Module carrying tool and module production line

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of battery production, in particular to a module carrying tool and a module production line, the module carrying tool comprises a base, a first end plate, a second end plate, a first side plate and a second side plate, and the first end plate, the second end plate, the first side plate and the second side plate are arranged on the base; the second end plate and the first end plate are oppositely arranged, the second side plate and the first side plate are oppositely arranged, the first end plate and the second end plate are relatively close to each other in the length direction of the base, so that the first end plate and the second end plate respectively clamp the two ends of the battery cell module, and the first side plate and the second side plate are relatively close to each other in the width direction of the base; the first side plate and the second side plate clamp the two sides of the battery cell module respectively, so that a battery cell in the middle of the battery cell module can abut against the module carrying tool, under the action of pressing force of the first side plate and the second side plate, the friction force on the battery cell in the middle of the battery cell module is increased, and the battery cell module is prevented from falling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of battery production, and particularly to a module handling tooling and a module production line. Background Art

[0002] With the development of society, the demand for electric vehicles is also increasing continuously, and people's attention to lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles is also getting higher and higher. During the automated production process of assembling batteries into battery module packs, robots need to handle or transfer the modules.

[0003] Currently, there are mainly two ways to handle and transfer the modules: 1. According to the weight of the module itself, configure sufficient adsorption components. After the battery cells are stacked to form a semi-finished module, the entire module is adsorbed to the next processing station through the adsorption components; 2. After the battery cells are stacked to form a module, a servo mechanism and an electric cylinder mechanism are used in the length direction of the module to clamp the module in the length direction.

[0004] However, when the module is too long, when using the above two methods to handle the module, the battery cells in the middle part of the module will sag under the action of their own gravity, resulting in uneven heights of the entire module battery cells, no guarantee of battery production quality, and not meeting the requirements of module quality control production. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] This application provides a module handling tooling and a module production line to solve the problem that when handling a module in the prior art, the battery cells in the middle part of the module sag under the action of their own gravity, resulting in uneven heights of the entire module battery cells.

[0006] On the one hand, this application provides a module handling tooling, including:

[0007] A base;

[0008] A first end plate, arranged on the base;

[0009] A second end plate, arranged on the base, opposite to the first end plate, and the second end plate and the first end plate can approach or move away from each other along a first direction, and the first direction is the length direction of the base;

[0010] A first side plate, arranged on the base;

[0011] A second side plate, arranged on the base, opposite to the first side plate, and the second side plate and the first side plate can approach or move away from each other along a second direction, and the second direction is the width direction of the base.

[0012] In a possible design, the module handling tooling further includes:

[0013] A first follower assembly, connected to the first side plate;

[0014] The second follower component is connected to the second side plate. The first follower component and the second follower component move along the first direction to make the first side plate and the second side plate approach or move away from each other along the second direction.

[0015] In a possible design, the first follower component and the second follower component respectively include:

[0016] A follower part, connected to the first side plate / the second side plate;

[0017] A guide block, slidably engaged with the follower part. A guide path is provided on the guide block. The guide block can move along the first direction to make the follower part move along the guide path, thereby making the first side plate and the second side plate approach or move away from each other.

[0018] In a possible design, the guide path includes a body section and a locking section connected to each other. The locking section is located at the end of the body section. A locking surface is formed on the inner wall of the locking section. The locking surface can abut against the wheel surface of the roller to prevent the first side plate and the second side plate from moving away from each other.

[0019] In a possible design, a guide hole is provided on the guide block, and the shape of the guide hole is consistent with the guide path.

[0020] In a possible design, the follower part includes:

[0021] A follower shaft, one end of which is connected to the first side plate / the second side plate;

[0022] A roller, sleeved on the other end of the follower shaft, and the wheel surface of the roller is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the guide hole.

[0023] In a possible design, the module handling tooling further includes:

[0024] A first driver, connected to the first end plate, for driving the first end plate to move along the first direction;

[0025] A second driver, connected to the guide block, for driving the guide block to move along the first direction.

[0026] In a possible design, the first driver includes a first motor and a first cylinder, and the output shaft of the first motor is coaxially connected to the output rod of the first cylinder;

[0027] The second driver includes a second motor and a second cylinder, and the output shaft of the second motor is coaxially connected to the output rod of the second cylinder.

[0028] In a possible design, the module handling tooling further includes:

[0029] A first guide rail, the length direction of the first guide rail is parallel to the first direction, and the first guide rail is slidably engaged with the first end plate;

[0030] The second guide rail, the length direction of the second guide rail is parallel to the second direction, and the second guide rail is slidably engaged with the first side plate and the second side plate respectively;

[0031] The third guide rail, the length direction of the third guide rail is parallel to the first direction, and the third guide rail is slidably engaged with the guide block.

[0032] On the other hand, the present application also provides a module production line, including the module handling tooling as described above.

[0033] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows:

[0034] The module handling tooling of the present application includes a first end plate and a second end plate arranged oppositely, and a first side plate and a second side plate arranged oppositely. By making the first end plate and the second end plate approach relatively along the length direction of the base, the two ends of the battery cell module are clamped by the first end plate and the second end plate respectively. By making the first side plate and the second side plate approach relatively along the width direction of the base, the two sides of the battery cell module are clamped by the first side plate and the second side plate respectively. In this way, the battery cells in the middle part of the battery cell module can be made to abut against the module handling tooling. Under the pressing force of the first side plate and the second side plate, the friction force on the battery cells in the middle part of the battery cell module is increased. The friction force overcomes the self-gravity of the battery cell module, thereby preventing the battery cell module from falling, ensuring the surface flatness of the battery cell module, and improving the battery quality.

[0035] The module production line provided by the present application includes all the above advantages of the module handling tooling because it includes the module handling tooling of the present application. Description of the Drawings

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0037] Figure 1 Structural schematic of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0038] Figure 2 Structural schematic of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0039] Figure 3 Front view of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 4Side view of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 5 Bottom view of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0043] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 。

[0044] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first follower assembly / second follower assembly of the module handling tooling provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Reference numerals:

[0046] 100, base; 210, first end plate; 220, second end plate; 310, first side plate; 320, second side plate; 400, first follower assembly; 410, follower part; 411, follower shaft; 412, roller; 420, guide block; 421, guide path; 422, guide hole; 4221, body section; 4222, locking section; 4223, locking surface; 500, second follower assembly; 610, first driver; 611, first motor; 612, first cylinder; 620, second driver; 621, second motor; 622, second cylinder; 710, first guide rail; 720, second guide rail; 730, third guide rail; 800, connecting seat. Detailed implementation manners

[0047] The technical solutions of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0048] Below in conjunction with Figures 1 - 8 , describe the module handling tooling provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0049] Refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2As shown, in the embodiments provided in the present application, the module handling tooling includes a base 100, a first end plate 210, and a second end plate 220. The first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 are respectively arranged on the base 100. The second end plate 220 is arranged opposite to the first end plate 210, and the second end plate 220 and the first end plate 210 can approach or move away from each other along a first direction, and the first direction is the length direction of the base 100; a first side plate 310 and a second side plate 320 are respectively arranged on the base 100. The second side plate 320 is arranged opposite to the first side plate 310, and the second side plate 320 and the first side plate 310 can approach or move away from each other along a second direction, and the second direction is the width direction of the base 100. Refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, in some specific embodiments, a connecting seat 800 is provided at the upper end of the base 100. The connecting seat 800 is provided with a threaded hole, and the connecting seat 800 is connected to the manipulator through a bolt. The manipulator drives the base 100 to move towards the position of the battery cell module to grab the battery cell module, and then the manipulator drives the base 100 to transport the battery cell module to any station on the module production line, such as the module assembly station. In some specific embodiments, the second end plate 220 is fixedly installed on the base 100, and the first end plate 210 is slidably connected to the base 100. Thus, one end of the battery cell module to be transported is correspondingly arranged at the second end plate 220, and by gradually approaching the first end plate 210 to the second end plate 220, the two ends of the battery cell module are clamped. Similarly, by moving the first end plate 210 away from the second end plate 220, it is separated from the two ends of the battery cell module. In other specific embodiments, the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 can also be respectively slidably connected to the base 100. Thus, the battery cell module to be transported is placed in the middle position between the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220, and by simultaneously moving the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 towards each other, the two ends of the battery cell module are clamped. In some specific embodiments, the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 are respectively slidably connected to the base 100. By simultaneously moving the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 towards each other, the two sides of the battery cell module are clamped. Thus, on the basis of keeping the battery cell module clamped by the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 from moving, the left and right sides of the battery cell module are clamped by the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320.

[0050] Using the technical solution provided by the above embodiments, by relatively approaching the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 along the length direction of the base 100, the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 respectively clamp both ends of the battery cell module. By relatively approaching the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 along the width direction of the base 100, the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 respectively clamp both sides of the battery cell module. In this way, the battery cells in the middle part of the battery cell module can be made to abut against the module handling tooling. Under the pressing force of the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320, the friction force on the battery cells in the middle part of the battery cell module is increased, and the friction force overcomes the self-gravity of the battery cell module, thereby preventing the battery cell module from dropping, ensuring the flatness of the surface of the battery cell module, and improving the battery quality.

[0051] Referring to Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments provided by the present application, a first guide rail 710 and a first driver 610 are provided on the base 100. The length direction of the first guide rail 710 is parallel to the length direction of the base 100. The first guide rail 710 is in sliding fit with the first end plate 210, and the first end plate 210 is connected to the first driver 610. The first end plate 210 can move along the first guide rail 710 under the drive of the driver. Referring to Figure 7 As shown, a second guide rail 720 and a second driver 620 are further provided on the base 100. The length direction of the second guide rail 720 is parallel to the width direction of the base 100. The second guide rail 720 is in sliding fit with the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 respectively. The second driver 620 is at least two. At least one second driver 620 is connected to the first side plate 310, and at least one second driver 620 is connected to the second side plate 320. Under the drive of the second driver 620, the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 can respectively move along the second guide rail 720. The first driver 610 and the second driver 620 can be a linear motor, a cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder respectively.

[0052] Referring to Figure 2As shown, in some of these embodiments, the first driver 610 includes a first motor 611 and a first cylinder 612. The output shaft of the first motor 611 is coaxially connected to the output rod of the first cylinder 612. Thus, after the first motor 611 drives the first end plate 210 to move to a preset position (set according to the length of the battery cell module), the first cylinder 612 further squeezes the first end plate 210 on this basis, so as to fully compress both ends of the battery cell module. The second driver 620 includes a second motor 621 and a second cylinder 622. The output shaft of the second motor 621 is coaxially connected to the output rod of the second cylinder 622. Thus, after the second motor 621 drives the first side plate 310 / second side plate 320 to move to a preset position (set according to the width of the battery cell module), the second cylinder 622 further squeezes the first side plate 310 / second side plate 320 on this basis, so as to fully compress both sides of the battery cell module. Together, this improves the pressing force of the first end plate 210, the second end plate 220, the first side plate 310, and the second side plate 320 on the outer surface of the battery cell module, thereby increasing the frictional force on each battery cell in the battery cell module and effectively preventing the battery cells in the middle position of the module from dropping during handling.

[0053] Referring to Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments provided by the present application, the module handling tooling further includes a first follower assembly 400 and a second follower assembly 500. The first follower assembly 400 is connected to the first side plate 310; the second follower assembly 500 is connected to the second side plate 320. The first follower assembly 400 and the second follower assembly 500 move the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 closer to or farther from each other in the second direction by moving in the first direction. Specifically, the first follower assembly 400 is connected to the first driver 610, and the second follower assembly 500 is connected to the second driver 620. By providing the first follower assembly 400 and the second follower assembly 500, the displacement of the first driver 610 and the second driver 620 in the length direction of the base 100 can be converted into the displacement of the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 in the width direction of the base 100, thereby reducing the overall width of the tooling, facilitating making the overall structure of the tooling more compact, and facilitating the manipulator to drive the tooling to move.

[0054] Referring to Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments provided by the present application, the first follower assembly 400 and the second follower assembly 500 respectively include a follower part 410 and a guide block 420. The follower part 410 is connected to the first side plate 310 / the second side plate 320; the guide block 420 is slidably engaged with the follower part 410, and a guide path 421 is provided on the guide block 420. The guide block 420 can move the follower part 410 along the guide path 421 by moving in the first direction, thereby making the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 approach or move away from each other. Specifically, the guide path 421 can be a guide groove or a guide hole 422. For example, a guide hole 422 is provided on the guide block 420, and the shape of the guide hole 422 is the same as that of the guide path 421. The follower part 410 is slidably engaged with the inner wall of the guide groove or the guide hole 422; the angles between the guide path 421 and the length direction of the base 100 and the width direction of the base 100 are respectively acute angles. Thus, when the guide block 420 moves along the length direction of the base 100, the follower part 410 can move along the guide path 421, thereby driving the first side plate 310 / the second side plate 320 to move along the width direction of the base 100. In some specific embodiments, the module handling tooling further includes a third guide rail 730. The length direction of the third guide rail 730 is parallel to the length direction of the base 100. The third guide rail 730 is slidably engaged with the guide block 420. The guide block 420 is connected to the first driver 610 / the second driver 620. Under the drive of the first driver 610 / the second driver 620, the guide block 420 moves along the third guide rail 730. In some specific embodiments, a card slot is provided on the outer side of the guide block 420, and the cylinder block of the first cylinder 612 / the second cylinder 622 is clamped in the card slot, realizing the quick installation between the guide block 420 and the first cylinder 612 / the second cylinder 622. Refer to Figure 8 As shown, in some specific embodiments, the first side plate 310 is correspondingly connected to two guide blocks 420, and the second side plate 320 is correspondingly connected to two guide blocks 420. When the two guide blocks 420 approach each other, the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 approach each other. When the two guide blocks 420 move away from each other, the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 move away from each other. Thus, the stability of the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 can be improved.

[0055] Refer to Figure 8As shown, in some embodiments provided by the present application, the guiding path 421 includes a connected body segment 4221 and a locking segment 4222. The locking segment 4222 is located at the end of the body segment 4221. A locking surface 4223 is formed on the inner wall of the locking segment 4222. The locking surface 4223 can prevent the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 from moving away from each other by abutting against the wheel surface of the roller 412. Specifically, the angles between the body segment 4221 and the length direction and width direction of the base 100 are respectively acute angles, and the locking segment 4222 is parallel to the length direction of the base 100. In this way, when the follower part 410 moves to the locking segment 4222, the follower part 410 abuts against the inner wall surface of the locking segment 4222 away from the battery cell module, so as to prevent the follower part 410 from moving outwards due to air source fluctuations, and further prevent the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 connected to the follower part 410 from moving away from each other, so that the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 always keep pressing on both sides of the battery cell module, avoiding loosening and falling off of the battery cell module during handling due to air source fluctuations.

[0056] Referring to Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments provided by the present application, the follower part 410 includes a follower shaft 411 and a roller 412. One end of the follower shaft 411 is connected to the first side plate 310 / the second side plate 320; the roller 412 is sleeved on the other end of the follower shaft 411, and the wheel surface of the roller 412 is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the guiding hole 422. Specifically, a shaft seat is provided on the first side plate 310 / the second side plate 320, and a shaft hole is provided on the shaft seat. One end of the follower shaft 411 passes through the shaft hole, and the roller 412 is installed on the other end of the follower shaft 411 through a bearing; in this way, by sleeving the roller 412 on the follower shaft 411, it is beneficial to make the follower shaft 411 move more smoothly in the guiding hole 422.

[0057] The working process of the module handling tooling of the present application:

[0058] After the battery cell module is stacked in the previous process, the manipulator drives the module handling tooling to move to the position of the semi-finished battery cell module, so that one end of the battery cell module is aligned with the second end plate 220;

[0059] The first motor 611 drives the first end plate 210 to a preset position, so that the other end of the battery cell module is aligned with the first end plate 210; the first cylinder 612 drives the first end plate 210 to continue to approach the second end plate 220, so that the first end plate 210 and the second end plate 220 are respectively pressed at both ends of the battery cell module;

[0060] The second motor 621 drives the guide block 420 to move along the third guide rail 730. Since the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 are respectively connected to the second guide rail 720 (and cannot move along the third guide rail 730), at this time, driven by the guide block 420, the follower shaft 411 will slide along the guide hole 422, thereby driving the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 to approach each other along the second guide rail 720, aligning the two sides of the battery cell module with the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 respectively; the second cylinder 622 drives the guide block 420 to continue moving a short distance, causing the first side plate 310 to continue approaching the second side plate 320 until the roller 412 reaches the locking section 4222. At this time, the first side plate 310 and the second side plate 320 are respectively pressed against the two sides of the battery cell module, and the outer wheel surface of the roller 412 abuts against the locking surface 4223, preventing the battery cell module from shaking and falling due to air source fluctuations during handling, transfer, flipping, or bridging.

[0061] The manipulator moves the module handling tooling and the battery cell module to the next process.

[0062] The second cylinder 622, the second motor 621, the first cylinder 612, and the first motor 611 are reset in sequence, separating the battery cell module from the module handling tooling to complete the handling.

[0063] An embodiment of the present application also provides a module production line, including the module handling tooling in the above embodiment.

[0064] It should be noted that the module production line includes the module handling tooling and thus includes all the above advantages of the module handling tooling, which will not be elaborated here.

[0065] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation of the present application.

[0066] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0067] In this application, unless otherwise clearly defined or limited, terms such as "installed", "connected", "linked", "fixed", etc. shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it may be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or capable of communicating with each other; it may be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the internal communication of two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly defined. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0068] In this application, terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples", etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the schematic descriptions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0069] Although the embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A module handling tooling, characterized in that, Comprising: A base; A first end plate, disposed on the base; A second end plate, disposed on the base, opposite to the first end plate, the second end plate and the first end plate can approach or move away from each other along a first direction, and the first direction is the length direction of the base; A first side plate, disposed on the base; A second side plate, disposed on the base, opposite to the first side plate, the second side plate and the first side plate can approach or move away from each other along a second direction, and the second direction is the width direction of the base.

2. The module handling tooling according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further comprising: A first follower assembly, connected to the first side plate; A second follower assembly, connected to the second side plate, the first follower assembly and the second follower assembly cause the first side plate and the second side plate to approach or move away from each other along the second direction by moving along the first direction.

3. The module handling tooling according to claim 2, wherein, The first follower assembly and the second follower assembly respectively include: A follower part, connected to the first side plate / the second side plate; A guide block, slidably engaged with the follower part, a guide path is provided on the guide block, and the guide block can cause the follower part to move along the guide path by moving along the first direction, thereby causing the first side plate and the second side plate to approach or move away from each other.

4. The module handling tooling according to claim 3, wherein The guide path includes a body section and a locking section connected to each other, the locking section is located at the end of the body section, and a locking surface is formed on the inner wall of the locking section, and the locking surface can prevent the first side plate and the second side plate from moving away from each other by abutting against the follower part.

5. The module handling tooling according to claim 4, wherein: A guide hole is provided on the guide block, and the shape of the guide hole is the same as that of the guide path.

6. The module handling tooling according to claim 5, wherein The follower part includes: A follower shaft, one end of which is connected to the first side plate / the second side plate; A roller, the roller is sleeved on the other end of the follower shaft, and the surface of the roller is in clearance fit with the inner wall of the guide hole.

7. The module handling tooling according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, Further comprising: A first driver, connected to the first end plate, for driving the first end plate to move along the first direction; A second driver, connected to the guide block, for driving the guide block to move along the first direction.

8. The module handling tooling according to claim 7, wherein: The first driver includes a first motor and a first cylinder, and the output shaft of the first motor is coaxially connected to the output rod of the first cylinder; The second driver includes a second motor and a second cylinder, and the output shaft of the second motor is coaxially connected to the output rod of the second cylinder.

9. The module handling tooling according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that Further comprising: A first guide rail, the length direction of the first guide rail is parallel to the first direction, and the first guide rail is slidably engaged with the first end plate; A second guide rail, the length direction of the second guide rail is parallel to the second direction, and the second guide rail is respectively slidably engaged with the first side plate and the second side plate; A third guide rail, the length direction of the third guide rail is parallel to the first direction, and the third guide rail is slidably engaged with the guide block.

10. A module production line, characterized in that: Including the module handling tooling according to any one of claims 1-9.

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