Conveying device and conveying method

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying device and a conveying method for conveying workpieces in a state of suppressing reduction of quality of the workpieces. A transport device (1) for transporting a single workpiece having, as an adsorption surface, a porous sheet provided on the outermost surface, the transport device being provided with: an input unit (11) for setting an adsorption condition in which an adsorption pad (32) is adsorbed to the workpiece before transport of the workpiece; and a calculation unit (12) that determines whether or not a sag amount greater than a predetermined amount is generated in the workpiece when the adsorption pad (32) is adsorbed to the workpiece and lifted in accordance with the adsorption condition, determines that the workpiece is to be conveyed if the sag amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, and determines that the workpiece is not to be conveyed if the sag amount is greater than the predetermined amount.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a conveyance device of a porous sheet and a conveyance method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, a porous sheet is utilized in a battery cell or the like. A conveyance device capable of stably conveying and picking up a porous sheet body is described in Patent Literature 1.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-70133 SUMMARY

[0006] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] Here, a thin object workpiece is described as a workpiece related to a lithium battery cell. In the case where a thin object workpiece including a porous sheet is adsorbed and conveyed, the workpiece is conveyed in a state where an adsorption pad adsorbs at a position inside the end portion of the porous sheet. Therefore, in a range from the position of the porous sheet adsorbed by the adsorption pad to the end portion of the workpiece, the workpiece sometimes becomes in a sagging state due to its own weight. It is considered that a breakage, a defect, a bending, a fall from the adsorption pad, or the like of the workpiece occurs due to a force involved in the sagging of the end portion of the workpiece, and a quality failure of the workpiece occurs.

[0008] For example, it is considered that the workpiece is broken or defective in that the workpiece is broken at the root of the sagging due to a pressure loss peculiar to the porous sheet. In addition, when the amount of sagging of the end portion of the workpiece becomes large, a gap is easily generated between the porous sheet and the adsorption pad, the adsorption is destroyed, and the workpiece can fall.

[0009] The present disclosure provides a conveyance device and a conveyance method that suppress the occurrence of a quality reduction of a workpiece caused by conveyance.

[0010] MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0011] The conveyance device of the present disclosure is a conveyance device that conveys a workpiece that is a single sheet and has a porous sheet provided on a surface as an adsorption surface, and the conveyance device includes: an input unit that sets an adsorption condition of an adsorption pad adsorbing the workpiece before conveyance of the workpiece; and a calculation unit that determines whether a sagging amount of the workpiece is greater than a predetermined amount when the adsorption pad is caused to adsorb the workpiece and is lifted according to the adsorption condition, and determines to convey the workpiece if the sagging amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, and determines not to convey the workpiece if the sagging amount is greater than the predetermined amount.

[0012] Thus, it is possible to determine whether the adsorption pad is an adsorption condition suitable for conveyance before conveyance of the work.

[0013] The conveyance method of the present disclosure is a conveyance method of conveying a work that is a single sheet shape and has a porous sheet provided on a surface as an adsorption surface, wherein, before conveyance of the work, an adsorption condition in which an adsorption pad is adsorbed to the work is input, and when the adsorption pad is adsorbed to the work and lifted according to the adsorption condition, it is determined whether a sag amount greater than a predetermined amount is generated in the work.

[0014] Thus, it is possible to determine whether the adsorption pad is an adsorption condition suitable for conveyance before conveyance of the work.

[0015] Inventive Effects

[0016] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a conveyance device and a conveyance method that convey in a state in which generation of a quality reduction of a work is suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a configuration view that shows an example of the configuration of the conveyance device of Embodiment 1.

[0018] Figure 2 is a view that shows an example of a manufacturing process of a lithium battery cell of Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 3 is a perspective view and a side view of the work W that show a position of a sag amount and a root of a sag amount of Embodiment 1.

[0020] Figure 4 is a flowchart that shows a flow of action of the conveyance device of Embodiment 1.

[0021] EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0022] 1 conveyance device

[0023] 11 input unit

[0024] 12 arithmetic unit

[0025] 13 arm

[0026] 21 electrolyte layer

[0027] 22 positive electrode mixture layer

[0028] 23 negative electrode mixture layer

[0029] 24 separator

[0030] 31 adsorption hand

[0031] 32 adsorption pad DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Implementation Method 1

[0033] Hereinafter, the conveying device and conveying method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a conveying device. The conveying device 1 includes: an input unit 11, which allows a user to input conveying conditions for conveying workpiece W; a calculation unit 12, which determines whether conveying can be performed without causing a decrease in the quality of workpiece W based on the conveying conditions input by the input unit 11; and an arm 13, which transports workpiece W while adsorbing an adsorption pad onto workpiece W.

[0034] Here, the object transported by the conveying device 1 will be described. The conveying device 1 is a conveying device that transports lithium battery cells as workpieces W.

[0035] Here, the workpiece W, which becomes the object of transport by the transport device 1, will be described. For example... Figure 2 As shown, in the manufacturing process of a lithium-ion battery cell, multiple electrode bodies, which serve as workpieces, are continuously arranged in one direction at predetermined intervals. Specifically, in the manufacturing process, plate-shaped electrolyte layers 21 arranged at predetermined intervals are sandwiched and sealed in the thickness direction by positive electrode binder layers 22 and negative electrode binder layers 23, and then a separator 24 is laser-welded to the positive electrode binder layer 22. Here, the case where the separator 24 is a porous sheet will be described.

[0036] Subsequently, as a single-sheet process, one workpiece W is cut from a continuous arrangement of multiple workpieces W. Terminals are then joined and sealed by welding on each cut workpiece W. As a result, a porous sheet is disposed on the outermost surface of the positive electrode layer 22 side of each workpiece W.

[0037] Here, the conveying device 1 conveys the porous sheet disposed on the outermost surface of the workpiece W to adsorb multiple adsorption pads 32 provided by the adsorption hand 31 located at the front end of the arm 13. In this way, the conveying device 1 can perform the action of stacking the single-sheet workpieces W in a state with spacers sandwiched between each workpiece W at high speed.

[0038] Here, return Figure 1 The conveying device 1 will be described below.

[0039] The input unit 11 is an input unit that can input and set the adsorption conditions for the adsorption pad 32 provided on the arm 13 to adsorb onto the workpiece W according to the user's operation. The input of the adsorption conditions by the input unit 11 is performed before the workpiece W is transported by the arm 13. For example, the input unit 11 may have a keyboard for the user to operate, a display for confirming the input content, etc., and the items used as the input unit 11 are not limited to these.

[0040] When the adsorption pad 32 provided on the arm 13 adsorbs the workpiece W and lifts it according to the adsorption conditions input by the input unit 11, the calculation unit 12 determines whether the workpiece W has a sag greater than a predetermined amount. Here, in the calculation unit 12, if the sag of the workpiece W is less than or equal to the predetermined amount, it decides to move the workpiece W; if the sag of the workpiece W is greater than the predetermined amount, it decides not to move the workpiece W.

[0041] As a specific example, in the calculation unit 12, the predicted sag amount is calculated using a predetermined formula for predicting the sag amount of the workpiece W. Furthermore, the calculation unit 12 can determine whether the workpiece W has fallen based on the calculated predicted sag amount using a workpiece W falling discrimination formula. The calculation unit 12 can determine whether to stop transporting the workpiece W if it is determined that the workpiece W has fallen during transport, and determine to transport the workpiece W if it is determined that the workpiece W has not fallen during transport.

[0042] In other words, it can be considered that when the calculation unit 12 determines whether to move the workpiece W, it performs a judgment on the harmfulness of the sag of the workpiece W. Specifically, if the calculation unit 12 determines that the sag of the workpiece W is harmful because the sag in the workpiece W is greater than a predetermined amount, it decides not to move it. On the other hand, if the calculation unit 12 determines that the sag of the workpiece W is not harmful because the sag in the workpiece W is less than a predetermined amount, it decides to move it.

[0043] Furthermore, the calculation unit 12 can change the adsorption conditions when it is decided not to perform transport. Here, the calculation unit 12 can feed back information related to the adsorption conditions, such as the adsorption conditions to be used when transport is not performed and the calculation results, and determine the changes to the adsorption conditions, such as changing the position of the adsorption pad 32 adsorbed on the workpiece W and changing the setting of the negative pressure used for adsorption.

[0044] In this case, the arithmetic unit 12 can determine whether to transport the workpiece W based on the changed adsorption conditions.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, arm 13 has an adsorption hand 31 at its front end. Furthermore, multiple adsorption pads 32 are provided on the adsorption hand 31. For example, arm 13 has multiple joints; after the adsorption pads 32 are adsorbed onto the workpiece W and lifted, the joints move, thereby enabling the workpiece W to be transported. Thus, as... Figure 2 As shown, arm 13 can transport workpieces W in a stacked manner.

[0046] Here, we will explain the formula for predicting the sag of workpiece W and the judgment formula for determining whether workpiece W will fall based on the predicted sag.

[0047] Figure 3(a) is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of adsorption pads 32 provided at the front end of the arm 13 are adsorbed to the surface portion of the single piece-shaped workpiece W, Figure 3 (b) is a side view thereof. Here, as a premise, for one workpiece W, it is assumed that the positive electrode mixture layer 22 is disposed above the electrolyte layer 21 and the negative electrode mixture layer 23 is disposed below the electrolyte layer 21.

[0048] In other words, the workpiece W is a plate shape having a predetermined width in the horizontal direction (XY direction), and the positive electrode mixture layer 22, the electrolyte layer 21, and the negative electrode mixture layer 23 are stacked in the Z direction which is the vertical direction. In addition, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are mutually orthogonal directions.

[0049] Next, an example of the definition of the sag amount of the workpiece W will be described. As shown in (b) of FIG. 10, Figure 3 the sag amount of the workpiece W refers to the distance in the Z direction between the position (X1, Y1, Z1) of the electrolyte layer 21 directly below the adsorption pad 32 disposed closest to the end portion of the workpiece W among the plurality of adsorption pads 32 and the position (X2, Y2, Z2) of the electrolyte layer 21 at the end portion of the workpiece W. In other words, the sag amount of the workpiece W can be set as |Z2-Z1|.

[0050] In addition, an example of the definition of the distance to the root of the sag amount of the workpiece W will be described. As shown in (b) of FIG. 10, Figure 3 the distance to the root of the sag amount of the workpiece W refers to the distance in the horizontal direction between the XY coordinates of the electrolyte layer 21 directly below the adsorption pad 32 disposed closest to the end portion of the workpiece W and the XY coordinates of the electrolyte layer 21 at the end portion of the workpiece W.

[0051] Next, an example of the prediction formula of the sag amount Y of the workpiece W will be described. The operation section 12 can use the "value of the distance to the root of the sag amount of the workpiece W", "a predetermined value determined in accordance with the path of the pipe disposed to the workpiece W (hereinafter, referred to as the value of the pipe path)", and "a value of the negative pressure generated in the adsorption pad 32 for adsorption (hereinafter, referred to as the value of the set negative pressure)", and calculate the sag amount Y of the workpiece W as

[0052] Sag amount Y = -5.176 + 1.043 * value of distance to root of sag amount of workpiece W + 0.027 * value of pipe path + 2.049 * value of set negative pressure

[0053] and calculate.

[0054] Next, a determination formula for the fall determination of the workpiece W using the calculated sag amount Y of the workpiece W will be described. The operation section 12 can use F1 as a determination reference value as

[0055] F1 = 13.239 + 0.027 * value of set negative pressure - 0.001 * value of piping path - 0.05 * sag Y

[0056] And is calculated. Here, if the value of this F1 is greater than 0, the operation section 12 determines that the workpiece W has not fallen, and if the value of this F1 is less than 0, the operation section 12 determines that the workpiece W has fallen.

[0057] Hereinafter, a series of action flows in which the conveyance device 1, before conveyance of the workpiece W, feeds back the determination result in the case where it is determined that the workpiece W has fallen based on the inputted suction conditions, and after the state where the workpiece W has not fallen is made by changing the suction conditions, the conveyance of the workpiece W is performed, will be described. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the determination of the falling of the workpiece W by the conveyance device 1.

[0058] First, the input section 11 performs the input of the suction conditions (step S1). Here, for example, the input section 11 can perform the setting of the suction position of the suction pad 32 with respect to the workpiece W, the setting of the value of the negative pressure for suction, by the input by the user.

[0059] The operation section 12 determines the harmfulness of the sag of the workpiece (step S2). Here, the harmfulness of the sag of the workpiece W can be set to the determination of the falling of the workpiece W using the prediction formula of the sag Y of the workpiece W and the determination formula of the determination of the falling of the workpiece W. That is, the operation section 12, in the case where it is determined that the workpiece W has fallen, considers it to be harmful (YES in step S2), and proceeds to step S3. On the other hand, the operation section 12, in the case where it is determined that the workpiece W has not fallen (NO in step S2), proceeds to step S4.

[0060] In the operation section 12, reconsideration of the input conditions is performed (step S3). That is, in the operation section 12, information related to the suction conditions is fed back including information related to the sag determined in step S2, and a new suction condition is decided which is set in step S1. After that, the new suction condition is inputted and set, and the process returns to step S1.

[0061] Typically, in the conveyance device 1, the process of this step S1 to step S3 is repeatedly performed until the determination that the workpiece W has not fallen in step S2 is made and step S4 is entered.

[0062] The conveyance device 1, in the case where it is determined that the workpiece W has not fallen in the operation section 12, considers that the suction pad 32 can actually be suctioned to the workpiece W for conveyance, and the arm 13 having the suction pad 32 is caused to act (step S4).

[0063] Thus, in the conveyance device 1, when the workpiece W is conveyed by the adsorption of the adsorption pad, it is possible to determine whether or not a defect is generated in the workpiece W due to the conveyance before the conveyance, and to perform the actual conveyance only when it is determined that no defect is generated.

[0064] In other words, in the conveyance device 1, before the conveyance of the workpiece W, a defect of the workpiece W generated in the case of direct conveyance is anticipated, and in the case where a defect of the workpiece is likely to be generated, the adsorption condition is changed until a state where no defect is generated is reached, and generation of a defect can be avoided. Thus, in the case where the workpiece W is a structure related to a unit of a lithium ion battery, even if a defect of one workpiece W is generated, it is considered that a loss of the product itself, a loss of manufacturing cost are generated, but in the conveyance device 1, these losses can be avoided.

[0065] Further, regarding the number of the adsorption pads 32 provided to the adsorption hand 31, it is not necessary to provide many adsorption pads 32 in advance in order to prevent sagging of the workpiece W, and thus reduction of cost can be achieved.

[0066] Further, the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed within a range not departing from the gist. That is, the above-described description is appropriately omitted and simplified for the clarification of explanation, and a person skilled in the art can easily change, add, and transform each element of the embodiments within the scope of the present application.

[0067] For example, in the conveyance device 1, regarding the sagging amount of the workpiece W, the determination formula of the fall determination of the workpiece W, the calculation formula is not limited to the aforementioned calculation formula, and can be arbitrarily changed.

[0068] Further, in the above-described operation flow, it is described that the conveyance device 1 determines whether or not the workpiece W falls using the determination formula of the fall determination of the workpiece W based on the predicted value of the sagging amount calculated based on the prediction formula of the sagging amount of the workpiece W, but is not limited thereto. As an example, in the conveyance device 1, it is also possible to determine whether or not the workpiece W is conveyed at the point of time when the predicted value of the sagging amount is calculated based on the prediction formula of the sagging amount of the workpiece W.

[0069] Further, the case where the partition 24 is a porous sheet is described, but is not limited to this configuration, and a porous sheet can be used in addition to the partition 24.

Claims

1. A conveyance device that conveys a workpiece, the workpiece being a single sheet shape and having a porous sheet provided on a surface thereof as an adsorption surface, wherein the conveyance device comprises: an input unit that inputs an adsorption condition of an adsorption pad to the workpiece before conveyance of the workpiece; and a calculation unit that, when the adsorption pad is caused to adsorb to the workpiece and is lifted in accordance with the adsorption condition, determines whether a sag amount greater than a predetermined amount occurs in the workpiece, and determines to convey the workpiece if the sag amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, and determines not to convey the workpiece if the sag amount is greater than the predetermined amount.

2. The conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit, in a case where the sag amount greater than the predetermined amount occurs in the workpiece under a predetermined adsorption condition and it is determined not to convey, feeds back information related to the predetermined adsorption condition, determines a new adsorption condition, and determines again whether the sag amount greater than the predetermined amount occurs in the workpiece.

3. The conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein the calculation unit, in a case where a plurality of the adsorption pads adsorb to the workpiece as the adsorption condition, calculates the sag amount that occurs between the adsorption pad disposed closest to an end portion of the workpiece and the end portion of the workpiece, and determines whether the sag amount greater than the predetermined amount occurs.

4. The conveyance device according to claim 3, wherein the calculation unit, calculates the sag amount of the workpiece using a predetermined sag amount prediction formula, and determines a workpiece fall using a predetermined workpiece fall determination formula with respect to a predicted sag amount calculated using the sag amount prediction formula, and determines not to convey in a case where the workpiece is determined to fall, and determines to convey in a case where the workpiece is determined not to fall.

5. A conveyance method that conveys a workpiece, the workpiece being a single sheet shape and having a porous sheet provided on a surface thereof as an adsorption surface, wherein an adsorption condition of an adsorption pad to the workpiece is input before conveyance of the workpiece, and when the adsorption pad is caused to adsorb to the workpiece and is lifted in accordance with the adsorption condition, it is determined whether a sag amount greater than a predetermined amount occurs in the workpiece. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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