A system for lithium battery cell appearance detection and a method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of for lithium battery cell appearance detection system and its method, including bearing base, tray, supporting plate, annular drive guide rail, rotary table mechanism, positioning clamp, guide slide, detection head, lifting drive mechanism, visual detection mechanism, bearing base is the plate structure of the rectangle of cross section, its upper end is connected with tray by rotary table mechanism, tray upper end is connected with supporting plate by lifting drive mechanism, supporting plate upper end is equipped with one assembly slot, while each assembly slot is equipped with one annular drive guide rail, at least two positioning clamps that are evenly distributed around its axis are arranged in annular drive guide rail, and detection head is slidably connected with the upper end surface of bearing base by guide slide.The present application can effectively meet the needs of the rapid and efficient detection operation of the appearance quality of multiple structure types lithium battery cell, and greatly improve the precision and comprehensiveness of lithium battery cell appearance detection operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to lithium battery production equipment, specifically a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system and method. Background Technology

[0002] In lithium battery production, it is often necessary to inspect the appearance and structure of lithium batteries to promptly identify potential safety hazards in the equipment. Therefore, various lithium battery cell appearance quality inspection devices have been developed for lithium battery production. However, in practical use, it has been found that current lithium battery cell appearance quality inspection devices are often functionally limited and have low inspection efficiency. For example, during inspection, workers need to frequently adjust the positioning of the lithium battery to be inspected. Furthermore, the inspection process mainly relies on visual inspection by workers combined with video recording equipment. While this meets the basic requirements, the inspection accuracy is relatively poor. Consequently, the efficiency and accuracy of current lithium battery cell appearance inspection work are relatively low, making it difficult to effectively meet production needs.

[0003] Furthermore, current traditional lithium battery cell appearance inspection equipment often fails to effectively detect the heat generated by the cell during the charging and discharging process, thus making it impossible to effectively and intuitively test the charging and discharging performance of the battery cell. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system and method. This invention system is highly modular and integrated, with strong environmental adaptability. Based on a machine vision inspection mechanism, it can effectively meet the needs of rapid and efficient inspection of the appearance quality of lithium battery cells of various structural types, while greatly improving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of lithium battery cell appearance inspection, thereby helping to improve battery product production efficiency and product quality stability.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a system and method for inspecting the appearance of lithium battery cells:

[0006] A lithium battery cell appearance inspection system includes a support base, a tray, a pallet, a ring drive rail, a turntable mechanism, a positioning fixture, a guide rail, an inspection head, a lifting drive mechanism, a vision inspection mechanism, and a drive circuit. The support base is a plate-like structure with a rectangular cross-section. Its upper end face is connected to the tray via the turntable mechanism, and the tray can rotate within a range of 0° to 360° via the turntable mechanism. The tray, support base, and turntable mechanism are coaxially distributed. The upper end face of the tray is connected to the pallet via the lifting drive mechanism. The pallet is a plate-like structure with a rectangular cross-section, and its surface is perpendicular to the upper end face of the tray. There are two pallets, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the center line of the tray, and each pallet has an arc-shaped assembly groove on its upper end face. Each assembly groove also has a coaxially arranged... The device includes a circular drive rail with at least two positioning fixtures evenly distributed around its axis. The positioning fixtures within the two circular drive rails are symmetrically distributed with respect to the tray axis, and each positioning fixture is slidably connected to the tray via the circular drive rail. There are two detection heads, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the circular drive rail axis, and slidably connected to the upper end face of the support base via guide rails. The axis of the guide rails is perpendicular to the axis of the circular drive rail. A vision inspection mechanism is provided on the upper end face of the detection head, and the detection axis of the vision inspection mechanism is perpendicular to and intersects the axis of the circular drive rail. The drive circuit is connected to the outer side of the support base and is electrically connected to the circular drive rail, turntable mechanism, positioning fixtures, guide rails, vision inspection mechanism, and lifting drive mechanism, respectively.

[0007] Furthermore, the visual inspection mechanism includes a gimbal stabilizer, a supplementary light, an infrared temperature measurement camera, a 3D scanner, terminal blocks, and a video processing circuit. One infrared temperature measurement camera and one 3D scanner are each hinged to the inspection head via the gimbal stabilizer. The infrared temperature measurement camera is connected to the front end face of the inspection head, and the 3D scanner is connected to the upper end face of the inspection head. Both the infrared temperature measurement camera and the 3D scanner are located at the midpoint between two annular drive rails, and their axes are perpendicular to and intersect with the axes of the annular drive rails. The axis of the infrared temperature measurement camera... The 3D scanner axis is located in the same plane parallel to the upper surface of the tray as the axis of the annular drive rail. The axis of the 3D scanner is located above the axis of the annular drive rail and forms an angle of 15°–60° with the upper surface of the tray. There are at least two supplementary lights, which are symmetrically distributed on both ends of the detection head. Their optical axes are perpendicular to and intersect the axis of the annular drive rail. The gimbal stabilizer, supplementary lights, infrared temperature measurement camera, and 3D scanner are all electrically connected to the video processing circuit and the wiring terminals, respectively. At the same time, the video processing circuit is also electrically connected to the wiring terminals. There is at least one wiring terminal, which is embedded outside the rear end face of the detection head and electrically connected to the drive circuit.

[0008] Furthermore, a brightness sensor and an illuminance meter are provided on the front end face of the detection head, and both the brightness sensor and the illuminance meter are electrically connected to the wiring terminals.

[0009] Furthermore, the annular drive rail is connected to the bottom of the mounting groove of the tray by a positioning buckle, and the outer side of the annular drive rail is connected to the outer side of the tray by at least one auxiliary support arm.

[0010] Furthermore, the tray and the lifting drive mechanism are connected to each other by at least one slide groove, and the axis of the slide groove is parallel to the axis of the annular drive guide rail.

[0011] Furthermore, the annular drive rail and the guide slide rail are all driven by any one of the following mechanisms: gear and rack mechanism, linear motor mechanism and chain drive mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, the driving circuit is a circuit system based on a programmable controller, and the driving circuit is also equipped with a serial communication circuit and a control interface based on any one or both of a multi-touch display and a keyboard.

[0013] A method of using a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system, characterized in that the method of using the lithium battery cell appearance inspection system includes the following steps:

[0014] S1, System Assembly: First, assemble the supporting base, tray, pallet, ring drive rail, turntable mechanism, positioning fixture, guide rail, detection head, lifting drive mechanism, vision inspection mechanism and drive circuit to obtain the finished inspection equipment. Then, adjust the working position of each detection head and the vision inspection mechanism connected to the detection head, and at the same time, adjust the distance between the two ring drive rails according to the structure of the battery to be inspected.

[0015] S2, Inspection Operation: The two ends of the battery to be inspected are fixed within two annular drive rails by positioning fixtures and are coaxially distributed with the annular drive rails. Then, on one hand, the vision inspection mechanism is driven to run, and the infrared temperature measurement camera and 3D scanner of the vision inspection mechanism perform machine vision inspection on the appearance of the battery. On the other hand, the annular drive rails are driven to run, so that the lithium battery to be inspected rotates 360°, and a comprehensive machine vision inspection of the appearance of the lithium battery cell is carried out during the rotation. Finally, the turntable mechanism drives the tray to rotate, so that the two ends of the lithium battery to be inspected are respectively within the inspection range of the vision inspection mechanism, thereby realizing the need for comprehensive inspection of the entire lithium battery.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention has a high degree of modularity and integration, strong environmental adaptability, and is based on a machine vision inspection mechanism. It can effectively meet the needs of rapid and efficient inspection of the appearance quality of lithium battery cells of various structural types, while greatly improving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of lithium battery cell appearance inspection, thereby helping to improve the production efficiency and product quality stability of battery products. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a side view of a partial structural diagram of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a top view of a partial structural diagram of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the method flow of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2A lithium battery cell appearance inspection system includes a support base 1, a tray 2, a pallet 3, a ring drive rail 4, a turntable mechanism 5, a positioning fixture 6, a guide rail 7, an inspection head 8, a lifting drive mechanism 9, a vision inspection mechanism 10, and a drive circuit 11. The support base 1 is a plate-shaped structure with a rectangular cross-section. Its upper end face is connected to the tray 3 through the turntable mechanism 5, and the tray 3 can rotate within a range of 0° to 360° through the turntable mechanism 5. The tray 2, the support base 1, and the turntable mechanism 5 are coaxially distributed. The upper end face of the tray 2 is connected to the pallet 3 through the lifting drive mechanism 9. The pallet 3 is a plate-shaped structure with a rectangular cross-section, and its plate surface is perpendicular to the upper end face of the tray 2. There are two pallets 3, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the center line of the tray 2, and each pallet 3 has an arc-shaped assembly groove 12 on its upper end face. At the same time, each assembly groove 12 has a corresponding arc-shaped assembly groove 12. The system includes an annular drive rail 4 with at least two positioning fixtures 6 evenly distributed around its axis. The positioning fixtures 6 within the two annular drive rails 4 are symmetrically distributed with respect to the axis of the tray 2. Each positioning fixture 6 is slidably connected to the tray 3 via the annular drive rail 4. There are two detection heads 8, symmetrically distributed on both sides of the axis of the annular drive rail 4, and slidably connected to the upper surface of the support base 1 via guide rails 7. The axis of the guide rails 7 is perpendicular to the axis of the annular drive rail 4. A vision inspection mechanism 10 is provided on the upper surface of the detection head 8. The detection axis of the vision inspection mechanism 10 is perpendicular to and intersects the axis of the annular drive rail 4. The drive circuit 11 is connected to the outer side of the support base 1 and is electrically connected to the annular drive rail 4, the turntable mechanism 5, the positioning fixtures 6, the guide rails 7, the vision inspection mechanism 10, and the lifting drive mechanism 9, respectively.

[0022] 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.

[0023] As specifically noted, the visual inspection mechanism 10 includes a gimbal stabilizer 101, a supplementary light 102, an infrared temperature measuring camera 103, a 3D scanner 104, a terminal block 105, and a video processing circuit 106. One infrared temperature measuring camera 103 and one 3D scanner 104 are each provided and hinged to the inspection head 8 via the gimbal stabilizer 101. The infrared temperature measuring camera 103 is connected to the front end face of the inspection head 8, and the 3D scanner 104 is connected to the upper end face of the inspection head 8. Both the infrared temperature measuring camera 103 and the 3D scanner 104 are located at the midpoint between the two annular drive rails 4, and their axes are perpendicular to and intersect with the axes of the annular drive rails 4. The axis of the camera 103 and the axis of the annular drive rail 4 are located in the same plane parallel to the upper surface of the tray 2. The axis of the 3D scanner 104 is located above the axis of the annular drive rail 4 and forms an angle of 15° to 60° with the upper surface of the tray 2. There are at least two supplementary lights 102, which are symmetrically distributed on both ends of the detection head 8. Their optical axes are perpendicular to and intersect the axis of the annular drive rail 4. The gimbal stabilizer 101, supplementary lights 102, infrared temperature measuring camera 103, and 3D scanner 104 are all electrically connected to the video processing circuit 106 and the terminal block 105, respectively. At the same time, the video processing circuit 106 is also electrically connected to the terminal block 105. At least one terminal block 105 is embedded outside the rear end face of the detection head 8 and is electrically connected to the drive circuit 11.

[0024] The 3D scanner can accurately inspect the appearance and structure of lithium battery cells. While inspecting the structural dimensions of the battery cells, it can also comprehensively and accurately inspect defects such as surface bumps, cracks, and burrs on the battery cells.

[0025] The infrared temperature measurement camera can accurately detect and identify the heat generation and hot spots of lithium battery cells during charging and discharging.

[0026] Furthermore, the video processing circuit 106 can be distributed in any structural manner, either inside or outside the detection head.

[0027] Furthermore, the front end face of the detection head 8 is provided with a brightness sensor 14 and an illuminance meter 13, and both the brightness sensor 14 and the illuminance meter 13 are electrically connected to the terminal block 105.

[0028] The annular drive rail 4 is connected to the bottom of the mounting groove 13 of the tray 3 by a positioning buckle 15, and the outer side of the annular drive rail 4 is connected to the outer side of the tray 3 by at least one auxiliary support arm 16.

[0029] Meanwhile, the tray 2 and the lifting drive mechanism 9 are connected to each other by 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.

[0030] In this embodiment, the annular drive rail 4 and the guide slide rail 7 are both driven by any one of the following mechanisms: gear and rack mechanism, linear motor mechanism and chain drive mechanism.

[0031] 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 or both of a multi-touch display and a keyboard.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, a method for using a lithium battery cell appearance inspection system is characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0033] S1, System Assembly: First, assemble the supporting base, tray, pallet, ring drive rail, turntable mechanism, positioning fixture, guide rail, detection head, lifting drive mechanism, vision inspection mechanism and drive circuit to obtain the finished inspection equipment. Then, adjust the working position of each detection head and the vision inspection mechanism connected to the detection head, and at the same time, adjust the distance between the two ring drive rails according to the structure of the battery to be inspected.

[0034] S2, Inspection Operation: The two ends of the battery to be inspected are fixed within two annular drive rails by positioning fixtures and are coaxially distributed with the annular drive rails. Then, on one hand, the vision inspection mechanism is driven to run, and the infrared temperature measurement camera and 3D scanner of the vision inspection mechanism perform machine vision inspection on the appearance of the battery. On the other hand, the annular drive rails are driven to run, so that the lithium battery to be inspected rotates 360°, and a comprehensive machine vision inspection of the appearance of the lithium battery cell is carried out during the rotation. Finally, the turntable mechanism drives the tray to rotate, so that the two ends of the lithium battery to be inspected are respectively within the inspection range of the vision inspection mechanism, thereby realizing the need for comprehensive inspection of the entire lithium battery.

[0035] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention has a high degree of modularity and integration, strong environmental adaptability, and is based on a machine vision inspection mechanism. It can effectively meet the needs of rapid and efficient inspection of the appearance quality of lithium battery cells of various structural types, while greatly improving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of lithium battery cell appearance inspection, thereby helping to improve the production efficiency and product quality stability of battery products.

[0036] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0037] In the description of this specification, the terms "connection", "installation", "fixing", "setting", etc. are interpreted broadly. 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. In such cases, those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention or invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0038] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A system for lithium battery cell appearance detection, characterized in that, The system for lithium battery cell appearance detection comprises a bearing base, a tray, a supporting plate, an annular driving guide rail, a rotary table mechanism, a positioning clamp, a guide slide rail, a detection head, a lifting driving mechanism, a visual detection mechanism and a driving circuit. The bearing base is a plate structure with a rectangular cross section. Its upper end is connected with the tray through the rotary table mechanism. The tray can rotate in the range of 0°-360° through the rotary table mechanism. The tray, the bearing base and the rotary table mechanism are coaxially distributed. The upper end of the tray is connected with the supporting plate through the lifting driving mechanism. The supporting plate is a plate structure with a rectangular cross section. Its plate surface is vertically distributed with the upper end of the tray. The supporting plate has two supporting plates which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the middle line of the tray. Each supporting plate has an arc-shaped assembly groove on its upper end. Each assembly groove has an annular driving guide rail which is coaxially distributed in the assembly groove. At least two positioning clamps are evenly distributed around the axis of the annular driving guide rail. The positioning clamps in the two annular driving guide rails are symmetrically distributed with the axis of the tray. Each positioning clamp is slidably connected with the supporting plate through the annular driving guide rail. The detection head has two detection heads which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the axis of the annular driving guide rail and are slidably connected with the upper end of the bearing base through the guide slide rail. The axis of the guide slide rail is vertically distributed with the axis of the annular driving guide rail. The upper end of the detection head is provided with a visual detection mechanism. The detection axis of the visual detection mechanism is vertically distributed with and intersects with the axis of the annular driving guide rail. The driving circuit is connected with the outer side of the bearing base and is electrically connected with the annular driving guide rail, the rotary table mechanism, the positioning clamp, the guide slide rail, the visual detection mechanism and the lifting driving mechanism respectively. The visual detection mechanism comprises a gimbal stabilizer, a fill light, an infrared temperature measurement camera, a 3D scanner, a terminal, a video processing circuit. The infrared temperature measurement camera and the 3D scanner are arranged one each and are hingedly connected with the detection head through the gimbal stabilizer. The infrared temperature measurement camera is connected with the front end of the detection head. The 3D scanner is connected with the upper end of the detection head. The infrared temperature measurement camera and the 3D scanner are located at the midpoint between the two annular driving guide rails. The axis of the infrared temperature measurement camera and the axis of the 3D scanner are vertically distributed with and intersect with the axis of the annular driving guide rail. The axis of the infrared temperature measurement camera is located in the same plane as the axis of the annular driving guide rail which is parallel to the upper end of the tray. The axis of the 3D scanner is located above the axis of the annular driving guide rail and forms an angle of 15°-60° with the upper end of the tray. There are at least two fill lights which are symmetrically distributed on both ends of the detection head. The optical axis of the fill light is vertically distributed with and intersects with the axis of the annular driving guide rail. The gimbal stabilizer, the fill light, the infrared temperature measurement camera and the 3D scanner are electrically connected with the terminal and the video processing circuit respectively. The video processing circuit is also electrically connected with the terminal.

2. The system for appearance detection of lithium battery cells of claim 1, wherein, A brightness sensor and a light meter are arranged on the front end of the detection head. The brightness sensor and the light meter are electrically connected with the terminal.

3. The system for appearance detection of lithium battery cells of claim 1, wherein, The bottom of the assembly groove of the tray is connected with the ring-shaped driving guide rail through a positioning buckle, and the outer side of the ring-shaped driving guide rail is connected with the outer side of the tray through at least one auxiliary support arm.

4. The system for appearance inspection of lithium battery cells of claim 1, wherein, The tray and the lifting driving mechanism are connected through at least one sliding groove, and the sliding groove axis and the ring-shaped driving guide rail axis are distributed in parallel.

5. The system for appearance inspection of lithium battery cells of claim 1, wherein, The ring-shaped driving guide rail and the guide sliding rail are any one of a gear and rack mechanism, a linear motor mechanism and a chain driving mechanism.

6. The system for appearance inspection of lithium battery cells of claim 1, wherein, The driving circuit is a circuit system based on a programmable controller, and the driving circuit is additionally provided with a serial communication circuit and a control interface based on any one or both of a multi-point touch display and a keyboard.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: The use method of the lithium battery cell appearance detection system comprises the following steps: S1, system assembly, first, the bearing base, tray, tray, ring-shaped driving guide rail, rotary table mechanism, positioning clamp, guide sliding rail, detection head, lifting driving mechanism, visual detection mechanism and driving circuit are assembled to obtain a finished product detection device, then the working position of each detection head and the visual detection mechanism connected with the detection head is adjusted, and the distance between the two ring-shaped driving guide rails is adjusted according to the structure of the battery to be detected; S2, detection operation, the two ends of the battery to be detected are fixed in the two ring-shaped driving guide rails through the positioning clamp, and are coaxially distributed with the ring-shaped driving guide rail, then on the one hand, the visual detection mechanism is driven to run, and the infrared temperature measurement camera and the 3D scanner of the visual detection mechanism are used to detect the appearance of the battery, on the other hand, the ring-shaped driving guide rail is driven to run, so that the lithium battery to be detected rotates in a range of 360°, and the machine vision detection of the appearance of the lithium battery to be detected is realized during the rotation; finally, the tray is driven to rotate by the rotary table mechanism, and the two ends of the lithium battery to be detected are respectively in the detection range of the visual detection mechanism, so as to realize the need of overall detection of the lithium battery to be detected.

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