Material bin

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of battery production equipment, in particular to a material bin which comprises a material frame and at least two material boxes, the at least two material boxes are stacked in the material frame in the first direction, a material picking opening is formed in one end, in the first direction, of the material frame, and the material boxes are movably connected with the material frame. The material box can move between the material picking station and the feeding station; when the material box is located at the material picking station, the material box and the material picking opening are aligned in the first direction; the material box is provided with a material storage part, the material storage part is provided with a plurality of material storage grooves stacked in the second direction, and anti-sticking layers are arranged on the inner surfaces of the material storage grooves. According to the material bin, the production efficiency of an automatic battery production line is effectively improved, meanwhile, stacking of viscous materials is achieved, and the feeding efficiency and the space utilization rate of the material bin are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of battery production equipment, and in particular to a material warehouse. Background Art

[0002] During battery production, the loading and storage of sticky materials (e.g., side panels coated with adhesive) are often a challenge. Due to their inherent stickiness, these materials are typically laid flat within the storage device to prevent them from sticking to one another or to the storage device. This prevents them from stacking and storing. This requires significant space for both storage and transport, increasing the range of material handling required, significantly impacting loading efficiency and space utilization.

[0003] In addition, in today's automated battery production lines, when the material-picking robot is in the state of picking up materials from the material bin, in order to avoid interference with the material-picking robot, the material bin is usually unable to replenish materials at the same time. This requires additional replenishment time to be reserved for the material bin during the production process, which greatly affects the production efficiency of the automated battery production line. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a material bin to solve, to a certain extent, the technical problems existing in the prior art, such as the inability to stack and store sticky materials, the need to occupy a large amount of space for material storage / transfer, which greatly affects the loading efficiency and space utilization, and the inability of the material bin to replenish materials at the same time to avoid interference with the material-taking robot, which requires additional replenishment time to be reserved for the material bin during the production process, greatly affecting the production efficiency of the automated battery production line.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present application, a material bin is provided, comprising a material rack and at least two material boxes, wherein the at least two material boxes are stacked in a first direction within the material rack, and a material picking opening is provided at one end of the material rack in the first direction, and the material boxes are movably connected to the material rack so as to enable the material boxes to move between a picking station and a loading station;

[0006] When the material box is at the material picking station, the material box and the material picking port are aligned along the first direction;

[0007] The material box is provided with a material storage portion, the material storage portion is provided with a plurality of material storage slots stacked along a second direction, the inner surface of the material storage slot is provided with an anti-sticking layer, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

[0008] Preferably, the material box is slidably connected to the material rack along the second direction.

[0009] Preferably, the material box comprises a plurality of the material storage parts, the plurality of the material storage parts are arranged at intervals along the third direction, and the storage grooves of the plurality of the material storage parts are aligned one by one along the third direction.

[0010] Preferably, the material box further comprises a panel extending along the third direction, the plurality of material storage portions are all arranged on the same side of the panel, and the plurality of material storage portions are all fixedly connected to the panel.

[0011] Preferably, the material box further includes brackets extending along the second direction, the number of the brackets is equal to the number of the material storage parts, the brackets are fixedly connected to the panel, and the material storage parts are fixedly connected to the panel via the corresponding brackets.

[0012] Preferably, the first one of the material box and the material rack is provided with a positioning groove, and the second one of the material box and the material rack is provided with a positioning marble. When the material rack slides to the picking station, the positioning marble can just bounce into the positioning groove.

[0013] Preferably, a handle is provided at one end of the material box in the second direction;

[0014] And / or, the material bin further includes a sliding member, and the material box and the material rack are slidably connected via the sliding member.

[0015] Preferably, the material rack further includes:

[0016] A first sensing portion is provided at the end of the material rack opposite to the handle, and is used to determine whether the material box has entered the picking station;

[0017] The limiting portion is arranged on one side of the first sensing portion and protrudes toward the outside of the material rack along the second direction relative to the first sensing portion.

[0018] Preferably, the material rack is further provided with a second sensing portion, and the number of the second sensing portions is equal to that of the material boxes and they are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, so as to detect the material carrying status of the material box corresponding to the second sensing portion.

[0019] Preferably, the material rack further includes:

[0020] A moving part, provided at the bottom of the material rack, for moving the material bin;

[0021] The positioning part is fixedly arranged on the material rack, and when the material bin moves to a predetermined position, the positioning part can be connected to the fixing part at the predetermined position.

[0022] Preferably, the anti-sticking layer is a ceramic glaze coating or a Teflon coating.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0024] The material bin provided in the present application, on the one hand, is able to move the material box between the picking station and the loading station through the movable connection between the material box and the material rack. In this way, when one of at least two material boxes needs to be replenished and moved to the loading station, the other of at least two material boxes can still be in the picking station aligned with the picking port, which enables the material bin to simultaneously execute the action of picking up materials from the material bin and the action of replenishing materials to the material bin, without reserving additional loading time for the material bin, thereby effectively improving the production efficiency of the automated battery production line; on the other hand, by arranging a plurality of storage troughs stacked along the second direction in the storage part and arranging an anti-sticking layer on the inner surface of the storage trough, the stacking of sticky materials is achieved, thereby effectively improving the loading efficiency and space utilization of the material bin.

[0025] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the axonometric structure of the material bin provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 This is another isometric structural diagram of the material bin provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The enlarged structural diagram of the material bin at position A is provided;

[0030] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The enlarged structural diagram of the material bin at position B is provided;

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 2 The enlarged structural diagram of the material bin at position C is provided.

[0032] Reference numerals:

[0033] 1-Material box; 11-Material storage part; 12-Panel; 13-Bracket; 14-Handle; 2-Sliding part; 3-Material rack; 31-Limiting part; 32-First sensing part; 33-Second sensing part; 41-Positioning marble; 42-Positioning groove; 51-Moving part; 52-Positioning part; 53-Supporting leg; 6-Material picking port.

[0034] F1-first direction; F2-second direction; F3-third direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solution of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0036] The components of the embodiments of the present application generally described and shown in the drawings herein may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application.

[0037] Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative work shall fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0038] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of this application and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0039] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0040] Refer to the following Figures 1 to 5 Describe the material warehouse according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0041] See also Figures 1 to 5As shown, an embodiment of the first aspect of the present application provides a material bin, which includes a material rack 3 and at least two material boxes 1. The at least two material boxes 1 are stacked in the material rack 3 along a first direction F1. A material pickup port 6 is provided at one end of the material rack 3 in the first direction F1. The material box 1 is movably connected to the material rack 3 so that the material box 1 can move between a material pickup station and a material loading station. When the material box 1 is in the material pickup station, the material box 1 and the material pickup port 6 are aligned along the first direction F1. The material box 1 is provided with a storage portion 11, which is provided with a plurality of storage troughs stacked in a second direction F2. The inner surface of the storage trough is provided with an anti-sticking layer, and the first direction F1 intersects with the second direction F2.

[0042] According to the material bin provided by the above-mentioned technical features, on the one hand, the material box 1 is movablely connected to the material rack 3, so that the material box 1 can be moved between the picking station and the loading station. In this way, when at least one of the at least two material boxes 1 needs to be replenished and moved to the loading station, the other of the at least two material boxes 1 can still be in the picking station aligned with the picking port 6, which enables the material bin to simultaneously execute the action of picking up materials from the material bin and the action of replenishing materials to the material bin, without reserving additional loading time for the material bin, thereby effectively improving the production efficiency of the automated battery production line; on the other hand, by arranging a plurality of storage troughs stacked along the second direction F2 in the storage part 11, and arranging an anti-sticking layer on the inner surface of the storage trough, the stacking of sticky materials is achieved, thereby effectively improving the loading efficiency and space utilization of the material bin.

[0043] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example is shown in which the material bin includes four of the above-mentioned material boxes 1 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of the material boxes 1 included in the above-mentioned material bin may also be 2, 3, 5, 6... or more.

[0044] Correspondingly, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the material rack 3 may include a multi-layer frame, and one of the material boxes 1 may be disposed in each layer of the frame.

[0045] It should be noted that when the material warehouse is in use, Figure 1Taking the orientation shown as an example (from top to bottom, the material boxes 1 are defined as the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, the fourth layer, etc.), the following picking robot can pick up materials from the material bin from the picking port 6 (i.e., the opening at the top of the material rack 3). When the materials in the first layer of material boxes 1 at the top are picked up, the operator can move the first layer to the loading station, and then the picking robot can pick up the materials in the second layer of material boxes 1. At the same time, the first layer of material boxes 1 can be replenished at this time. After the second layer of materials is picked up, the second layer of material boxes 1 can be moved to the loading station to pick up materials from the third layer, until all the materials in the material boxes 1 are picked up.

[0046] It should be noted that the aforementioned picking station can be understood as a position where the material box 1 is in the material storage portion 11 and is completely exposed by the picking port 6. The aforementioned loading station can be understood as a position where the material box 1 is moved out of the projection range of the picking port 6, so that the material box 1 of the next layer is completely exposed by the picking port 6. The projection of the picking port 6 can be a projection formed by projecting the picking port 6 along the first direction F1 onto a plane defined by the second direction F2 and the third direction F3.

[0047] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, F1 shown in the figure may be an example of the first direction F1, and F2 shown in the figure may be an example of the second direction F2. Preferably, the first direction F1 and the second direction F2 may be perpendicular to each other to increase the operating space of the picking station and the loading station. For ease of description, the direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the first direction F1 and the second direction F2 is defined as a third direction F3. F3 shown in the figure may be an example of the third direction F3.

[0048] In an embodiment, preferably, Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the material box 1 and the material rack 3 can be slidably connected along the second direction F2. In this way, when the material box 1 slides along the second direction F2, the material storage slots can be exposed one by one, so that materials can be taken and placed one by one.

[0049] Preferably, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example is shown in which the material box 1 includes two material storage portions 11, and the two material storage portions 11 are spaced apart along the third direction F3, and the material storage troughs of the two material storage portions 11 are aligned one by one along the third direction F3. In this way, the material can be placed in the material box 1 extending along the third direction F3, and the two ends of the material in the third direction F3 can be respectively placed in the two corresponding material troughs of the two material storage portions 11, which not only ensures the setting stability of the material, but also effectively reduces the contact area between the material storage portion 11 and the material, further reducing the probability of sticky material sticking to the material storage portion 11.

[0050] However, without limitation, the number of the above-mentioned storage parts 11 can be adaptively adjusted according to the length and bending strength of the material in the third direction F3. For example, the number of the storage parts 11 included in the material box 1 can also be 3, 4,... or more.

[0051] Such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the above-mentioned storage groove can penetrate the storage part 11 along the third direction F3, so that a part of the material extending along the third direction F3 can be arranged in the storage groove. Preferably, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the above-mentioned storage groove can be in a "U" shape to facilitate the taking and placing of the material.

[0052] Furthermore, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, chamfers can be provided at the opening of the "U"-shaped storage groove to facilitate guiding the material into the storage groove.

[0053] Optionally, the above-mentioned anti-sticking layer can be a ceramic glaze coating, a Teflon coating or other anti-sticking coatings.

[0054] Preferably, the above-mentioned anti-sticking layer can be coated on the surface of the bottom wall of the "U"-shaped storage groove and the surfaces of the two inner walls arranged opposite to each other along the second direction F2.

[0055] Preferably, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the above-mentioned material box 1 can further include a panel 12 extending along the third direction F3. The two storage parts 11 can be arranged on the same side of the panel 12, and the two storage parts 11 are both fixedly connected to the panel 12. In this way, the consistency and synchronism of the movement of the two storage parts 11 along the second direction F2 can be ensured.

[0056] Preferably, as Figures 1 to 5 shown, the above-mentioned material box 1 further includes a bracket 13 extending along the second direction F2. The number of the brackets 13 can be equal to the number of the above-mentioned storage parts 11. The bracket 13 is fixedly connected to the above-mentioned panel 12, and the above-mentioned storage part 11 is fixedly connected to the panel 12 via the corresponding bracket 13.

[0057] Preferably, as Figures 1 to 5 shown, the above-mentioned bracket 13 can be in an L shape to facilitate supporting the storage part 11, thereby improving the bearing capacity of the material box 1.

[0058] Preferably, as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the material bin may further include a sliding member 2, and the material box 1 and the material rack 3 may be slidably connected via the sliding member 2. Optionally, the sliding member 2 may be slidably connected to the material rack 3 and the bracket 13, respectively.

[0059] Preferably, the sliding member 2 may be a multi-stage slide (eg, a two-stage slide or a three-stage slide) to increase the extent to which the material box 1 can extend relative to the material rack 3 along the second direction F2, thereby further increasing the operating space of the loading station.

[0060] However, it is not limited thereto, and the sliding member 2 may also be other sliding members 2, such as a slider rail assembly.

[0061] Preferably, if Figure 1 As shown, one end of the material box 1 in the second direction F2 may be provided with a handle 14 to facilitate the operator to drive the material box 1 to move along the second direction F2. Figure 2 As shown, the handle 14 can be provided on the side of the panel 12 facing away from the material storage portion 11 .

[0062] In an embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, a positioning groove 42 can be provided on the above-mentioned bracket 13, and a positioning marble 41 can be provided at the corresponding position of the above-mentioned material rack 3. When the material rack 3 slides to the picking station, the positioning marble 41 is just set in the positioning groove 42. In this way, the position accuracy of the material box 1 at the picking station is effectively improved, thereby ensuring the material picking accuracy.

[0063] Optionally, as not shown in the figures, the bracket may also be provided with the positioning marbles, and a positioning groove may be provided at a corresponding position of the material rack.

[0064] Furthermore, if Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, a first sensing portion 32 can be provided at the end of the material rack 3 facing away from the handle 14. The first sensing portion 32 can be used to determine whether the material box 1 enters the picking station, so as to further improve the position accuracy of the above-mentioned material box 1 at the picking station, thereby ensuring the material picking accuracy.

[0065] Optionally, the first sensing portion 32 may be a contact sensor, a position detection sensor, or a distance measurement sensor.

[0066] It should be noted that if Figure 2 As shown, the number of the above-mentioned first sensing parts 32 is set corresponding to the number of the above-mentioned material boxes 1, that is, one material box 1 has at least one above-mentioned first sensing part 32 corresponding to it, so that the material warehouse can independently monitor whether each material box 1 is moved into place.

[0067] Preferably, if Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, a limiting portion 31 can be provided at one end of the material rack 3 facing away from the handle 14. The limiting portion 31 can be provided on one side of the first sensing portion 32 and protrude toward the outside of the material rack 3 along the second direction F2 relative to the first sensing portion 32. In this way, the probability of the first sensing portion 32 being collided is effectively reduced, and the risk of the first sensing portion 32 being damaged is reduced.

[0068] Preferably, if Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, the material rack 3 is further provided with a second sensing portion 33. The number of the second sensing portions 33 and the material box 1 is equal and they are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, so as to detect the material loading status of the material box 1 corresponding to the second sensing portion 33. In this way, the material bin can obtain the empty information of the material box 1 in time through the second sensing portion 33, so as to remind the operator to load the empty material box 1 in time.

[0069] Optionally, the second detection unit may be a photoelectric sensor, a CCD camera, etc.

[0070] In an embodiment, preferably, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a moving portion 51 may be provided at the bottom of the material rack 3 for moving the material bin.

[0071] Optionally, the moving part 51 may be a roller, but is not limited thereto. As long as the material bin can be moved, the moving part 51 may also be a moving device such as an AGV trolley, a slide rail, or a conveyor belt.

[0072] Alternatively, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the bottom of the material rack 3 may further include supporting legs 53 to improve the supporting stability of the material rack.

[0073] Preferably, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the material rack 3 may further include a positioning portion 52, which may be fixedly disposed on the material rack 3. When the material bin moves to a predetermined position, the positioning portion 52 may be connected to a fixing member at the predetermined position.

[0074] Preferably, the positioning portion 52 may be a pin extending along the first direction F1, and correspondingly, the fixing member at the predetermined position may be a socket capable of cooperating with the pin. When the material bin is moved to the predetermined position through the moving portion 51, the pin can be inserted into the socket to position the material bin, thereby improving the picking accuracy of the material bin.

[0075] Similarly, although not shown in the figures, the positioning portion may also be a socket, and the fixing member at the predetermined position may be a pin that can be plugged into and fit with the socket.

[0076] An embodiment of the second aspect of the present application also provides an automated battery production line, including the material warehouse described in any of the above embodiments, and thus has all the beneficial technical effects of the material warehouse, which will not be repeated here.

[0077] Preferably, although not shown in the figures, the automated battery production line may further include a picking robot capable of picking up materials in the material box 1 through a picking port.

[0078] Preferably, the automated battery production line may further include a picking platform, and the predetermined position is arranged on the picking platform.

[0079] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A material warehouse, characterized in that: It comprises a material rack and at least two material boxes, wherein at least two material boxes are stacked and arranged in the material rack along a first direction, and a material picking port is arranged at one end of the material rack in the first direction, and the material box is movably connected with the material rack so that the material box can move between a material picking station and a material loading station; When the material box is in the material picking station, the material box and the material picking port are aligned along the first direction; The material box is provided with a material storage portion, the material storage portion is provided with a plurality of material storage slots stacked along a second direction, the inner surfaces of the material storage slots are provided with an anti-sticking layer, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

2. The material bin according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material box is slidably connected to the material rack along the second direction.

3. The material bin according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material box comprises a plurality of material storage parts, the plurality of material storage parts are arranged at intervals along a third direction, and the material storage grooves of the plurality of material storage parts are arranged one by one in alignment along the third direction.

4. The material bin according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material box further comprises a panel extending along the third direction, the plurality of material storage portions are all arranged on the same side of the panel, and the plurality of material storage portions are all fixedly connected to the panel.

5. The material bin according to claim 4, characterized in that: The material box further includes brackets extending along the second direction, the number of the brackets is equal to the number of the material storage parts, the brackets are fixedly connected to the panel, and the material storage parts are fixedly connected to the panel via the corresponding brackets.

6. The material bin according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first one of the material box and the material rack is provided with a positioning groove, and the second one of the material box and the material rack is provided with a positioning marble. When the material rack slides to the material picking station, the positioning marble can just bounce into the positioning groove.

7. The material bin according to claim 2, characterized in that: A handle is provided at one end of the material box in the second direction; And / or, the material bin further includes a sliding member, and the material box and the material rack are slidably connected via the sliding member.

8. The material bin according to claim 7, characterized in that: The material rack also includes: A first sensing part, arranged at the end of the material rack opposite to the handle, for judging whether the material box enters the material picking station; The limiting portion is disposed on one side of the first sensing portion and protrudes toward the outside of the material rack along the second direction relative to the first sensing portion.

9. The material bin according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material rack is further provided with a second sensing part, and the number of the second sensing parts is equal to that of the material boxes and they are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, so as to detect the material carrying state of the material box corresponding to the second sensing part.

10. The material bin according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The material rack also includes: A moving part, arranged at the bottom of the material rack, for moving the material bin; The positioning part is fixedly arranged on the material rack, and when the material bin moves to a predetermined position, the positioning part can be connected with the fixing part at the predetermined position.

11. The material bin according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The anti-sticking layer is a ceramic glaze coating or a Teflon coating.

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