A cell sequencing stack bonding apparatus

Abstract

This invention discloses a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device, comprising a loading robot, a transfer platform, a servo linear module, a handling robot, and a correction platform. The loading robot is equipped with several loading suction heads and connects to several single-column arranged transfer platforms. Negative pressure suction heads are arranged one-to-one above each transfer platform, and these suction heads are mounted parallel to the single-column arrangement on the servo linear module. Each negative pressure suction head alternately reciprocates between adjacent transfer platforms. The servo linear module connects to the correction platform via the handling robot. Through this method, this invention provides a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device. By constructing a matrix distribution of loading suction heads using the loading robot to achieve sorting control of the stacking queue, and utilizing the stroke compensation of the servo linear module's slide table to achieve compact dual-station synchronous assembly, this not only improves the battery pack bonding and assembly quality but also significantly increases equipment production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery pack assembly equipment, and more particularly to a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device. Background Technology

[0002] Battery cells can be stacked to form battery packs. Current technology typically involves manually inserting the cells into molds for stacking, which requires manual sorting and grouping. Manual stacking can easily lead to misalignment of the cell stacking orientation, resulting in inconsistent battery pack configurations, poor product quality, and failure to meet production requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main technical problem solved by this invention is to provide a battery cell sorting, stacking and bonding equipment. By constructing a matrix distribution of feeding suction heads through a feeding robot, the sorting control of the stacking queue is realized. The stroke compensation of the servo linear module slide table is used to realize compact dual-station synchronous assembly, which not only improves the bonding and assembly quality of battery packs, but also greatly improves the production efficiency of the equipment.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: providing a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device, including a feeding robot, a transfer platform, a servo linear module, a handling robot, and a correction platform. The feeding robot is equipped with several feeding suction heads and connects to several transfer platforms arranged in single columns. Negative pressure suction heads are arranged one-to-one above the transfer platforms. The negative pressure suction heads are mounted on the servo linear module parallel to the single column. Each negative pressure suction head alternately reciprocates between adjacent transfer platforms. The servo linear module is connected to the correction platform through the handling robot. The correction platform is horizontally supported on a servo rotary cylinder, and the servo rotary cylinder is supported on an XYZ three-axis linear module.

[0005] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the loading robot arm is equipped with a first Z-axis slide cylinder, a second Z-axis slide cylinder, and a third Z-axis slide cylinder. A first back plate is mounted on the first Z-axis slide cylinder, and a second back plate is mounted on the second Z-axis slide cylinder. The first and second back plates are aligned back to back and equidistant from each other, and a plurality of loading suction heads are mounted on them. A single loading suction head is mounted on the third Z-axis slide cylinder. All loading suction heads are arranged in a matrix.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first Z-axis slide cylinder and the second Z-axis slide cylinder are used to alternately place multiple battery cells with the foam double-sided adhesive strip facing upwards to the transfer platform at the non-tail end of the single-column queue; the third Z-axis slide cylinder is used to place a single battery cell without the foam double-sided adhesive strip attached, and the third Z-axis slide cylinder is used to dock with the transfer platform at the tail end of the single-column queue.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a vacuum suction plate covered with foam is installed on the correction platform, and a light source is arranged around the vacuum suction plate. A visual positioning camera and a gripper are attached to the handling robot arm, and a long-handled gripper is installed on the gripper.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a downward vision positioning camera is provided at the downstream port extension position of the single-column queue. The downward vision positioning camera is used to link the XYZ three-axis linear module and the servo rotary cylinder for positioning and correction.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the working range of the handling robot is further provided with a downward vision defect detection camera and a horizontal side vision defect detection camera, both equipped with supplementary lighting.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least two single-column queues and two correction platforms are arranged within the working range of the loading robot, and the loading robot alternately docks with the single-column queues.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transfer platform of the single-row queue is supported on a servo linear module slide, and the transfer platform of the single-row queue partially occupies half of the working radius of the loading robot. The servo linear module slide is used to extend the working range of the handling robot.

[0012] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The battery cell sorting, stacking and bonding equipment provided by the present invention uses a feeding robot to construct a matrix distribution of feeding suction heads to achieve sorting control of the stacking queue, and uses the stroke compensation of the servo linear module slide to achieve compact dual-station synchronous assembly, which not only improves the bonding and assembly quality of battery packs, but also greatly improves the production efficiency of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, wherein: Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a main structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a feeding robot of a preferred embodiment of a battery cell sorting, stacking and bonding device of the present invention; Figure 4This is a structural diagram of a feeding robot of a preferred embodiment of a battery cell sorting, stacking and bonding device of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a single-column queue structure diagram of a preferred embodiment of a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the correction platform of a preferred embodiment of the battery cell sorting, stacking and bonding device of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a handling robot of a preferred embodiment of a battery cell sorting, stacking and bonding device of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the defect detection section of a preferred embodiment of a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. 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.

[0015] like Figure 1-8 As shown, embodiments of the present invention include: A battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device includes a loading robot 1, a transfer platform 2, a servo linear module 3, a handling robot 4, and a correction platform 5. The loading robot 1 is equipped with several loading suction heads 6 and connects to the transfer platform 2, which is arranged in several single-row queues 7. Negative pressure suction heads 8 are arranged one-to-one on the top of the transfer platform 2. The negative pressure suction heads 8 are mounted on the servo linear module 3 parallel to the single-row queues 7. Each negative pressure suction head 8 alternately reciprocates between adjacent transfer platforms 2. The servo linear module 3 is connected to the correction platform 5 through the handling robot 4. The correction platform 5 is horizontally supported on a servo rotary cylinder 9, which is supported on an XYZ three-axis linear module 10.

[0016] The loading robot 1 is equipped with a first Z-axis slide cylinder 11, a second Z-axis slide cylinder 12, and a third Z-axis slide cylinder 13. The first Z-axis slide cylinder 11 is equipped with a first back plate 14, and the second Z-axis slide cylinder 12 is equipped with a second back plate 15. The first back plate 14 and the second back plate 15 are aligned with each other and back against each other with equal spacing, and a number of loading suction heads 6 are mounted on them. The third Z-axis slide cylinder 13 is equipped with a single loading suction head 6. All loading suction heads 6 are arranged in a matrix.

[0017] Furthermore, the first Z-axis slide cylinder 11 and the second Z-axis slide cylinder 12 are used to alternately place multiple battery cells with the foam double-sided adhesive strip facing upwards to the transfer platform 2 at the non-tail end of the single-column queue 7; the third Z-axis slide cylinder 13 is used to place a single battery cell without the foam double-sided adhesive strip attached, and the third Z-axis slide cylinder 13 is used to dock with the transfer platform 2 at the tail end of the single-column queue 7.

[0018] Furthermore, the correction platform 5 is equipped with a vacuum suction plate 16 covered with foam, and a light source 17 is arranged around the vacuum suction plate 16. The handling robot 4 is equipped with a visual positioning camera 18 and a pneumatic gripper 19, and a long-handled gripper 20 is installed on the pneumatic gripper 19.

[0019] Furthermore, a downward vision positioning camera 21 is provided at the downstream port extension position of the single-column queue 7. The downward vision positioning camera 21 is used to link the XYZ three-axis linear module 10 and the servo rotary cylinder 9 for positioning and correction.

[0020] Furthermore, the handling robot 4 is also equipped with a downward vision defect detection camera 22 and a horizontal side vision defect detection camera 23, both equipped with supplementary lighting, within its working range.

[0021] Furthermore, at least two single-column queues 7 and two correction platforms 5 are arranged within the working range of the loading robot 1, and the loading robot 1 alternately docks with the single-column queues 7.

[0022] Furthermore, the transfer platform 2 of the single-row queue is supported on a servo linear module slide 29. The transfer platform 2 of the single-row queue partially occupies half of the working radius of the loading robot 1. The servo linear module slide 29 is used to extend the working range of the handling robot 4.

[0023] This equipment can stack 6 or 7 battery cells with double-sided foam adhesive and 1 battery cell without double-sided foam adhesive to form a battery pack. The process mainly involves stacking the battery cells sequentially with the adhesive side facing up. Before each stack, visual positioning is used to correct any skew. After stacking the adhesive-coated cells, the unadhesive-coated cell is placed on top of the battery pack, where it adheres to the adhesive-coated cells under gravity. To ensure sequential stacking of the adhesive-coated cells, they must be sorted before stacking, ensuring the unadhesive-coated cell is at the end of the queue. To achieve this sorting, the unadhesive-coated cell at the end of the queue needs to be retrieved separately during the loading robot's unloading stage. After sorting, automated stacking and bonding are achieved, resulting in the glued battery pack.

[0024] This embodiment uses the stacked assembly of 6 battery cells with double-sided foam adhesive and 1 battery cell without double-sided foam adhesive as an example to introduce the working principle of the device.

[0025] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the loading robot 1 carries six battery cells with double-sided foam tape facing upwards and one battery cell without double-sided foam tape into the equipment for placement. The battery cells are arranged in a single-row queue 7. The battery cells in queue 7 are handed over one by one to the handling robot 4 via the servo linear module 3 in sequence. The handling robot 4 then moves the cells to the alignment platform 5 at a fixed point. The alignment platform 5 adjusts the docking position according to visual positioning data to ensure that the battery cells are aligned and stacked.

[0026] like Figure 3 , 4 As shown, to improve the efficiency of battery cell placement with the foam double-sided adhesive tape facing upwards, a back-to-back double-backplate structure is used to integrate the feeding suction head 6. The feeding robot 1 performs two battery cell placement actions through a 180° rotation, eliminating the need for reciprocating battery cell handling and improving handling efficiency. Simultaneously, to further confirm the placement position of battery cells without foam double-sided adhesive tape, a separate third Z-axis slide cylinder 13 picks up these cells and arranges them at the end of the queue. The battery cells at the end of the queue become the top of the battery pack stacking sequence. This method solves the stacking queue sorting problem and improves the battery pack stacking efficiency.

[0027] like Figure 5 As shown, the right side is the head of the queue, and the left side is the tail. The battery cells are progressively moved from the tail to the head in an alternating manner. All negative pressure suction heads 8 are driven by servo linear modules 3 to achieve this alternating movement of the battery cells. Each battery cell moved to the head of the queue will be... Figure 7 The pneumatic gripper shown is moved to the lower vision positioning camera 21 for guidance and positioning.

[0028] like Figure 6 As shown, the XYZ three-axis linear module 10 and the servo rotary cylinder 9 are offset compensated according to visual positioning, and then stacked on the vacuum suction plate 16.

[0029] like Figure 8 As shown, after the battery pack is stacked, it is then carried by the handling robot 4 to the lower visual defect detection camera 22 and the horizontal visual defect detection camera 23 for NG determination.

[0030] like Figure 1 , 5 As shown, due to the long queue length, to address the issue of repeated reverse folding and swinging of the loading robot caused by insufficient rotation radius, a servo linear module slide 29 is used to compensate for this insufficient radius. This allows the loading robot to complete three cell placement actions with the shortest possible response time. Figure 4As shown, the battery cell carried by the first Z-axis slide cylinder 11 is first placed at the head of the queue, then the battery cell carried by the second Z-axis slide cylinder 12 is placed in the middle of the queue, and finally the battery cell without foam double-sided tape is placed at the tail of the queue by the third Z-axis slide cylinder 13. Before each placement, the servo linear module slide 29 translates the single-row queue 7 to compensate for the insufficient working radius of the loading robot.

[0031] In summary, this invention provides a battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device. It uses a feeding robot to construct a matrix distribution of feeding suction heads to achieve sorting control of the stacking queue, and utilizes the stroke compensation of the servo linear module slide to achieve compact dual-station synchronous assembly. This not only improves the bonding and assembly quality of the battery pack, but also greatly improves the production efficiency of the equipment.

[0032] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the content of the present invention specification, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery cell sorting, stacking, and bonding device, characterized in that, The system includes a loading robot, a transfer platform, a servo linear module, a handling robot, and a correction platform. The loading robot is equipped with several loading suction heads and connects to several transfer platforms arranged in single columns. Negative pressure suction heads are arranged one-to-one above each transfer platform. The negative pressure suction heads are mounted on the servo linear module parallel to the single column. Each negative pressure suction head alternately docks with adjacent transfer platforms. The servo linear module connects to the correction platform via the handling robot. The correction platform is horizontally supported on a servo rotary cylinder, which is supported on an XYZ three-axis linear module.

2. The cell sorting, stacking, and bonding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The loading robot arm is equipped with a first Z-axis slide cylinder, a second Z-axis slide cylinder, and a third Z-axis slide cylinder. A first back plate is mounted on the first Z-axis slide cylinder, and a second back plate is mounted on the second Z-axis slide cylinder. The first and second back plates are aligned back to back and equidistant from each other, and several loading suction heads are mounted on them. A single loading suction head is mounted on the third Z-axis slide cylinder. All loading suction heads are arranged in a matrix.

3. The cell sorting, stacking, and bonding equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first Z-axis slide cylinder and the second Z-axis slide cylinder are used to alternately place multiple battery cells with the foam double-sided adhesive strip facing upwards to the transfer platform at the non-tail end of the single-column queue; the third Z-axis slide cylinder is used to place a single battery cell without the foam double-sided adhesive strip attached, and the third Z-axis slide cylinder is used to dock with the transfer platform at the tail end of the single-column queue.

4. The cell sorting, stacking, and bonding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The correction platform is equipped with a vacuum suction plate covered with foam, and light sources are arranged around the vacuum suction plate. The handling robot arm is equipped with a vision positioning camera and a pneumatic gripper, and the pneumatic gripper is equipped with a long-handled clamp.

5. The cell sorting, stacking, and bonding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, A downward vision positioning camera is installed at the downstream port extension of the single-column queue. The downward vision positioning camera is used to link the XYZ three-axis linear module and the servo rotary cylinder for positioning and correction.

6. The cell sorting, stacking, and bonding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The working range of the handling robot is also equipped with a downward vision defect detection camera and a horizontal side vision defect detection camera, both equipped with supplementary lighting.

7. The cell sorting, stacking, and bonding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The loading robot has at least two single-column queues and two correction platforms arranged within its working range, and the loading robot alternately docks with the single-column queues.

8. The cell sorting, stacking, and bonding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer platform of the single-row queue is supported on a servo linear module slide. The transfer platform of the single-row queue partially occupies half of the working radius of the loading robot. The servo linear module slide is used to extend the working range of the handling robot.

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