Image recognition-based automatic sorting method and sorting device for waste lithium battery pole pieces

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic sorting method and sorting equipment for waste lithium battery pole pieces based on image recognition, and relates to the technical field of lithium battery recycling, wherein the automatic sorting method comprises the following steps: S1, discharging treatment; S2, crushing treatment; S3, automatic sorting; S4, dispersing materials; S5, fine sorting; and S6, separating materials; the vibrating feeding equipment comprises a base, a sieve hopper, a connecting column, a first spring, a vibrating motor, a discharge port, a sieve screen, a poking block and a paving plate; and the digital image recognition sorting equipment comprises a first support industrial camera near-infrared sensor, a guide rail frame, a linear motor and a high-pressure nozzle. The application has the advantages that the mixed materials can be uniformly spread and prevented from being locally accumulated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lithium battery recycling technology, and more specifically, to an automatic sorting method and sorting equipment for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition. Background Technology

[0002] The waste lithium battery recycling industry has effectively alleviated the challenges of lithium battery disposal and promoted resource recycling and environmental protection. The waste lithium battery recycling process generally includes pretreatment, electrode material processing, electrolyte and separator recovery, deep purification, and material regeneration. The pretreatment stage involves fully discharging various lithium batteries in a brine pool, then shredding them using equipment such as shredders and crushers. Finally, the batteries are sorted through stages using equipment such as vibrating screens, magnetic separators, airflow separators, and eddy current separators to separate electrode materials, plastics, metal casings, and separators.

[0003] Air classifiers utilize airflow to separate materials based on differences in weight and density. Lighter materials, such as diaphragms and plastics, are blown away by the airflow, while heavier materials, such as metals and electrodes, remain and proceed to the next process. However, air classifiers still have limitations. When plastics or diaphragms are broken into very fine pieces, they may become mixed with electrode fragments due to electrostatic adsorption, making it difficult for air classifiers to separate the lighter materials.

[0004] Therefore, a secondary sorting device, namely an image recognition-based sorting device, is often added after the airflow separator. This device uses an imaging system such as an industrial camera, near-infrared sensor, and light source system. With the support of AI algorithms, it can easily and quickly distinguish materials such as plastics and membranes, mark their coordinates, and finally sort out the plastics or membranes through a high-pressure air jet device.

[0005] When the mixed material exiting the air classifier enters the image recognition-based sorting equipment, material accumulation may occur. When the mixture is too thick, the imaging system in the digital image recognition system has difficulty clearly distinguishing whether there are impurities such as plastic or separators at the bottom of the mixture, resulting in low sorting efficiency and accuracy of the image recognition-based sorting equipment. Therefore, it is necessary to propose an automatic sorting method and equipment for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide an automatic sorting method and equipment for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition. This method solves the problem that the accumulation of materials discharged from the airflow separator makes it difficult for image recognition-based sorting equipment to accurately determine whether the bottom layer of the mixture contains impurities such as plastics and separators, thus hindering accurate and efficient sorting of impurities. It has the advantage of enabling the mixture to be evenly spread and preventing localized accumulation.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] The sorting equipment for an automatic sorting method of waste lithium battery electrode sheets based on image recognition includes the following steps:

[0009] S1: Discharge treatment, placing the recycled waste lithium batteries into a discharge cabinet to eliminate residual battery charge;

[0010] S2: Crushing process, fully discharged waste lithium batteries are put into a shredder or crusher for crushing;

[0011] S3: Automatic sorting. The crushed mixture is sorted sequentially by a vibrating screen, a magnetic separator, and an air classifier.

[0012] S4: Disperse materials. The air classifier discharges the material into the vibrating feeder. The vibrating feeder quickly flattens and disperses the accumulated material, and crushes and breaks up the adhering particles.

[0013] S5: Refined sorting. After being laid out, the material passes through a digital image recognition sorting device. The digital image recognition device identifies the plastic or separator in the battery electrode and records the coordinates of the plastic or separator. In the next step, the plastic or separator is blown away.

[0014] S6: Separate materials. After fine sorting, the materials are then separated by an eddy current separator to separate the copper and aluminum foil from the black powder.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibrating feeder described in S4 includes a base, a screen bucket is inclinedly arranged on the top of the base, connecting columns are symmetrically fixed on the top surface of the base and the bottom of the screen bucket, a first spring is sleeved on the connecting column, the screen bucket and the base are elastically connected by the first spring, a vibrating motor is installed at the bottom of the screen bucket, a discharge port is opened at the lowest end of the screen bucket, a screen is fixed inside the screen bucket, two levers are symmetrically fixed on the top surface of the screen bucket frame, and a flat plate is fixed on the inner side of the screen bucket.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the digital image recognition and sorting device described in S5 includes a primary support, the two sides of which are fixed to the top surface of the base. Several industrial cameras and near-infrared sensors are installed on the primary support. A guide rail is provided at the lowest end of the sieve bucket. A linear motor is slidably connected to the guide rail. A high-pressure nozzle is installed on the top of the linear motor.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a secondary support is fixed on both sides of the base, the top of the secondary support is parallel to the top surface of the screen hopper, two levers are symmetrically slidably connected inside the secondary support, one end of the lever abuts against the corresponding lever block, two second springs are symmetrically installed inside the secondary support, and the levers are elastically connected to the inside of the secondary support through the corresponding second springs, and a rack is fixed to the other end of the levers. Two gears are also symmetrically installed inside the secondary support, and the gears mesh with the corresponding racks. A rotating shaft is fixed to the bottom of each gear, and a material raker is fixed to the bottom side of the rotating shaft, with the bottom of the material raker abutting against the screen surface.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two arc plates are symmetrically fixed to the bottom surface of the secondary support. Each arc plate surrounds the surface of the corresponding rotating shaft. Two horizontal grooves and two vertical grooves are spaced apart on the arc plate. The two ends of the two horizontal grooves are respectively connected to the two vertical grooves. Two sets of third springs and push plates are respectively provided on the inner side of the arc plate. The push plates are elastically connected to the inside of the vertical grooves through the corresponding third springs. A set of fourth springs and limiting blocks are installed on the top side of one vertical groove and the bottom side of the other vertical groove. The limiting blocks abut against the corresponding push plates. A connecting rod is fixedly connected between the two push plates.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the material slugging rake has a hollow structure, a brush plate is rotatably connected inside the material slugging rake, a ball seat is fixed on the top surface of one side of the brush plate, a hook rod is slidably connected inside the vertical groove, a ball head is fixed at the bottom of the hook rod, and the ball head is rotatably connected inside the ball seat.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two outer covers are fixed inside the sieve hopper, and a guide seat is fixed on the top surface of each outer cover. A slider is slidably connected inside the guide seat. One end of the slider is fixed to the side of the secondary support. A guide groove is opened at the bottom of the slider. A central hole is opened in the middle of the outer cover. Several outer ring holes are opened in a circular array on the top surface of the outer cover. An adjusting plate that is rotatably connected to the outer cover is provided in the central hole. A sleeve is threadedly connected to the center of the adjusting plate. A top plate is fixed to the top of the sleeve. A sliding column is eccentrically fixed on the top surface of the top plate. The sliding column is slidably connected to the corresponding guide groove.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a grinding disc is rotatably connected inside the outer cover. A through hole is provided at the center of the grinding disc, and an embedded disc is installed in the through hole. An eccentric shaft is eccentrically disposed through the embedded disc. The eccentric shaft on the top surface of the embedded disc is slidably connected to the inside of the sleeve. A fifth spring is sleeved on the outside of the sleeve. The grinding disc is elastically connected to the adjusting disc through the fifth spring. Several protrusions are fixed in a circumferential array on the top surface of the grinding disc. Each protrusion abuts against the inner wall of the corresponding outer ring hole. A sealing disc is fixed on the top of each protrusion, and the sealing disc abuts against the top surface of the outer cover.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the eccentric shaft at the bottom of the embedded disc passes through the screen, an outer cylinder is fixed to the bottom surface of the screen, the eccentric shaft is rotatably connected to the inside of the outer cylinder, an inner sliding cylinder and a sixth spring are installed inside the outer cylinder, the inner sliding cylinder is elastically connected to the outer cylinder through the sixth spring, the inner sliding cylinder is slidably connected to the outside of the eccentric shaft, an anti-clogging brush is installed on the outside of the inner sliding cylinder, two striking blocks are symmetrically fixed on the anti-clogging brush, and an inclined platform is fixed to the bottom surface of the screen.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0024] 1. A lever is installed on the frame of the screen bucket. The vibrating motor drives the screen bucket to reciprocate along the material conveying direction. Under the elastic force of the second spring, the lever slides back and forth in the secondary support, thereby driving the material raking rake to sweep the screen surface back and forth. This accelerates material dispersion, speeds up the falling of black powder, and improves the separation efficiency of black powder from other materials. During the reciprocating sweeping process of the material raking rake, the hook rod switches between the horizontal and vertical grooves, allowing the brush plate to switch the tilt angle according to the sweeping direction of the material raking rake. This allows the brush bristles to sweep the material on the screen surface, making the material spread more evenly and efficiently, improving the leveling efficiency, and achieving the required thickness. This allows the material to pass through the leveling plate quickly, preventing excessive material accumulation near the leveling plate.

[0025] 2. The relative motion between the screen bucket and the secondary support drives the slider to slide back and forth. This sliding motion, through the cooperation of the guide groove and the sliding column, drives the grinding disc to rotate eccentrically inside the outer casing. This squeezes, grinds, and crushes the material spread on the screen surface, reducing the amount of material stuck together and lowering the operating pressure on subsequent digital image recognition and sorting equipment. During the rotation of the grinding disc, the eccentric shaft also drives the anti-clogging brush to rotate, brushing the bottom surface of the screen to remove screen mesh blockages and improve the black powder throughput. Moreover, each rotation of the anti-clogging brush not only impacts the screen once, accelerating the fall of black powder through vibration, but also shakes off material stuck in the screen mesh, reducing mesh blockage. At the same time, the impact pushes the grinding disc to rise briefly, reducing the pressure on the screen and thus improving the vibration effect when the striking block hits the screen. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic sorting process for waste lithium battery electrode sheets based on image recognition according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall bottom structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall side cross-sectional structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the secondary support of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 4 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the material slugging rake and brush plate of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation structure of the horizontal groove, vertical groove and hook rod of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the inner part of the arc plate of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the outer casing of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the screen of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the guide groove and sliding column mating structure of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the adjusting disc of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the grinding disc and sleeve of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 14 This is a top view schematic diagram of the grinding disc structure of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the outer cylinder of the present invention.

[0041] Explanation of the labels in the diagram:

[0042] 11. Base; 12. Screen bucket; 13. Connecting column; 14. First spring; 15. Vibrating motor; 16. Discharge port; 17. Screen; 18. Pulley; 19. Flat plate; 21. Primary support; 22. Industrial camera; 23. Near-infrared sensor; 24. Guide rail; 25. Linear motor; 26. High-pressure nozzle; 31. Secondary support; 32. Pulley; 33. Second spring; 34. Rack; 35. Gear; 36. Rotating shaft; 37. Discharge rake; 41. Arc plate; 42. Horizontal groove; 43. Vertical groove; 44. Third spring; 45. Push plate; 46. Connecting rod ; 47. Fourth Spring; 48. Limiting Block; 51. Brush Plate; 52. Ball Seat; 53. Hook Rod; 54. Ball Head; 61. Outer Cover; 62. Guide Seat; 63. Slider; 64. Guide Groove; 65. Center Hole; 66. Outer Ring Hole; 67. Adjusting Disc; 68. Sleeve; 69. Top Plate; 691. Sliding Pillar; 71. Grinding Disc; 72. Through Hole; 73. Embedded Disc; 74. Eccentric Shaft; 75. Fifth Spring; 76. Protruding Pillar; 77. Sealing Disc; 81. Outer Cylinder; 82. Inner Sliding Cylinder; 83. Sixth Spring; 84. Anti-clogging Brush; 85. Striking Block; 86. Inclined Platform. Detailed Implementation

[0043] 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 a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] Example 1: Please refer to Figures 1-15 As shown, this invention discloses a sorting device for an automatic sorting method of waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition, comprising the following steps:

[0045] S1: Discharge treatment, placing the recycled waste lithium batteries into a discharge cabinet to eliminate residual battery charge;

[0046] S2: Crushing process, fully discharged waste lithium batteries are put into a shredder or crusher for crushing;

[0047] S3: Automatic sorting. The crushed mixture is sorted sequentially by a vibrating screen, a magnetic separator, and an air classifier.

[0048] S4: Disperse materials. The air classifier discharges the material into the vibrating feeder. The vibrating feeder quickly flattens and disperses the accumulated material, and crushes and breaks up the adhering particles.

[0049] S5: Refined sorting. After being laid out, the material passes through a digital image recognition sorting device. The digital image recognition device identifies the plastic or separator in the battery electrode and records the coordinates of the plastic or separator. In the next step, the plastic or separator is blown away.

[0050] S6: Separate materials. After fine sorting, the materials are then separated by an eddy current separator to separate the copper and aluminum foil from the black powder.

[0051] The vibrating feeder in S4 includes a base 11, a screen bucket 12 inclinedly arranged on the top of the base 11, connecting columns 13 symmetrically fixed on the top surface of the base 11 and the bottom of the screen bucket 12, a first spring 14 sleeved on the connecting column 13, and the screen bucket 12 and the base 11 elastically connected by the first spring 14. A vibrating motor 15 is installed at the bottom of the screen bucket 12, a discharge port 16 is opened at the lowest end of the screen bucket 12, a screen mesh 17 is fixed inside the screen bucket 12, two levers 18 are symmetrically fixed on the top surface of the frame of the screen bucket 12, and a flat plate 19 is fixed on the inner side of the screen bucket 12.

[0052] The digital image recognition and sorting equipment in S5 includes a primary support 21, with both sides of the primary support 21 fixed to the top surface of the base 11. Several industrial cameras 22 and near-infrared sensors 23 are installed on the primary support 21. A guide rail frame 24 is provided at the lowest end of the sieve hopper 12. A linear motor 25 is slidably connected to the guide rail frame 24. A high-pressure nozzle 26 is installed on the top of the linear motor 25.

[0053] A secondary support 31 is fixed on both sides of the base 11. The top of the secondary support 31 is parallel to the top surface of the screen hopper 12. Two levers 32 are symmetrically slidably connected inside the secondary support 31. One end of the lever 32 abuts against the corresponding lever block 18. Two second springs 33 are symmetrically installed inside the secondary support 31. The levers 32 are elastically connected to the inside of the secondary support 31 through the corresponding second springs 33. A rack 34 is fixed to the other end of the lever 32. Two gears 35 are also symmetrically installed inside the secondary support 31. The gears 35 mesh with the corresponding racks 34. A rotating shaft 36 is fixed to the bottom of each gear 35. A material raker 37 is fixed to the bottom side of the rotating shaft 36. The bottom of the material raker 37 abuts against the surface of the screen 17.

[0054] Two arc plates 41 are symmetrically fixed to the bottom of the secondary support 31. Each arc plate 41 surrounds the surface of the corresponding rotating shaft 36. Two horizontal grooves 42 and two vertical grooves 43 are spaced apart on the arc plate 41. The two ends of the two horizontal grooves 42 are respectively connected to the two vertical grooves 43. Two sets of third springs 44 and push plates 45 are respectively provided on the inner side of the arc plate 41. The push plates 45 are elastically connected to the inside of the vertical grooves 43 through the corresponding third springs 44. A set of fourth springs 47 and limiting blocks 48 are installed on the top side of one vertical groove 43 and the bottom side of the other vertical groove 43. The limiting blocks 48 abut against the corresponding push plates 45. A connecting rod 46 is fixedly connected between the two push plates 45.

[0055] The material slack rake 37 has a hollow structure. A brush plate 51 is rotatably connected inside the material slack rake 37. A ball seat 52 is fixed on the top surface of one side of the brush plate 51. A hook rod 53 is slidably connected inside the vertical groove 43. A ball head 54 is fixed at the bottom of the hook rod 53. The ball head 54 is rotatably connected inside the ball seat 52.

[0056] Airflow separators use airflow to blow out lightweight plastic and membrane fragments, leaving behind heavier materials such as metal casing fragments and positive / negative electrode fragments. The heavier materials may contain some residual plastic or membrane material, requiring further sorting.

[0057] Therefore, a screen bucket 12 is installed at the outlet of the air classifier, and the air classifier guides heavy materials into the highest point of the screen bucket 12. The vibrating motor 15 is started, driving the screen bucket 12 to vibrate linearly (unidirectional reciprocating motion), and its motion direction is consistent with the conveying direction of the screen bucket 12, that is, reciprocating from the highest point to the lowest point of the screen bucket 12. The screen bucket 12 is connected to the base 11 through a sliding connecting column 13 and a first spring 14, ensuring that the base 11 is fixed and the screen bucket 12 vibrates to convey materials.

[0058] The sieve 12 adopts a double-layer design, that is, a screen 17 is fixed inside the sieve 12. The heavy material entering the sieve 12 first accumulates on the surface of the screen 17. Under the vibration of the vibrating motor 15, the heavy material is quickly dispersed. Under the vibration, the fine black powder quickly falls to the bottom of the sieve 12, thereby separating the black powder from other materials, thus reducing the pressure on subsequent material processing and improving the efficiency of material processing.

[0059] The unidirectional reciprocating motion of the screen bucket 12 can drive the internal parts of the secondary support 31 to move via the lever 18 fixed on the frame of the screen bucket 12. That is, when the screen bucket 12 is opposite to the conveying direction, the lever 18 abuts against and drives the lever 32 inside the secondary support 31 to slide. The lever 32 compresses the second spring 33 and drives the gear 35 to rotate through the rack 34. The gear 35 drives the material raking rake 37 to swing through the rotating shaft 36. The material raking rake 37 swings on the top surface of the screen 17. During the swinging process, the material is swept by the rake teeth (several rake teeth are evenly arranged at the bottom of the material raking rake 37), which accelerates the dispersion of the material and makes the material evenly spread on the surface of the screen 17. Moreover, during the sweeping process of the material raking rake 37, the falling speed of black powder can also be accelerated, and the separation of black powder from other materials can be accelerated.

[0060] When the screen bucket 12 is in the same direction as the conveying direction, the lever 18 releases the lever 32. Under the elastic force of the second spring 33, the lever 32 drives the rack 34 to reset, thereby driving the gear 35 to reverse. The gear 35 drives the material rake 37 to sweep in the opposite direction through the rotating shaft 36.

[0061] A flat plate 19 is fixed inside the sieve hopper 12. The bottom of the flat plate 19 is slightly higher than the top surface of the screen 17. When the material conveyed to the lowest point of the sieve hopper 12 passes through the flat plate 19, any material higher than the gap between the flat plate 19 and the screen 17 is blocked. The blocked material will be repeatedly swept by the material rake 37 until the material is spread to a thickness that can be passed through. The material passing through the flat plate 19 is spread in a single layer on the top surface of the screen 17, which is convenient for subsequent processing.

[0062] The bottom of the secondary support 31 is also fixed with an arc plate 41. During the reciprocating sweeping process of the material raking rake 37, the hook rod 53 will slide laterally within the transverse groove 42 on the arc plate 41. When the material raking rake 37 reaches its maximum unidirectional sweeping motion, the hook rod 53 will slide to one end of the transverse groove 42 and enter the vertical groove 43. (See attached instruction manual.) Figure 6 and 7 As shown, when the hook rod 53 slides from the highest horizontal groove 42 into the left vertical groove 43, the hook rod 53 will push away the limiting block 48 at the top of the left vertical groove 43 during the process of entering the vertical groove 43, thereby releasing the limiting block 48 from blocking the corresponding push plate 45. The limiting block 48 compresses the corresponding fourth spring 47, and the push plate 45, which is no longer restricted, is immediately pushed out by the compressed third spring 44. The push plate 45 pushes the hook rod 53 downward, and the hook rod 53 finally slides to the bottom of the left vertical groove 43 and enters the bottom horizontal groove 42. As the push plate 45 is pushed downward by the corresponding third spring 44, the push plate 45 drives the push plate 45 in the right vertical groove 43 to slide down synchronously through the connecting rod 46, so that the push plate 45 slides to the bottom of the right vertical groove 43, compressing the corresponding third spring 44 to the maximum extent while passing over the limiting block 48 at the bottom of the right vertical groove 43. The limiting block 48 is popped out under the elastic force of the fourth spring 47, which then blocks the push plate 45 from sliding to the bottom of the right vertical groove 43.

[0063] As the hook rod 53 slides downward, it pushes one side of the brush plate 51, causing the brush plate 51 to rotate within the hollow of the slack rake 37. One side of the brush plate 51 tilts until it contacts the material laid flat on the top surface of the screen 17. The hook rod 53 and the brush plate 51 are rotatably connected by a ball seat 52 and a ball head 54, which can well accommodate the change in angle between the hook rod 53 and the brush plate 51 during the descent (or ascent) of the hook rod 53.

[0064] Subsequently, the material rake 37 drives the brush plate 51 to sweep horizontally. The brush plate 51 drives the hook rod 53 to slide from left to right in the lowest horizontal groove 42 until the hook rod 53 slides to the bottom of the right vertical groove 43. Then, the push plate 45 at the bottom of the right vertical groove 43 is released in the same manner. The push plate 45 pushes the hook rod 53 upward to the top of the right vertical groove 43, and at the same time, it drives the push plate 45 in the left vertical groove 43 to reset through the connecting rod 46. After the hook rod 53 rises, it causes one side of the brush plate 51 to rise and the other side to sink, with the other side contacting the material on the top surface of the screen 17.

[0065] Both sides of the brush plate 51 are equipped with soft bristles, as per the instruction manual. Figure 6 Taking a top-down view as an example, when the material raking rake 37 rotates counterclockwise, the left side of the brush plate 51 sinks down to contact the material; when the material raking rake 37 rotates clockwise, the right side of the brush plate 51 sinks down to contact the material. In this way, while the material raking rake 37 is sweeping the material, the brush plate 51 can also be used to make the material spread more efficiently and evenly, improve the leveling efficiency, and achieve the required thickness, so that the material can pass through the flat plate 19 quickly and avoid excessive material accumulation near the flat plate 19.

[0066] Example 2: This example is an explanation based on Example 1. For details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1-15 Two outer covers 61 are fixed inside the sieve hopper 12. Each outer cover 61 has a guide seat 62 fixed on its top surface. A slider 63 is slidably connected inside the guide seat 62. One end of the slider 63 is fixed to the side of the secondary support 31. A guide groove 64 is opened at the bottom of the slider 63. A central hole 65 is opened in the middle of the outer cover 61. Several outer ring holes 66 are opened in a circular array on the top surface of the outer cover 61. An adjusting plate 67 is set in the central hole 65 and is rotatably connected to the outer cover 61. A sleeve 68 is threadedly connected to the center of the adjusting plate 67. A top plate 69 is fixed on the top of the sleeve 68. A sliding column 691 is eccentrically fixed on the top surface of the top plate 69. The sliding column 691 is slidably connected in the corresponding guide groove 64.

[0067] A grinding disc 71 is rotatably connected inside the outer cover 61. A through hole 72 is opened at the center of the grinding disc 71. An embedded disc 73 is installed in the through hole 72. An eccentric shaft 74 is eccentrically arranged through the embedded disc 73. The eccentric shaft 74 on the top surface of the embedded disc 73 is slidably connected to the inside of the sleeve 68. A fifth spring 75 is sleeved on the outside of the sleeve 68. The grinding disc 71 is elastically connected to the adjusting disc 67 through the fifth spring 75. Several protrusions 76 are fixed in a circular array on the top surface of the grinding disc 71. Each protrusion 76 abuts against the inner wall of the corresponding outer ring hole 66. A sealing disc 77 is fixed on the top of each protrusion 76. The sealing disc 77 abuts against the top surface of the outer cover 61.

[0068] An eccentric shaft 74 at the bottom of the embedded disc 73 passes through the screen 17. An outer cylinder 81 is fixed to the bottom surface of the screen 17. The eccentric shaft 74 is rotatably connected to the inside of the outer cylinder 81. An inner sliding cylinder 82 and a sixth spring 83 are installed inside the outer cylinder 81. The inner sliding cylinder 82 is elastically connected to the outer cylinder 81 through the sixth spring 83. The inner sliding cylinder 82 is slidably connected to the outside of the eccentric shaft 74. An anti-clogging brush 84 is installed on the outside of the inner sliding cylinder 82. Two striking blocks 85 are symmetrically fixed on the anti-clogging brush 84. An inclined platform 86 is fixed to the bottom surface of the screen 17.

[0069] Since the secondary support 31 is fixed on the base 11, and the slider 63 is fixed to the side of the secondary support 31 by a long rod and the outer cover 61 is fixed to the inner wall of the screen bucket 12, during the reciprocating vibration of the screen bucket 12, the secondary support 31 reciprocates relative to the screen bucket 12, that is, the slider 63 reciprocates relative to the guide seat 62.

[0070] The bottom of the slider 63 has a guide groove 64. During the reciprocating motion of the slider 63 inside the guide seat 62, the guide groove 64 drives the top plate 69 to rotate unidirectionally through the sliding column 691. The top plate 69 drives the sleeve 68 to rotate, and the sleeve 68 drives the adjusting plate 67 to rotate inside the central hole 65. At the same time, the eccentric shaft 74 drives the inner plate 73 to rotate inside the through hole 72. Since the eccentric shaft 74 is eccentrically fixed to the inner plate 73, when the eccentric shaft 74 rotates, it can drive the grinding plate 71 to rotate eccentrically inside the outer cover 61 through the cooperation of the inner plate 73. The grinding plate 71 can drive the protrusions 76 to rotate in their respective outer ring holes 66. The bottom of the grinding disc 71 is evenly equipped with several sharp iron nails. During the eccentric rotation, the material passing through it is squeezed, ground and crushed, thereby eliminating the material clumps that are stuck together. Because in the early crushing stage, the crushing pressure may cause electrode fragments to stick together with plastic or diaphragm, which cannot be accurately removed by the subsequent digital image recognition and sorting equipment. Therefore, by relying on the relative movement of the screen hopper 12 and the secondary support 31 to drive the grinding disc 71 to rotate eccentrically, the material is ground, which can effectively break up the stuck material and reduce clumping. It can also quickly separate the black powder from other materials and let it settle to the bottom of the screen hopper 12.

[0071] A fifth spring 75 is fitted onto the sleeve 68 between the embedded disc 73 and the adjusting disc 67, and the adjusting disc 67 is threaded onto the surface of the sleeve 68. Rotating the adjusting disc 67 lowers its height, which increases the elastic force of the fifth spring 75. The elastic force of the fifth spring 75 acts on the embedded disc 73, which increases the material pressure of the grinding disc 71 on the surface of the screen 17, thereby increasing the grinding force and improving the grinding effect.

[0072] During the grinding process of the grinding disc 71, there may be material that gets stuck in the mesh of the screen 17, which may lead to a decrease in the material throughput. The eccentric shaft 74 passes through the screen 17, and an inner sliding cylinder 82 is sleeved on the eccentric shaft 74 at the bottom of the screen 17. The inner sliding cylinder 82 can slide up and down on the eccentric shaft 74. When the eccentric shaft 74 rotates, it can drive the inner sliding cylinder 82 to rotate inside the outer cylinder 81. At the same time, the inner sliding cylinder 82 drives the anti-clogging brush 84 to move in a circular motion. The top surface of the anti-clogging brush 84 is provided with hard metal bristles, which can brush the screen 17 within the coverage area of ​​the grinding disc 71, remove the clogging material in the mesh of the screen 17, and improve the black powder separation efficiency.

[0073] An inclined platform 86 is fixed on the rotation path of the anti-clogging brush 84 on the bottom surface of the screen 17. Each time the anti-clogging brush 84 rotates one revolution, it will collide with the inclined platform 86 and be pushed away from the screen 17 by the inclined platform 86 a certain distance. Simultaneously, the inner sliding cylinder 82 slides downwards along the eccentric shaft 74 (according to the instruction manual attached). Figure 15 The anti-clogging brush 84 is positioned and the sixth spring 83 is compressed. After the anti-clogging brush 84 passes the inclined platform 86, it quickly resets under the elastic force of the sixth spring 83. The two striking blocks 85 on the top surface of the anti-clogging brush 84 then strike the bottom surface of the screen 17. The vibration generated by the striking blocks 85 striking the screen 17 accelerates the separation of black powder from other materials, efficiently completing the sorting; it also helps to shake off the materials stuck in the mesh of the screen 17, reducing mesh clogging.

[0074] During the process of the striking block 85 impacting the screen 17, the inner sliding cylinder 82 also slides rapidly into the outer cylinder 81 and impacts the side of the eccentric shaft 74, causing the eccentric shaft 74 to rise. The eccentric shaft 74 drives the grinding disc 71 to rise through the embedded disc 73 (when the embedded disc 73 rises, it compresses the fifth spring 75), causing the grinding disc 71 to briefly detach from the top surface of the screen 17, reducing the pressure on the screen 17, thereby improving the vibration effect when the striking block 85 impacts the screen 17.

[0075] After being ground by the grinding disc 71, the amount of other materials adhering to the plastic or diaphragm is greatly reduced. Subsequently, as the screen hopper 12 vibrates, when the material passes through the primary support 21, the industrial camera 22 and near-infrared sensor 23 on the primary support 21 record and identify the plastic and diaphragm fragments in the material and mark their coordinates. When the material falls from the bottom of the screen hopper 12, the linear motor 25 slides rapidly on the guide rail 24 according to the marked coordinates, adjusting the position of the high-pressure nozzle 26. After the linear motor 25 reaches the corresponding coordinate, the high-pressure nozzle 26 sprays a high-pressure airflow, blowing away the corresponding plastic or diaphragm fragments, thus achieving the purpose of separating the plastic and diaphragm fragments.

[0076] The black powder that falls into the bottom of the sieve 12 also slides to the very bottom of the sieve 12 and is eventually discharged from the discharge port 16.

[0077] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is impossible to exhaustively list all the implementation methods here. All obvious variations or modifications derived from the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic sorting method for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Discharge treatment, placing the recycled waste lithium batteries into a discharge cabinet to eliminate residual battery charge; S2: Crushing process, fully discharged waste lithium batteries are put into a shredder or crusher for crushing; S3: Automatic sorting. The crushed mixture is sorted sequentially by a vibrating screen, a magnetic separator, and an air classifier. S4: Disperse materials. The air classifier discharges the material into the vibrating feeder. The vibrating feeder quickly flattens and disperses the accumulated material, and crushes and breaks up the adhering particles. S5: Refined sorting. After being laid out, the material passes through a digital image recognition sorting device. The digital image recognition device identifies the plastic or separator in the battery electrode and records the coordinates of the plastic or separator. In the next step, the plastic or separator is blown away. S6: Separate materials. After fine sorting, the materials are then separated by an eddy current separator to separate the copper and aluminum foil from the black powder. The image recognition-based automatic sorting method for waste lithium battery electrodes uses the following sorting equipment: The vibrating feeder described in S4 includes a base (11), a screen bucket (12) is inclinedly arranged on the top of the base (11), and connecting columns (13) are symmetrically fixed on the top surface of the base (11) and the bottom of the screen bucket (12). A first spring (14) is sleeved on the connecting column (13). The screen bucket (12) and the base (11) are elastically connected by the first spring (14). A vibrating motor (15) is installed at the bottom of the screen bucket (12). A discharge port (16) is opened at the lowest end of the screen bucket (12). A screen mesh (17) is fixed inside the screen bucket (12). Two levers (18) are symmetrically fixed on the top surface of the frame of the screen bucket (12). A flat plate (19) is fixed on the inner side of the screen bucket (12). The base (11) is fixed with two secondary supports (31) on both sides. The top of the secondary supports (31) is parallel to the top surface of the screen bucket (12). Two levers (32) are symmetrically slidably connected inside the secondary supports (31). One end of the lever (32) abuts against the corresponding lever (18). Two second springs (33) are symmetrically installed inside the secondary supports (31). The lever (32) is elastically connected to the inside of the secondary supports (31) through the corresponding second spring (33). The other end of the lever (32) is fixed with a rack (34). Two gears (35) are also symmetrically installed inside the secondary supports (31). The gears (35) mesh with the corresponding racks (34). A rotating shaft (36) is fixed at the bottom of each gear (35). A material raker (37) is fixed on the bottom side of the rotating shaft (36). The bottom of the material raker (37) abuts against the surface of the screen (17). The bottom surface of the secondary support (31) is symmetrically fixed with two arc plates (41). Each arc plate (41) surrounds the surface of the corresponding rotating shaft (36). Two horizontal grooves (42) and two vertical grooves (43) are opened at intervals on the arc plate (41). The two ends of the two horizontal grooves (42) are respectively connected to the two vertical grooves (43). Two sets of third springs (44) and push plates (45) are respectively provided on the inner side of the arc plate (41). The push plate (45) is elastically connected to the inside of the vertical groove (43) through the corresponding third spring (44). A set of fourth springs (47) and limiting blocks (48) are installed on the top side of one vertical groove (43) and the bottom side of the other vertical groove (43). The limiting blocks (48) abut against the corresponding push plates (45). A connecting rod (46) is fixedly connected between the two push plates (45).

2. The automatic sorting method for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The digital image recognition sorting device described in S5 includes a primary support (21), the two sides of which are fixed to the top surface of the base (11). Several industrial cameras (22) and near-infrared sensors (23) are installed on the primary support (21). A guide rail frame (24) is provided at the lowest end of the sieve bucket (12). A linear motor (25) is slidably connected on the guide rail frame (24). A high-pressure nozzle (26) is installed on the top of the linear motor (25).

3. The automatic sorting method for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material slough (37) has a hollow structure. A brush plate (51) is rotatably connected inside the material slough (37). A ball seat (52) is fixed on the top surface of one side of the brush plate (51). A hook rod (53) is slidably connected inside the vertical groove (43). A ball head (54) is fixed at the bottom of the hook rod (53). The ball head (54) is rotatably connected inside the ball seat (52).

4. The automatic sorting method for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two outer covers (61) are fixed inside the sieve bucket (12). Each outer cover (61) has a guide seat (62) fixed on its top surface. A slider (63) is slidably connected inside the guide seat (62). One end of the slider (63) is fixed to the side of the secondary support (31). A guide groove (64) is opened at the bottom of the slider (63). A central hole (65) is opened in the middle of the outer cover (61). Several outer ring holes (66) are opened in a circular array on the top surface of the outer cover (61). An adjusting plate (67) is provided in the central hole (65) and is rotatably connected to the outer cover (61). A sleeve (68) is threadedly connected at the center of the adjusting plate (67). A top plate (69) is fixed on the top of the sleeve (68). A sliding column (691) is eccentrically fixed on the top surface of the top plate (69). The sliding column (691) is slidably connected in the corresponding guide groove (64).

5. The automatic sorting method for waste lithium battery electrodes based on image recognition according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer cover (61) is rotatably connected to a grinding disc (71). A through hole (72) is provided at the center of the grinding disc (71). An embedded disc (73) is installed in the through hole (72). An eccentric shaft (74) is eccentrically connected through the embedded disc (73). The eccentric shaft (74) on the top surface of the embedded disc (73) is slidably connected to the inside of the sleeve (68). A fifth spring (75) is sleeved on the outside of the sleeve (68). The grinding disc (71) is elastically connected to the adjusting disc (67) through the fifth spring (75). Several protrusions (76) are fixed on the top surface of the grinding disc (71) in a circumferential array. Each protrusion (76) abuts against the inner wall of the corresponding outer ring hole (66). A sealing disc (77) is fixed on the top of each protrusion (76). The sealing disc (77) abuts against the top surface of the outer cover (61).

Images