicular to the axis of the annular drive guide rail. A visual detection mechanism is provided on the upper end face of the detection head, and the detection axis of the visual detection mechanism is perpendicular to and intersects with the axis of the annular drive guide rail. The driving circuit is connected to the outer side surface of the bearing base, and is respectively electrically connected to the annular drive guide rail, the turntable mechanism, the positioning fixtures, the guide slide rail, the visual detection mechanism, and the lifting drive mechanism.

2. A lithium battery cell appearance inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual detection mechanism includes a gimbal stabilizer, a fill light, an infrared temperature measuring camera, a 3D scanner, a wiring terminal, and a video processing circuit. The infrared temperature measuring camera and the 3D scanner are each provided with one, and are respectively hinged to the detection head through the gimbal stabilizer, wherein the infrared temperature measuring camera is connected to the front end face of the detection head, and the 3D scanner is connected to the upper end face of the detection head, and the infrared temperature measuring camera and the 3D scanner are both located at the midpoint between the two annular drive rails, and the axes of the infrared temperature measuring camera and the 3D scanner are perpendicular to and intersect with the axes of the annular drive rails, and the axes of the infrared temperature measuring camera and the annular drive rails are The axis of the circular drive guide rail is located in the same plane parallel to the upper end surface of the tray. The axis of the 3D scanner is located above the axis of the annular drive guide rail and forms an angle of 15°-60° with the upper end surface of the tray. There are at least two fill lights, which are symmetrically distributed on the two end surfaces of the detection head and whose optical axes are perpendicular to and intersect with the axis of the annular drive guide rail. The gimbal stabilizer, fill light, infrared temperature measurement camera, and 3D scanner are respectively electrically connected to the video processing circuit and the wiring terminals. At the same time, the video processing circuit is also electrically connected to the wiring terminals. At least one of the wiring terminals is embedded outside the rear end surface of the detection head and is electrically connected to the drive circuit.

3. A lithium battery cell appearance inspection system according to claim 2, characterized in that: A brightness sensor and an illuminometer are further provided on the front end surface of the detection head, and both the brightness sensor and the illuminometer are electrically connected to the wiring terminals.

4. The lithium battery cell appearance inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The annular drive guide rail is connected to the bottom of the assembly groove of the support plate through a positioning buckle, and the outer side surface of the annular drive guide rail is connected to the outer side surface of the support plate through at least one auxiliary support arm.

5. The lithium battery cell appearance inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tray and the lifting drive mechanism are connected to each other through at least one sliding groove, and the axis of the sliding groove is parallel to the axis of the annular driving guide rail.

6. The lithium battery cell appearance inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The annular driving guide rail and the guide slide rail are driven by any one of a gear rack mechanism, a linear motor mechanism and a chain drive mechanism.

7. The lithium battery cell appearance inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving circuit is a circuit system based on a programmable controller, and the driving circuit is further provided with a serial communication circuit and a control interface based on any one of a multi-touch display and a keyboard or a combination of both.

8. The method for using a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method for using the lithium battery cell appearance inspection system comprises the following steps: S1, system assembly: First, assemble the supporting base, tray, support plate, annular drive rail, turntable mechanism, positioning fixture, guide rail, detection head, lifting drive mechanism, visual inspection mechanism and drive circuit to obtain the finished inspection equipment. Then, adjust the working position of each detection head and the visual inspection mechanism connected to the detection head, and adjust the spacing between the two annular drive rails according to the structure of the battery to be inspected. S2, inspection operation, the two ends of the battery to be inspected are fixed in the two annular drive rails by positioning fixtures and are coaxially distributed between the annular drive rails. Then, on the one hand, the visual inspection mechanism is driven to operate, and the infrared temperature measurement camera and 3D scanner of the visual inspection mechanism perform machine vision inspection on the battery appearance mechanism. On the other hand, the annular drive rail is driven to operate, so that the lithium battery to be inspected rotates 360°, and a comprehensive machine vision inspection operation is performed on the appearance of the lithium battery cell to be inspected during the rotation process; finally, the tray is driven to rotate by the turntable mechanism, and the two ends of the lithium battery to be inspected are respectively within the inspection range of the visual inspection mechanism, thereby realizing the need for comprehensive inspection of the lithium battery to be inspected as a whole.

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