Battery cell multi-station stacking system

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-station stacking system for battery cells. The multi-station stacking system comprises a rubberizing feeding line group and a non-rubberizing feeding line group, the plurality of stacking stations are arranged at intervals in the battery cell conveying direction, and each stacking station is provided with a stacking transfer device and a battery cell transferring manipulator for transferring rubberized battery cells and non-rubberized battery cells to the stacking transfer device; a module material moving manipulator; the rubberizing feeding line set comprises a plurality of branch rubberizing feeding lines, part of branches converge at the upstream of the near-end stacking station and lead to the near-end stacking station, and the other branches converge at the upstream of the near-end stacking station and then extend to the far-end stacking station. The non-glue feeding line set comprises at least one non-glue feeding line, and the conveying path of the non-glue feeding line penetrates through the near-end stacking station and the far-end stacking station. According to the whole structure, a stacking area and a line transferring area are physically separated, and the feeding efficiency is greatly improved by adopting shunt supply of rubberized battery cells and matching with full-line penetration of a glue-free feeding line; and high-beat and high-efficiency production is realized.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery production equipment, in particular to a battery cell multi-station stacking system. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of battery module production, the existing production line generally has the following technical defects:

[0003] 1. Low efficiency of space layout. In the prior art, a double-speed chain is usually used to transport battery cells, and a tray is used for static stacking. The stacking and transfer function areas overlap. The completed module needs to be moved to the next process along with the tray on the double-speed chain, and a tray backflow channel needs to be reserved, resulting in insufficient space utilization. Moreover, it is difficult to expand multiple stations. Each additional stacking station needs to be extended in proportion to the conveying line, causing the equipment footprint to grow exponentially.

[0004] 2. Imbalance of the feeding system. In the existing module production line, the glued battery cells (high quantity ratio) and the non-glued battery cells (low quantity ratio) need to be fed independently, and the parallel feeding line cannot adapt to the coordinated action of multiple stacking stations. Independent feeding also leads to redundancy of part of the feeding line and large horizontal space occupation. Especially when the module contains N glued battery cells and M non-glued battery cells (N is much greater than M, such as 13:1), the high demand for glued battery cells leads to concentrated feeding pressure, and the low demand for non-glued battery cells causes the feeding line to be idle. The system beat is determined by the supply speed of the glued battery cells, and the difference in feeding causes the loss of beat. SUMMARY

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a battery cell multi-station stacking system.

[0006] The technical scheme of the present application is as follows:

[0007] A battery cell feeding line, including a glued battery cell feeding line group and a non-glued battery cell feeding line group;

[0008] A plurality of stacking stations arranged at intervals along the battery cell conveying direction, at least including a proximal end stacking station and a distal end stacking station; each stacking station is provided with a stacking and transferring device and a battery cell moving manipulator for transferring glued battery cells and non-glued battery cells to the stacking and transferring device;

[0009] A module moving manipulator for transferring the completed stacked module across the conveying line;

[0010] Wherein: the glued battery cell feeding line group includes multiple branch glued battery cell feeding lines, part of the branches converge upstream of the proximal end stacking station and lead to the proximal end stacking station, and the remaining branches converge upstream of the proximal end stacking station and extend to the distal end stacking station; the non-glued battery cell feeding line group includes at least one non-glued battery cell feeding line, and the conveying path of the non-glued battery cell feeding line passes through the proximal end stacking station and the distal end stacking station.

[0011] A further technical solution is that the stacking and transferring device comprises a sliding frame, a stacking device slidably arranged on the sliding frame, and a linear driving module for driving the stacking device to reciprocate along the direction of the battery cell conveying.

[0012] A further technical solution is that the sliding frame is in the form of a hollow frame structure with a middle part, and comprises two mounting beams extending along the direction of the battery cell conveying, the linear driving module comprises a sliding driving unit and a gear transmission structure, the gear transmission structure comprises a driving wheel connected with the output end of the sliding driving unit and a rack arranged along the side of the mounting beam, and the driving wheel is in meshing connection with the rack.

[0013] A further technical solution is that the stacking device comprises:

[0014] a stacking rack;

[0015] a stacking platform for carrying the battery cell;

[0016] a first axial pressing mechanism for pressing and stacking the battery cell along a first axial direction;

[0017] a second axial positioning mechanism comprising a second centering assembly movable along a second axial direction.

[0018] A further technical solution is that the two second centering assemblies are in an asymmetric structure, one side of which comprises:

[0019] a side stand plate extending along the first axial direction, the side stand plate being in sliding connection with the stacking rack along the second axial direction;

[0020] a centering panel arranged on the side stand plate along the first axial direction;

[0021] the other side further comprises a gap control mechanism arranged between the side stand plate and the centering panel, the gap control mechanism comprising a linear actuator and a compensation guide rail, and the centering panel is accurately retreated along the second axial direction under the driving of the linear actuator.

[0022] A further technical solution is that the first axial pressing mechanism comprises a first axial driving unit and a first pressing assembly, the first pressing assembly comprises a fixed side pressing plate and a movable side pressing plate, and the movable side pressing plate is connected with the first axial driving unit through a screw transmission mechanism.

[0023] A further technical solution is that the battery cell moving manipulator comprises a parallel robot and a pneumatic gripper unit, the pneumatic gripper unit is arranged at the execution end of the parallel robot, and comprises two groups of grippers capable of moving towards each other.

[0024] A further technical solution is that the module material moving manipulator comprises a six-axis robot and a clamping mechanism, the clamping mechanism comprises a first clamping assembly and a second clamping assembly; the first clamping assembly and the second clamping assembly respectively comprise a driving arm and a follower arm that can move relatively to clamp the module.

[0025] A further technical solution is that the first clamping assembly further comprises a first driving unit fixed on the support seat, the output end of the first driving unit is provided with a reversible screw rod, the driving arm is in transmission cooperation with the reverse thread segment of the reversible screw rod; the forward thread segment of the reversible screw rod is connected with a follower plate at the output end; the second clamping assembly further comprises a second driving unit mounted on the follower plate, and the follower arm is connected with the output end of the second driving unit.

[0026] A further technical solution is that a line changing station is arranged on the moving path of the stacking device, and the module material moving manipulator is arranged at the side of the sliding frame and is used for grabbing the module that is completed in the stacking device at the line changing station and conveying the module in a line changing mode.

[0027] The beneficial technical effects of the present application are that the stacking and transferring device and the module material moving manipulator are used to realize space line changing, so as to physically separate the stacking area and the line changing area, make the multiple stacking stations parallel to the line changing conveying, and do not need to reserve a tray backflow channel; the glued battery cells are supplied by branch lines, that is, multiple branch lines are combined to supply the multiple stacking stations, so as to avoid the supply conflict of the multiple stacking stations; the glue-free feeding line is connected in series, so as to greatly improve the feeding efficiency, and the feeding network further saves the horizontal space. The second centering assembly adopts an asymmetric structure to form a reference side and a non-reference side, the gap adjusting mechanism is arranged on the non-reference side, when the second axial positioning mechanism completes the centering action of the side of the battery cell, the gap adjusting mechanism generates a unilateral predetermined compensation gap to eliminate the stress concentration in the module caused by the double-axis pressing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 is a specific structure schematic diagram of the battery cell feeding line of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 is a specific structure schematic diagram of the stacking and transferring device of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 is a specific structure schematic diagram of the stacking device of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 is a specific structure schematic diagram of the first axial pressing mechanism and the second axial centering mechanism of the present application;

[0033] Figure 6 is the schematic diagram of the stack rack bottom structure of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 is the schematic diagram of the specific structure of the battery cell moving manipulator of the present application;

[0035] Figure 8 is the schematic diagram of the specific structure of the module moving manipulator of the present application;

[0036] Figure 9 is the schematic diagram of the specific structure of the clamping mechanism of the present application;

[0037] 100, battery cell feeding line; 101, rubberizing feeding line; 102, glue-free feeding line; 200, stacking station; 201, near-end stacking station; 202, far-end stacking station; 300, line transferring station;

[0038] 1. Stacking and transferring device;

[0039] 11. Sliding frame; 111, mounting beam;

[0040] 12. Stacking device; 121, stacking rack; 122, stacking platform; 123, first axial pressing mechanism; 1231, first axial driving unit; 1232, fixed side pressing plate; 1233, movable side pressing plate; 1234, first axial guide rail; 124, second axial centering mechanism; 1241, second axial driving unit; 1242, second axial guide rail; 1243, side stand plate; 1244, centering panel; 125, gap regulating mechanism; 1251, linear actuator; 1252, compensation guide rail; 13, linear driving module; 131, sliding driving unit; 132, driving wheel; 133, rack; 134, line transferring guide rail;

[0041] 2. Battery cell moving manipulator; 21, parallel robot; 22, pneumatic clamping jaw unit; 23, clamping jaw;

[0042] 3. Module moving manipulator; 31, six-axis robot; 32, clamping mechanism; 321, support seat; 322, driving arm; 323, follower arm; 324, first driving unit; 325, lead screw; 326, follower plate; 327, second driving unit; 328, clamping guide rail; 329, anti-slip gasket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the technical means of the present application more clearly understood and implemented according to the content of the specification, the specific embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and examples, and the following examples are used to illustrate the present application but not to limit the scope of the present application.

[0044] AsFigure 1 As shown, the battery cell multi-station stacking system comprises a battery cell feeding line 100, a plurality of stacking stations 200 arranged at intervals along the battery cell conveying direction, each stacking station 200 being provided with a battery cell moving manipulator 2 and a stacking transfer device 1, the battery cell moving manipulator 2 grasps battery cells in a preset stacking sequence to the stacking transfer device 1 to complete stacking, the stacking transfer device 1 is used for stacking battery cells and transferring the module in which the battery cell stacking is completed, and further comprises a module moving manipulator 3 used for transferring the module in which the battery cell stacking is completed.

[0045] The battery cell feeding line 100 comprises a rubberizing feeding line group and a non-rubberizing feeding line group, the rubberizing feeding line group is used for conveying rubberized battery cells, and the non-rubberizing feeding line group is used for conveying non-rubberized battery cells. In the embodiment, the rubberizing position of the rubberized battery cell is the large surface side of the battery cell. The battery cell moving manipulator 2 is configured to grasp battery cells in a predetermined stacking sequence and complete battery cell stacking on the stacking transfer device 1. Since the module in which the battery cell stacking is completed comprises N rubberized battery cells and M non-rubberized battery cells, N and M are positive integers, and N is much greater than M, in order to ensure the efficiency and continuity of battery cell supply to meet the requirements of continuous stacking and high beat stacking, such as Figure 2 As shown, the rubberizing feeding line group comprises a plurality of branch rubberizing feeding lines 101, the plurality of branch rubberizing feeding lines 101 converge upstream of the stacking station 200 and lead to the stacking station 200 to supply rubberized battery cells, which cooperates with the supply of non-rubberized battery cells by the non-rubberizing feeding line group to effectively improve the production efficiency of the module.

[0046] Specifically, the plurality of stacking stations 200 comprises at least one proximal stacking station 201 and one distal stacking station 202, among the plurality of branch rubberizing feeding lines 101, part of the branch rubberizing feeding lines 101 converge upstream of the proximal stacking station 201 to form a feeding branch of the proximal stacking station 201, and the rest of the branch rubberizing feeding lines 101 continue to extend to the distal stacking station 202 after converging upstream of the proximal stacking station 201 to form a feeding branch of the distal stacking station 202; and the non-rubberizing feeding line group comprises at least one non-rubberizing feeding line 102, the conveying path of the non-rubberizing feeding line 102 extends through the proximal stacking station 201 and the distal stacking station 202 along the conveying direction.

[0047] As Figures 3 to 6The stacking transport device 1 comprises a sliding frame 11, a stacking device 12 arranged on the sliding frame 11, and a linear drive module 13 for driving the stacking device 12 to reciprocate along the direction of the battery cell conveying. The sliding frame 11 is in the form of a hollow frame structure with a middle part being hollow, and forms a through running channel providing an unobstructed running space for the stacking device 12 and the linear drive module 13. The sliding frame 11 comprises two mounting beams 111 extending along the direction of the battery cell conveying. The linear drive module 13 comprises a sliding drive unit 131 mounted on the stacking device 12 and a gear transmission structure at the output end of the sliding drive unit 131. The gear transmission structure comprises a driving wheel 132 in transmission connection with the output end of the sliding drive unit 131 and a rack 133 arranged along the side of the mounting beam 111. The driving wheel 132 and the rack 133 are in meshing connection with each other. The upper end surface of each mounting beam 111 is further provided with a turning line guide rail 134 extending in the same direction as the rack 133. The stacking mechanism is connected to the turning line guide rail 134 in a sliding manner under the driving of the sliding drive unit 131.

[0048] The sliding frame 11 is provided with a turning line station 300 along the movement path of the stacking device 12. The module material moving manipulator 3 is arranged on the side of the sliding frame 11 perpendicular to the direction of the battery cell conveying. After the stacking device 12 receives the battery cell grabbed by the battery cell material moving manipulator 2 and completes the module stacking in the stacking station 200, it moves to the turning line station 300 under the driving of the sliding drive unit 131, and then the module material moving manipulator 3 transfers the stacked module on the stacking device 12 to the next process.

[0049] The stacking device 12 comprises a stacking rack 121 and a stacking platform 122 for stacking the battery cells. The stacking rack 121 is provided with a first axial pressing mechanism 123 and a second axial centering mechanism 124. The first axial pressing mechanism 123 comprises a first axial drive unit 1231 and first pressing assemblies arranged on both sides of the first axial direction of the battery cell. The first pressing assembly comprises a fixed side pressing plate 1232 and a movable side pressing plate 1233. The movable side pressing plate 1233 is in transmission connection with the first axial drive unit 1231 through a lead screw transmission mechanism. The lead screw transmission mechanism comprises a lead screw connected with the output end of the first axial drive unit 1231 and a lead screw nut matched with the lead screw. The movable side pressing plate 1233 is fixed on the lead screw nut. The first axial pressing mechanism 123 further comprises a first axial guide rail 1234 arranged in parallel below the lead screw. The lead screw nut is in sliding connection with the first axial guide rail 1234 through a sliding seat. The first axial guide rail 1234 effectively eliminates the radial gap in the lead screw transmission, ensures the linear transmission of the pressing force along the first axial direction, and improves the precision of the pressing action of the movable side pressing plate 1233.

[0050] The second axial centering mechanism 124 comprises second centering assemblies arranged on the second axial two sides of the battery cell, and the two sides of the second centering assemblies move close to or away from the battery cell. Specifically, each second centering assembly is driven by an independent second axial driving unit 1241. Similarly, the second centering assembly is connected with the second axial driving unit 1241 through the same screw rod transmission structure, and the second centering assembly is fixedly connected with the corresponding screw nut. Here, no longer be described. The stacking rack 121 is uniformly arranged with a plurality of second axial guide rails 1242 along the first axial direction of the battery cell, the second axial guide rails 1242 extend along the second axial direction, and the second centering assembly is slidably connected with the second axial guide rail 1242 through a sliding seat. A plurality of second axial guide rails 1242 ensure the accuracy of the centering action of the second centering assembly along the second axial direction.

[0051] The second centering assembly comprises a side stand plate 1243 fixedly connected with the sliding seat and a centering panel 1244 arranged on the side stand plate 1243 along the first axial direction.

[0052] Further, the two sides of the second centering assembly are asymmetric structures, and a gap control mechanism 125 is further arranged between the centering panel 1244 and the side stand plate 1243 on one side. The gap control mechanism 125 comprises a plurality of linear actuators 1251 and a plurality of compensation guide rails 1252 arranged on the side stand plate 1243 along the first axial direction, the centering panel 1244 is located on the side of the side stand plate 1243 facing the battery cell, the plurality of linear actuators 1251 and the plurality of compensation guide rails 1252 are located on the side of the side stand plate 1243 away from the battery cell, the compensation guide rail 1252 extends along the second axial direction, the centering panel 1244 is connected with the output end of the linear actuator 1251 through a connecting part penetrating the side stand plate 1243, and the lower end of the connecting part is provided with a sliding block to form a sliding pair with the compensation guide rail 1252. The compensation guide rail ensures that the centering panel 1244 accurately retreats along the second axial direction under the drive of the linear actuator 1251.

[0053] When the battery cell transfer manipulator 2 successively grabs two kinds of battery cells and places them on the stacking platform 122, after the two sides of the centering panel 1244 move to contact the side surface of the battery cell and complete the centering action under the drive of the second axial driving unit 1241, a plurality of linear actuators 1251 drive the corresponding centering panel 1244 to retract by a predetermined distance to generate a predetermined compensation gap, and then the first axial driving unit 1231 drives the movable side pressing plate 1233 to compress the stack along the first axial direction, thereby avoiding stress concentration and causing the module to deform.

[0054] In this embodiment, as Figure 7The cell moving manipulator 2 comprises a parallel robot 21 and a pneumatic gripper unit 22 arranged at the execution end of the parallel robot 21, and two groups of grippers 23 are symmetrically connected to the double output end of the pneumatic gripper unit 22, and the two groups of grippers 23 move towards each other to clamp the cell.

[0055] As Figures 8 to 9 The module moving manipulator 3 comprises a six-axis robot 31 and a clamping mechanism 32, the clamping mechanism 32 comprises a support seat 321 connected to the end of the six-axis robot 31, and a first clamping assembly and a second clamping assembly arranged on the support seat 321, the first clamping assembly and the second clamping assembly comprise a driving arm 322 and a follower arm 323 which can move relative to each other to clamp the module.

[0056] Specifically, the first clamping assembly further comprises a first driving unit 324 fixed on the support seat 321, the output end of the first driving unit 324 is provided with a reversible screw rod 325, the driving arm 322 is in transmission cooperation with the reverse thread segment of the reversible screw rod 325 through a linear bearing, the forward thread segment of the reversible screw rod 325 is connected with a follower plate 326, and the follower plate 326 is provided with a second driving unit 327, the second driving unit 327 is composed of a plurality of uniformly distributed synchronous air cylinders, and the follower arm 323 is rigidly connected with the output end of each synchronous air cylinder. The bottom of the support seat 321 is provided with a plurality of clamping guide rails 328 parallel to the clamping direction, and the driving arm 322 and the follower arm 323 form a sliding pair with the clamping guide rails 328 through sliding blocks. When working, the first driving unit 324 drives the driving arm 322 and the follower plate 326 to move towards or away from each other through the reversible screw rod 325, and at the same time, the follower plate 326 drives the second driving unit 327 to move synchronously, so as to realize the cooperative clamping action of the driving arm 322 and the follower arm 323.

[0057] Further, the opposite end faces of the driving arm 322 and the follower arm 323 are provided with anti-skid pads 329 with sawtooth anti-skid stripes, so as to ensure firm clamping of the module.

[0058] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not used to limit the present application, and it should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled persons in the art, without departing from the technical principles of the present application, a number of improvements and modifications can be made, and these improvements and modifications should be regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-station battery cell stacking system, characterized in that: include: The battery cell loading line (100) includes an adhesive loading line group and an adhesive-free loading line group; Multiple stacking stations (200) are arranged at intervals along the cell conveying direction, including at least one near-end stacking station (201) and one far-end stacking station (202); each of the stacking stations (200) is equipped with a stacking transfer device (1) and a cell transfer robot (2) for transferring glued cells and unglue-free cells to the stacking transfer device (1); Module transfer robot (3) is used to transfer stacked modules across the conveyor line; Wherein: the adhesive feeding line group includes multiple sets of branch adhesive feeding lines (101), some branches converge and lead to the near-end stacking station (201) upstream, and the remaining branches converge and extend to the far-end stacking station (202) upstream; the glue-free feeding line group includes at least one glue-free feeding line (102), and the conveying path of the glue-free feeding line (102) runs through the near-end stacking station (201) and the far-end stacking station (202).

2. The cell multi-station stacking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stacking and transfer device (1) includes a sliding frame (11), a stacking device (12) slidably disposed on the sliding frame (11), and a linear drive module (13) for driving the stacking device (12) to reciprocate along the cell transport direction.

3. The cell multi-station stacking system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sliding frame (11) has a hollow frame structure in the middle, including mounting beams (111) extending on both sides along the cell conveying direction. The linear drive module (13) includes a sliding drive unit (131) and a gear transmission structure. The gear transmission structure includes a drive wheel (132) connected to the output end of the sliding drive unit (131) and a rack (133) arranged along the side of the mounting beam (111). The drive wheel (132) meshes with the rack (133).

4. The cell multi-station stacking system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The stacking device (12) includes: Stacking rack (121); Stacking platform (122); used to carry battery cells; The first axial pressing mechanism (123) is used to press and stack the battery cells along the first axial direction; The second axial positioning mechanism includes a second centering assembly that can move along the second axis on both sides.

5. The cell multi-station stacking system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second pair of centering components on both sides are asymmetrical structures, with one side including: A side plate (1243) extending along a first axis, the side plate (1243) being slidably connected to the stacking frame (121) along a second axis; The center panel (1244) is disposed on the side upright plate (1243) along the first axis; The other side also includes a gap adjustment mechanism (125) disposed between the side plate (1243) and the centering panel (1244). The gap adjustment mechanism (125) includes a linear actuator and a compensation guide rail (1252). The centering panel (1244) is precisely retracted along the second axis under the drive of the linear actuator (1251).

6. The multi-station cell stacking system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first axial clamping mechanism (123) includes a first axial drive unit (1231) and a first clamping assembly. The first clamping assembly includes a fixed side pressure plate (1232) and a movable side pressure plate (1233). The movable side pressure plate (1233) is connected to the first axial drive unit (1231) through a screw drive mechanism.

7. The multi-station cell stacking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery cell transfer robot (2) includes a parallel robot (21) and a pneumatic gripper unit (22). The pneumatic gripper unit (22) is located at the execution end of the parallel robot (21) and includes two sets of grippers (23) that can move in opposite directions.

8. The multi-station cell stacking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The module transfer robot (3) includes a six-axis robot (31) and a clamping mechanism (32). The clamping mechanism (32) includes a first clamping component and a second clamping component. The first clamping component and the second clamping component respectively include a drive arm (322) and a follower arm (323) that can move relative to each other to clamp the module.

9. The cell multi-station stacking system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first clamping assembly further includes a first drive unit (324) fixed on the support base (321), the output end of which is provided with a positive and negative screw (325), and the drive arm (322) is in transmission engagement with the reverse thread section of the positive and negative screw (325); the output end of the positive thread section of the positive and negative screw (325) is connected to a follower plate (326); the second clamping assembly further includes a second drive unit (327) mounted on the follower plate (326), and the follower arm (323) is connected to the output end of the second drive unit (327).

10. The cell multi-station stacking system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The stacking device (12) has a transfer station (300) on its moving path. The module transfer robot (3) is located on the side of the sliding frame (11) and is used to grab the stacked modules in the stacking device (12) at the transfer station (300) and transfer them to the transfer station.

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