Automatic fuel cell stacking equipment and its working method

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of transportation device technology, specifically relating to material handling devices, and particularly to an automatic stacking device for electric fuel cells and its working method. One type of automatic stacking device includes: a robotic arm disposed on one side of a worktable; several buffer components, symmetrically arranged in pairs on the worktable; a limiting block, which is raised and lowered on the worktable and perpendicular to it; a guide block, which is raised and lowered within the limiting block and protrudes from it at its upper end; and a support block, which is slidably disposed on the side wall of the guide block and adapted to retract into the limiting block. The robotic arm grips and moves the electric fuel cell stack to the inside of each buffer component until the bottom wall of the stack abuts against the support block. The support block supports the stack and drives each guide block to move slowly downwards. After the lower end of the support block abuts against the limiting block, the support block gradually retracts towards the guide block until it retracts into the limiting block, at which point the bottom wall of the stack detaches from the support block and abuts against the previously placed electric fuel cell stack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of transportation equipment technology, specifically relating to material handling devices, and more particularly to automatic stacking equipment for electric stacks and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] In the mass production of new energy devices such as fuel cells and power batteries, the fuel cell stack, as a core functional component, directly affects product yield and service reliability due to the stability of its stacking and assembly process. In related technologies, automated stacking of fuel cell stacks has become the mainstream process in the industry. Specifically, a robotic arm or a negative pressure adsorption mechanism picks up the fuel cell stack unit, moves it above the stacking collection rack after visual or mechanical positioning, and then the robotic arm releases its grip or the negative pressure adsorption mechanism releases the adsorption, allowing the fuel cell stack unit to fall freely under its own gravity, completing its stacking and positioning with the already stacked fuel cell stacks below.

[0003] However, in actual production applications, the aforementioned traditional stacking process has insurmountable technical pain points. The free fall of the fuel cell stack unit under gravity is prone to structural damage, severely restricting the yield and reliability of the fuel cell stack product. Specifically, the fuel cell stack contains several fragile components such as membrane electrode assemblies, gas diffusion layers, bipolar plates, and seals. When the fuel cell stack unit falls freely onto the stacking collection rack, its bottom wall will collide instantaneously with the top of the already stacked fuel cell stack below. The impact force generated by the collision will be directly transmitted to the internal components of the fuel cell stack, causing various irreversible damages. In extreme cases, it may even lead to the direct scrapping of the fuel cell stack, significantly increasing production costs.

[0004] To mitigate stacking collision issues, existing technologies have attempted to reduce impact energy by optimizing the positioning accuracy of robotic arms and decreasing the drop height, but the effects have been limited. On one hand, limited by the positioning errors of automated equipment and the dimensional tolerances of the fuel cell stack itself, the drop height cannot be reduced indefinitely, still generating sufficient impact force to cause damage. On the other hand, excessively reducing the drop height leads to decreased stacking efficiency, making it difficult to meet the efficiency requirements of large-scale production. Furthermore, some processes have attempted to lay buffer pads on the surface of the fuel cell stack, but the presence of these pads affects the coaxiality and fit accuracy of the stack, easily causing stress concentration problems during subsequent assembly. Frequent replacement of the buffer pads also increases process complexity and material costs, making them unsuitable for continuous production scenarios.

[0005] Therefore, developing an auxiliary device for stacking electric stacks that can effectively avoid stacking collision damage and adapt to automated production processes has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field.

[0006] It should be noted that the information disclosed in this background section is only for understanding the background technology of this application concept, and therefore, the above description is not considered to constitute information related to the technology. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This disclosure provides at least one embodiment of an automatic fuel cell stacking device and its operating method.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide an automated fuel cell stacking apparatus, comprising:

[0009] A robotic arm, located on one side of the workbench, is used to move the fuel cell stack and place it on the workbench;

[0010] Several buffer components are arranged symmetrically on the worktable in pairs and are suitable for lifting and moving relative to the worktable.

[0011] The buffer component includes:

[0012] The limit block is mounted on the worktable and is perpendicular to the worktable.

[0013] The guide block is positioned within the limiting block and its upper end protrudes from the limiting block.

[0014] The support block is slidably disposed on the side wall of the guide block and is adapted to retract into the limiting block;

[0015] Among them, the robotic arm picks up the fuel cell stack and moves it to the inside of each buffer component until the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack abuts against the support block;

[0016] The support block supports the fuel cell stack and drives each guide block to move slowly downwards;

[0017] After the lower end of the support block abuts against the limiting block, the support block gradually retracts and moves towards the guide block until it retracts into the limiting block. The bottom wall of the fuel cell stack then separates from the support block and abuts against the previously placed fuel cell stack.

[0018] In one optional embodiment, a lifting groove is formed in the limiting block along the vertical direction, and the guide block is lifted and lowered within the lifting groove;

[0019] A compression spring is provided on the bottom wall of the lifting groove. The upper end of the compression spring abuts against the guide block and is adapted to push the guide block upward.

[0020] In one alternative embodiment, a receiving groove is formed on the side wall of the guide block near the fuel cell stack. The receiving groove extends along the vertical direction of the guide block and the depth of the groove gradually increases from bottom to top.

[0021] In one alternative embodiment, the cross-section of the receiving groove is a right-angled triangle, and the side of the supporting block that contacts the receiving groove is an oblique side.

[0022] In one alternative embodiment, the support block is a right trapezoid with the upper base being longer than the lower base, and the angled side being parallel to the angled side of the receiving groove.

[0023] In one optional embodiment, a guide post is provided vertically inside the guide block, and a slider is fitted onto the outer wall of the guide post in a lifting manner;

[0024] An elastic element is fixed to the side of the slider near the support block. The outer end of the elastic element is fixed to the support block. The elastic element is adapted to push the support block to move away from the guide block.

[0025] In one alternative embodiment, the elastic element is a telescopic rod, the minimum compressed length of which is less than the distance between the slider sidewall and the beveled edge of the support block.

[0026] In one optional embodiment, there are eight limiting blocks arranged in a matrix, and the inner sidewall of the limiting blocks is in contact with the outer wall of the fuel cell stack.

[0027] In one optional embodiment, a lifting device is provided at the bottom of the workbench, the movable end of the lifting device is fixed to the bottom wall of the limiting block, and the lifting device is adapted to drive the limiting block to move upward intermittently.

[0028] In one alternative embodiment, an inclined surface is provided on the upper end of the limiting block near the fuel cell stack, the inclined surface being adapted to guide the fuel cell stack to slowly fall between the limiting blocks.

[0029] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a method for operating an automated fuel cell stacking device, the method comprising:

[0030] The robotic arm grips the battery stack and moves it to the inside of each buffer assembly. At this time, each support block is located at the bottom of the side wall of the guide block and protrudes from the limiting block.

[0031] After the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack comes into contact with the support block, the robotic arm releases the limit on the fuel cell stack, and the fuel cell stack, under its own gravity, squeezes the support block and guide block and moves slowly downward relative to the limit block.

[0032] After the lower end of the support block abuts against the limiting block, the support block gradually retracts and moves towards the guide block. At this time, the guide block continues to move downward relative to the limiting block, and the support block gradually moves horizontally and separates from the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack. When the support block retracts into the limiting block, the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack separates from the support block and abuts against the fuel cell stack that was placed previously.

[0033] The beneficial effects of this invention are that it provides an automatic fuel cell stacking device and its working method. By setting up a buffer component, after the fuel cell stack comes into contact with the support block, the support block gradually contracts and forms a two-stage buffer structure with the cooperation of the compression spring. This allows the fuel cell stack to slowly descend and smoothly fit together during the stacking process. The impact energy is gradually absorbed through the deformation of the compression spring and the gradual contraction of the support block, which completely avoids the risk of rigid collision, significantly reduces the fuel cell stack scrap rate, and effectively improves product reliability and production yield.

[0034] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention are realized and obtained through the structures particularly pointed out in the description and the drawings.

[0035] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments or related technologies of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 A perspective view of an automated fuel cell stacking apparatus provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 2 A perspective view of the buffer assembly provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 3 A cross-sectional front view of the buffer component provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the initial contact state between the fuel cell stack and the buffer assembly provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the stack and the support block detached in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] In the picture:

[0043] 1. Workbench; 2. Robotic arm;

[0044] 3. Buffer assembly; 31. Limiting block; 32. Guide block; 33. Supporting block; 331. Rounded corner; 34. Lifting groove; 35. Compression spring; 36. Receiving groove; 37. Guide post; 38. Slider; 39. Elastic element; 30. Inclined surface;

[0045] 4. Fuel cell stack. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] In this document, when it is mentioned that a first component is located on a second component, this can mean that the first component can be directly formed on the second component, or that a third component can be inserted between the first and second components. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the thickness of the components may be exaggerated or reduced for the purpose of effectively describing the technical content.

[0048] In this document, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As used herein, expressions such as “at least one of…” modify an entire column of elements when following a column of elements. For example, the expression “at least one of a, b, and c” should be understood to include only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b, and c.

[0049] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may also be intended to include plural forms unless otherwise expressly stated herein. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are inclusive and thus specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or shown, unless specifically identified as such. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0050] As used herein, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “according to one embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” etc., generally refer to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic following the phrase can be included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. Therefore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic can be included in more than one embodiment of this disclosure, such that these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. As used herein, the terms “example,” “exemplary,” etc., are used to “serve as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation, aspect, or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other implementations, aspects, or designs. Rather, the use of the terms “example,” “exemplary,” etc., is intended to present concepts in a specific manner.

[0051] Research has revealed that in the mass production of new energy devices such as fuel cells and power batteries, the fuel cell stack, as a core functional component, directly impacts product yield and service reliability due to the stability of its stacking and assembly process. Automated stacking of fuel cell stacks has become the mainstream technology in the industry. Specifically, a robotic arm or negative pressure adsorption mechanism picks up the fuel cell stack unit, moves it to the top of the stacking collection rack after visual or mechanical positioning, and then releases the gripper or the negative pressure adsorption mechanism releases the adsorption, allowing the fuel cell stack unit to fall freely under its own gravity, completing its stacking and positioning with the already stacked fuel cell stacks below.

[0052] However, in actual production applications, the aforementioned traditional stacking process has insurmountable technical pain points. The free fall of the fuel cell stack unit under gravity is prone to structural damage, severely restricting the yield and reliability of the fuel cell stack product. Specifically, the fuel cell stack contains several fragile components such as membrane electrode assemblies, gas diffusion layers, bipolar plates, and seals. When the fuel cell stack unit falls freely onto the stacking collection rack, its bottom wall will collide instantaneously with the top of the already stacked fuel cell stack below. The impact force generated by the collision will be directly transmitted to the internal components of the fuel cell stack, causing various irreversible damages. In extreme cases, it may even lead to the direct scrapping of the fuel cell stack, significantly increasing production costs.

[0053] To mitigate stacking collision issues, existing technologies have attempted to reduce impact energy by optimizing the positioning accuracy of robotic arms and decreasing the drop height, but the effects have been limited. On one hand, limited by the positioning errors of automated equipment and the dimensional tolerances of the fuel cell stack itself, the drop height cannot be reduced indefinitely, still generating sufficient impact force to cause damage. On the other hand, excessively reducing the drop height leads to decreased stacking efficiency, making it difficult to meet the efficiency requirements of large-scale production. Furthermore, some processes have attempted to lay buffer pads on the surface of the fuel cell stack, but the presence of these pads affects the coaxiality and fit accuracy of the stack, easily causing stress concentration problems during subsequent assembly. Frequent replacement of the buffer pads also increases process complexity and material costs, making them unsuitable for continuous production scenarios.

[0054] Therefore, developing an auxiliary device for stacking electric stacks that can effectively avoid stacking collision damage and adapt to automated production processes has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field.

[0055] The defects in the above solutions and the reasons for their occurrence are the results of the inventors' practice and careful research. Therefore, the discovery process of the above problems and the solutions proposed in this disclosure should be considered as the inventors' contributions to this disclosure.

[0056] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0057] The following detailed description of some embodiments of the present invention is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, at least one embodiment provides an automated fuel cell stacking device, including: a robotic arm 2, which is disposed on one side of a workbench 1 for transporting and placing the fuel cell stack 4 onto the workbench 1; the workbench 1 is made of high-strength aluminum alloy and has an anodized surface, possessing wear-resistant and deformation-resistant properties, providing stable support for the entire stacking process, and has reserved installation space at the bottom for fixing a lifting device. The robotic arm 2 is an industrial six-axis robotic arm 2, disposed on one side of the workbench 1, with a maximum load of 50kg and a repeatability of ±0.05mm, suitable for the weight and positioning requirements of mainstream fuel cell stacks 4. The end of the robotic arm 2 is equipped with an adaptive gripper, which uses a dual fixing method of vacuum adsorption and mechanical clamping to ensure the stability of the fuel cell stack 4 during transport and prevent slippage or displacement.

[0059] like Figure 2 As shown, several buffer components 3 are symmetrically arranged on the worktable 1 in pairs, and are suitable for lifting and lowering relative to the worktable 1. A total of 8 buffer components 3 are arranged in a 4×2 matrix evenly on the upper surface of the worktable 1, corresponding to the four sides and four corners of the fuel cell stack 4. The inner wall of the limiting block 31 is tightly fitted with the outer wall of the fuel cell stack 4 (gap ≤ 0.1mm) to achieve all-round circumferential limiting. Each buffer component 3 is an independent modular structure, which is convenient for disassembly, maintenance and specification replacement.

[0060] like Figure 3The buffer assembly 3 includes: a limiting block 31, which is lifted and positioned on the worktable 1 and perpendicular to it; the limiting block 31 is injection molded from engineering plastic (PA66 + glass fiber) and is vertically positioned to the worktable 1. The upper end of the limiting block 31, near the fuel cell stack 4, has a 30° inclined surface 30, which guides the fuel cell stack 4 to accurately fall into the area enclosed by the eight limiting blocks 31 in the initial stage of descent, avoiding deflection; a rectangular lifting groove 34 is formed vertically inside the limiting block 31, and a compression spring 35 is fixed to the bottom wall of the lifting groove 34 by bolts.

[0061] like Figure 3 A guide block 32 is installed within a limiting block 31, with its upper end protruding from the limiting block 31. The guide block 32 has a cuboid structure, is made of the same material as the limiting block 31, and is sized to fit the lifting groove 34, allowing it to move vertically along the lifting groove 34. The upper end of a compression spring 35 abuts against the bottom wall of the guide block 32. The spring's elastic coefficient is designed to be 5 N / mm based on the weight of the fuel cell stack 4 (typically 20-30 kg). In its natural state, it can push the guide block 32 upward, causing its upper end to protrude from the upper surface of the limiting block 31. A receiving groove 36 is formed on the side wall of the guide block 32 near the fuel cell stack 4, extending vertically along the guide block 32. The groove's depth gradually increases from bottom to top, and its cross-section is a right-angled triangle. This gradual depth design provides a precise movement trajectory for the retraction of the support block 33, ensuring that the support block 33 smoothly disengages during the descent of the fuel cell stack 4.

[0062] like Figure 3 The support block 33 is slidably disposed on the side wall of the guide block 32 and is adapted to retract into the limiting block 31. It has a right-angled trapezoidal structure, with the inclined side parallel to the inclined side of the receiving groove 36 (inclination angle 60°). It is made of wear-resistant alloy steel and the surface is quenched to improve wear resistance. The support block 33 is slidably disposed on the side wall of the guide block 32 and initially protrudes from the upper surface of the limiting block 31 to support the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4. In this process, the robotic arm 2 picks up the fuel cell stack 4 and moves it to the inside of each buffer component 3 until the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4 abuts against the support block 33. The support block 33 supports the fuel cell stack 4 and drives each guide block 32 to move slowly downward. The bottom of the support block 33 is provided with a rounded corner 331. When the lower end of the support block 33 abuts against the limiting block 31, the rounded corner 331 on the support block 33 contacts the inner wall of the limiting block 31. The fuel cell stack 4 presses against the support block 33, causing the support block 33 to gradually retract and move towards the guide block 32 until the support block 33 retracts into the limiting block 31. The bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4 separates from the detached support block 33 and abuts against the previously placed fuel cell stack 4.

[0063] like Figure 3As shown, the guide assembly and elastic element 39 are connected. A cylindrical guide post 37 is fixed vertically inside the guide block 32. A slider 38 is sleeved on the outer wall of the guide post 37, and the slider 38 can move freely up and down along the guide post 37. The side of the slider 38 near the support block 33 is fixed with the elastic element 39 by a threaded connection. In this embodiment, the elastic element 39 is a multi-stage telescopic rod, and its outer end is fixed to the inner side wall of the support block 33 by bolts. The minimum compression length of the telescopic rod is less than the distance from the side wall of the slider 38 to the oblique edge of the support block 33, ensuring that the support block 33 can be completely retracted into the limiting block 31. The preload of the elastic element 39 is designed to be 10N, which can push the support block 33 away from the guide block 32 to maintain its extended state.

[0064] like Figure 1 The lifting device (not shown in the figure) adopts a screw jack and is fixed to the bottom of the workbench 1. The movable end is synchronously connected to the bottom wall of 8 limit blocks 31 through a flange. It can drive the limit blocks 31 to move intermittently upward in the vertical direction. Each movement is equal to the height of a single electric stack 4, which is suitable for multi-layer stacking requirements.

[0065] At least one embodiment provides a method of operating an automated fuel cell stacking device, the method comprising:

[0066] The robotic arm 2 picks up the battery stack 4 and moves it to the inside of each buffer assembly 3. At this time, each support block 33 is located at the bottom of the side wall of the guide block 32 and protrudes from the limiting block 31.

[0067] After the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4 comes into contact with the support block 33, the robot arm 2 releases the restriction on the fuel cell stack 4, and the fuel cell stack 4, under its own gravity, squeezes the support block 33 and the guide block 32 and moves slowly downward relative to the restriction block 31.

[0068] After the lower end of the support block 33 abuts against the limiting block 31, the support block 33 gradually retracts and moves towards the guide block 32. At this time, the guide block 32 continues to move downward relative to the limiting block 31, and the support block 33 gradually moves horizontally and separates from the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4. When the support block 33 retracts into the limiting block 31, the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4 separates from the support block 33 and abuts against the fuel cell stack 4 that was placed last time.

[0069] The working principle of an automated fuel cell stacking device is as follows:

[0070] During the initial preparation phase, the lifting device drives the limit block 31 to move to the initial height, such as... Figure 4The compression spring 35 pushes the guide block 32 upward, causing the upper end of the guide block 32 to protrude from the limiting block 31. At this time, the support block 33 is located at the bottom of the receiving groove 36 under its own weight. The elastic element 39 pushes the support block 33 outward. At this time, the distance between the two support blocks 33 arranged opposite each other is less than the length or width of the electric stack 4, so that the bottom wall of the electric stack 4 can abut against the surface of the support block 33 after it is released from the gripper 2. At this time, the support block 33 is located at the bottom of the side wall of the guide block 32 and protrudes from the inner side wall of the limiting block 31. The eight support blocks 33 together form a stable support surface.

[0071] like Figure 1 In the transport and positioning stage of the fuel cell stack 4, the robotic arm 2 uses an adaptive gripper to pick up the fuel cell stack 4 to be stacked. After calibration by a vision positioning system (integrated into the end of the robotic arm 2), it moves to the area surrounded by eight buffer components 3, with the center of the fuel cell stack 4 coaxial with the center of the limiting blocks 31. The robotic arm 2 drives the fuel cell stack 4 to slowly fall until the bottom wall is in complete contact with the upper surface of the eight support blocks 33. At this point, the vacuum adsorption and mechanical gripping of the robotic arm 2 are released simultaneously, completing the initial positioning of the fuel cell stack 4.

[0072] like Figure 4 During the buffer descent phase, the fuel cell stack 4, under its own weight (25kg), presses down on the support block 33 and the guide block 32. The compression spring 35 is gradually compressed, and the guide block 32 moves slowly downward along the lifting groove 34 of the limiting block 31. During this process, the elastic force of the compression spring 35 is balanced with the weight of the fuel cell stack 4, achieving buffer deceleration and avoiding impact.

[0073] like Figure 5 During the stage where the support block 33 retracts and fits into the fuel cell stack 4, when the lower end of the support block 33 abuts against the upper surface of the limiting block 31, the fuel cell stack 4 is driven to continue moving downward by the thrust applied to the guide block 32 by the support block 33 (at this time, the compression spring 35 is further compressed). As the depth of the receiving groove 36 gradually increases from bottom to top, the chamfered edge of the support block 33 and the chamfered edge of the receiving groove 36 slide relative to each other. With the cooperation of the support block 33 and the chamfered surface 30 of the receiving groove 36, the support block 33 retracts horizontally towards the guide block 32, and the elastic element 39 (telescopic rod) is compressed. As the guide block 32 continues to descend, the support block 33 gradually retracts into the receiving groove 36 and moves away from the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4 until the side wall of the support block 33 and the side wall of the guide block 32 are coplanar on the vertically lowered surface. At this time, the guide block 32 pushes the support block 33, causing it to retract completely into the limiting block 31. The bottom wall of the fuel cell stack 4 smoothly abuts against the fuel cell stack 4 already stacked below (or the surface of the workbench 1, during the first stacking), completing one stacking cycle.

[0074] In the cyclic stacking stage, after a single stacking is completed, the lifting device drives the limiting block 31 to move upward by the height of one electric stack 4, the compression spring 35 resets and pushes the guide block 32 upward, the elastic element 39 pushes the support block 33 to extend to the initial position, and the robot arm 2 picks up the next electric stack 4 and repeats the above process to achieve continuous stacking.

[0075] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0076] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence unless expressly indicated herein. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed above may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or segment.

[0077] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic stacking device for fuel cell stacks, characterized in that, include: A robotic arm (2) is set on one side of the workbench (1) for transporting the fuel cell stack (4) and placing it on the workbench (1); Several buffer components (3) are arranged symmetrically on the worktable (1) in pairs, and are suitable for moving up and down relative to the worktable (1); The buffer component (3) includes: The limit block (31) is mounted on the worktable (1) and is perpendicular to the worktable (1); The guide block (32) is raised and lowered within the limit block (31), and its upper end protrudes from the limit block (31). The supporting block (33) is slidably disposed on the side wall of the guide block (32) and is adapted to retract into the limiting block (31); Among them, the robotic arm (2) picks up the electric stack (4) and moves it to the inside of each buffer assembly (3) until the bottom wall of the electric stack (4) abuts against the support block (33); The support block (33) supports the fuel cell stack (4) and drives each guide block (32) to move slowly downward; After the lower end of the support block (33) comes into contact with the limiting block (31), the support block (33) gradually retracts and moves toward the guide block (32) until the support block (33) retracts into the limiting block (31), and the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack (4) separates from the support block (33) and comes into contact with the fuel cell stack (4) that was placed last time. A lifting groove (34) is provided in the vertical direction inside the limiting block (31), and the guide block (32) is lifted and lowered in the lifting groove (34); A compression spring (35) is provided on the bottom wall of the lifting groove (34). The upper end of the compression spring (35) abuts against the guide block (32) and is adapted to push the guide block (32) to move upward. The guide block (32) has a receiving groove (36) on its side wall near the fuel cell stack (4). The receiving groove (36) extends along the vertical direction of the guide block (32) and the depth of the groove gradually increases from bottom to top. The cross-section of the receiving groove (36) is a right triangle, and the side of the supporting block (33) that contacts the receiving groove (36) is an oblique side; A guide post (37) is provided in the guide block (32) along the vertical direction, and a slider (38) is provided on the outer wall of the guide post (37) for lifting and lowering. An elastic element (39) is fixed to the side of the slider (38) near the support block (33). The outer end of the elastic element (39) is fixed to the support block (33). The elastic element (39) is adapted to push the support block (33) to move away from the guide block (32).

2. The automatic stacking device for fuel cells as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The support block (33) is a right trapezoid with the upper base being longer than the lower base, and the oblique side is parallel to the oblique side of the receiving groove (36).

3. The automatic stacking device for fuel cells as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic element (39) is a telescopic rod, and the minimum compression length of the telescopic rod is less than the distance between the side wall of the slider (38) and the oblique side of the support block (33).

4. The automatic stacking device for fuel cells as described in claim 1, characterized in that, There are 8 limiting blocks (31), which are arranged in a matrix and the inner sidewall of the limiting block (31) is in contact with the outer wall of the fuel cell stack (4).

5. The automatic stacking device for fuel cells as described in claim 4, characterized in that, A lifting device is provided at the bottom of the workbench (1). The movable end of the lifting device is fixed to the bottom wall of the limiting block (31). The lifting device is adapted to drive the limiting block (31) to move upward intermittently.

6. The automatic stacking device for fuel cells as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the limiting block (31) is provided with an inclined surface near the side of the fuel cell stack (4), and the inclined surface is suitable for guiding the fuel cell stack (4) to slowly fall between the limiting blocks (31).

7. A method for operating an automatic fuel cell stacking device, characterized in that, The method of using the automated fuel cell stacking equipment as described in any one of claims 1-6 includes: The robotic arm (2) grips the electric stack (4) and moves it to the inside of each buffer assembly (3). At this time, each support block (33) is located at the bottom of the side wall of the guide block (32) and protrudes from the limiting block (31). After the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack (4) comes into contact with the support block (33), the robot arm (2) releases the limit on the fuel cell stack (4), and the fuel cell stack (4) squeezes the support block (33) and the guide block (32) relative to the limit block (31) and moves slowly downward under its own gravity. After the lower end of the support block (33) comes into contact with the limiting block (31), the support block (33) gradually retracts and moves toward the guide block (32). At this time, the guide block (32) continues to move downward relative to the limiting block (31), and the support block (33) gradually moves horizontally and detaches from the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack (4). When the support block (33) retracts into the limiting block (31), the bottom wall of the fuel cell stack (4) detaches from the support block (33) and comes into contact with the fuel cell stack (4) that was placed previously.

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