Weld joint detection system and battery production line

Abstract

The utility model relates to a welding seam detection system and a battery production line. The welding seam detection system is used for detecting a welding seam of a battery, and comprises an image acquisition device, an image processing device and a control device, and the image acquisition device is configured to be used for acquiring an image of the welding seam of the battery; a movement mechanism connected to the image acquisition device and configured to be a 3D camera capable of moving and rotating the image acquisition device; and the controller is configured to be capable of controlling the movement mechanism to move the image acquisition device to a specified position for image acquisition. According to the invention, only one or one group of cameras can be used for detecting the welding seams at the two ends of the battery, image mirroring is avoided, the number of the cameras is reduced, and the hardware cost, the maintenance cost and the occupied space are greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a weld detection system and a battery production line. Background Art

[0002] Welding is a connection method often used in the production process of, for example, batteries. With the development of technology, the welds in battery production have evolved from traditional manual visual inspection to detection using equipment. For detection equipment, there has always been a need to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and improve accuracy, etc. Summary of the Utility Model

[0003] In view of the above problems, the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a weld detection system, aiming to solve one or more of the above problems.

[0004] The present disclosure provides a weld detection system for detecting the welds of a battery. Among them, the weld detection system includes: an image acquisition device configured to acquire images of the welds of the battery, and the image acquisition device includes a 3D camera; a motion mechanism connected to the image acquisition device and configured to be able to move and rotate the 3D camera of the image acquisition device; a controller configured to be able to control the motion mechanism to move the image acquisition device to a specified position for image acquisition.

[0005] With the rotation function of the motion mechanism of the present disclosure, it is convenient to adjust the position of the image acquisition device to further align with the welds, improving the quality of the acquired images. In addition, it can also enable the image acquisition device to use only one or a group of cameras to detect the welds at both ends of the battery, avoiding image mirroring, reducing the number of cameras, and greatly reducing the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space.

[0006] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the weld detection system further includes: a detection tray for placing the battery; a conveying device for conveying the detection tray and the battery placed thereon for the image acquisition device to perform image acquisition.

[0007] Through the detection tray and the conveying device, it is convenient for the transportation and detection of the battery, improving the detection efficiency.

[0008] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the motion mechanism includes a three-axis moving mechanism and a rotating mechanism. The three-axis moving mechanism includes a first-direction moving mechanism, a second-direction moving mechanism, and a third-direction moving mechanism. The first-direction moving mechanism, the second-direction moving mechanism, and the third-direction moving mechanism are respectively configured to be able to move the image acquisition device in the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction. The rotating mechanism is configured to be able to rotate the image acquisition device around the third direction.

[0009] Through the three-axis moving mechanism, the image acquisition device can be moved to different positions to detect the weld seam. Through the rotating mechanism, it is convenient to adjust the position of the image acquisition device to further align with the weld seam, improving the quality of the acquired image.

[0010] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the second-direction moving mechanism is installed on the frame of the weld seam detection system. The first-direction moving mechanism and the third-direction moving mechanism are installed on the second-direction moving mechanism. The third-direction moving mechanism is installed on the first-direction moving mechanism. The rotating mechanism is installed on the third-direction moving mechanism. The second-direction moving mechanism is configured to move the first-direction moving mechanism, the third-direction moving mechanism, the rotating mechanism, and the image acquisition device in the second direction. The first-direction moving mechanism is configured to move the third-direction moving mechanism, the rotating mechanism, and the image acquisition device in the first direction. The third-direction moving mechanism is configured to move the rotating mechanism and the image acquisition device in the third direction.

[0011] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition device includes only one 3D camera.

[0012] By using a single 3D camera to complete image acquisition, not only the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space are greatly reduced. Moreover, with the help of the rotating mechanism, it is possible to complete the detection of multiple (e.g., four) weld seams of the battery by a single 3D camera, solve the problem of imaging consistency, reduce the optimization difficulty of the detection algorithm and the risk of over-missing and false alarms. In addition, by using a single 3D camera for imaging, the camera calibration and verification work are also reduced by half, reducing the commissioning installation time and commissioning difficulty.

[0013] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the weld seam detection system further includes an image processing device, which is configured to analyze the weld seam based on the 3D image and the brightness map obtained by the 3D camera.

[0014] Analysis is performed based on the 3D image and the luminance map obtained by the 3D camera, enabling the luminance map to be used instead of the traditional 2D camera image, avoiding the problem of excessive interference between the 2D camera and the tray in the traditional 2D+3D camera set and the imaging quality falling short of expectations. In addition, the cycle time can be increased to improve efficiency, and the hardware cost and occupied space can be further reduced.

[0015] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the rotating mechanism includes a mounting plate and a rotation driver. The mounting plate is fixed to the third-direction moving mechanism, and the rotation driver is configured to drive the image acquisition device to rotate around the third direction. The rotation driver and the image acquisition device are connected to the mounting plate.

[0016] In this way, the rotating mechanism is realized with a space-saving structure, enabling the volume of the entire motion mechanism to be saved.

[0017] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition device and the rotation driver are connected to opposite sides of the mounting plate along the third direction.

[0018] In this way, the space occupied by the rotating mechanism on the horizontal plane is smaller, and the floor area of the rotating mechanism is also smaller.

[0019] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the weld of the battery is the weld between the end plate and the side plate of the battery, and each battery includes four welds.

[0020] The four welds are located at the four ends of the battery. With the weld detection system of the present disclosure, it is convenient to move into position and rotate the camera when needed for image acquisition.

[0021] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the weld detection system further includes a lifting mechanism configured to lift and fix the detection tray and the battery thereon that are conveyed into position to the detection position.

[0022] The detection tray and the battery can be conveniently and quickly lifted into position by the lifting mechanism, and after the detection is completed, the lifting mechanism descends and the detection tray can be removed through the conveying device.

[0023] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the weld detection system includes a host computer configured to interact with the controller and the image acquisition device and process and analyze the acquired images.

[0024] The present disclosure also provides a battery production line, which includes: a weld detection system according to any of the foregoing aspects; production equipment for producing batteries to be detected; and transfer equipment for taking out the batteries to be detected from the production equipment and placing them on the conveying device of the weld detection system and / or taking out the batteries that have completed the detection from the weld detection system and transferring them to the next station.

[0025] The battery production line can achieve the same technical effects as the foregoing weld detection system.

[0026] The present disclosure also provides a method for using a weld detection system, wherein the weld detection system is used to detect the welds of a battery, and the weld detection system includes a motion mechanism and an image acquisition device. The method for using includes: an image acquisition step: moving the image acquisition device into position through the motion mechanism to acquire an image of the weld of the battery. The image acquisition step includes a rotation sub-step, and the rotation sub-step includes: rotating the image acquisition device through the motion mechanism to align it with the weld when necessary; an image processing step: receiving the image acquired by the image acquisition device and performing image processing on the received image; a determination step: determining whether the weld is qualified.

[0027] Through the method for using the weld detection system of the present disclosure, the acquisition and analysis of weld images can be carried out conveniently and quickly. By virtue of the rotation function of the motion mechanism of the present disclosure, it is convenient to adjust the position of the image acquisition device to further align with the weld, improving the quality of the acquired image. In addition, it can also enable the image acquisition device to use only one or a group of cameras to detect the welds at both ends of the battery, avoiding image mirroring, reducing the number of cameras, and greatly reducing the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space.

[0028] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the method for using further includes a conveying step, and the conveying step includes conveying the detection tray of the weld detection system and the battery placed thereon into position through the conveying device of the weld detection system.

[0029] Through the detection tray and the conveying device, it is convenient for the transportation and detection of the battery, improving the detection efficiency.

[0030] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition step includes moving the image acquisition device into position through the three-axis moving mechanism of the motion mechanism to acquire an image of the weld of the battery placed on the detection tray. The rotation sub-step includes: rotating the image acquisition device through the rotation mechanism of the motion mechanism to align it with the weld when necessary.

[0031] Through the three-axis moving mechanism, the image acquisition device can be moved to different positions to detect the weld seam. Through the rotating mechanism, the position adjustment of the image acquisition device can be facilitated to further align with the weld seam, improving the quality of the acquired image.

[0032] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition step includes acquiring an image through the image acquisition device while moving the image acquisition device in a third direction by the third direction moving mechanism of the three-axis moving mechanism.

[0033] In this way, images can be acquired quickly and accurately.

[0034] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, in the case of detecting multiple weld seams, the usage method further includes: moving the image acquisition device in a first direction by the first direction moving mechanism of the motion mechanism and / or moving the image acquisition device in a second direction by the second direction moving mechanism of the motion mechanism, so that the image acquisition device moves to another weld seam.

[0035] In this way, image acquisition of multiple weld seams can be carried out conveniently and quickly.

[0036] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition step includes acquiring an image of the weld seam of the battery through a 3D camera.

[0037] Image acquisition by a 3D camera can eliminate the 2D camera, saving hardware costs, maintenance costs, and space occupancy.

[0038] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition step includes acquiring an image of the weld seam of the battery through only a single 3D camera.

[0039] Completing image acquisition with a single 3D camera not only greatly reduces the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space. Moreover, with the help of the rotating mechanism, it is possible to complete the detection of multiple (e.g., four) weld seams of the battery by a single 3D camera, solve the problem of imaging consistency, reduce the optimization difficulty of the detection algorithm and the risk of over-missing and killing. In addition, by using a single 3D camera for imaging, the camera calibration and verification work is also reduced by half, reducing the debugging installation time and debugging difficulty.

[0040] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition step includes obtaining a 3D image and a brightness map of the weld seam through a 3D camera.

[0041] Obtaining a 3D image and a brightness map through a 3D camera can obtain sufficient information for analyzing the weld seam.

[0042] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image processing step includes analyzing the weld quality by an image processing device based on a 3D image and a luminance map obtained by a 3D camera.

[0043] By analyzing based on the 3D image and the luminance map obtained by the 3D camera, it is possible to use the luminance map instead of the traditional 2D camera image, avoiding the problem that the 2D camera in the traditional 2D + 3D camera group interferes too much with the pallet and the imaging quality is not as expected. In addition, the cycle time can be improved, the efficiency can be increased, and the hardware cost and occupied space can be further reduced.

[0044] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image processing step includes detecting the length, width, and position information of the weld by performing image segmentation and extraction on the luminance map, and detecting the weld height information by performing image segmentation and extraction on the 3D image.

[0045] By analyzing the luminance map and the 3D image, sufficient information required for weld detection can be obtained, eliminating the use of the 2D camera, reducing the time for the 2D camera and the 3D camera to perform sequential alignment switching and the 2D camera to take pictures of the weld, improving the cycle time, and further reducing the hardware cost and occupied space.

[0046] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the image acquisition step includes sequentially detecting four welds by moving the image acquisition device through the motion mechanism.

[0047] By sequentially performing the detection and combining with a single 3D camera for taking pictures, the image acquisition time can be saved and the image consistency can be improved.

[0048] The present disclosure also provides a weld detection method for detecting the welds of a battery. The weld detection method includes: an image acquisition step: obtaining a 3D image and a luminance map of the weld by only a single 3D camera; a processing step: respectively performing image segmentation and information extraction on the 3D image and the luminance map; a detection step: detecting the height information of the weld based on the processed 3D image, and detecting the length, width, and position information of the weld based on the processed luminance map.

[0049] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present disclosure. In order to be able to understand the technical means of the present disclosure more clearly, it can be implemented according to the content of the specification. And in order to make the above and other purposes, features, and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present disclosure are specifically exemplified below. Description of the Drawings

[0050] By reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not considered to be a limitation of the present disclosure. Also, in all the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same components.

[0051] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 2 It is an exploded structural schematic diagram of a conventional battery pack for a vehicle.

[0053] Figure 3 It is a top view of the battery of the battery pack.

[0054] Figure 4 It is a front view of the overall structure of a weld detection system according to the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 5 It is a side view of the overall structure of a weld detection system according to the present disclosure.

[0056] Figure 6 It is a side view of the rotating mechanism of a weld detection system according to the present disclosure.

[0057] Figure 7 It is a luminance map obtained by a 3D camera according to the present disclosure and a processed binary image.

[0058] Figure 8 It is a binary image processed from the luminance map.

[0059] Figure 9 It is a flowchart for implementing the method of using a weld detection system according to the present disclosure.

[0060] Figure 10 It is a flowchart for implementing a weld detection method according to the present disclosure.

[0061] The reference numerals in the specific embodiments are as follows: vehicle 1000, controller 100, power supply device 200, motor 300; battery 20, first part 10, second part 11; first end plate 21, second end plate 22, first side plate 23, second side plate 24, first weld 201, second weld 202, third weld 203, fourth weld 204; weld detection system 40, first-direction moving mechanism 41, second-direction moving mechanism 42, third-direction moving mechanism 43 and rotating mechanism 44, image acquisition device 45, detection tray 46, frame body 47, lifting mechanism 48; mounting plate 440, rotation driver 441, frame 430; Specific Embodiments

[0062] The embodiments of the technical solution of the present disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present disclosure more clearly, so they are only examples and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this disclosure belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this disclosure; the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the description of the specification, claims and drawings of this disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0064] In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish different objects and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity, specific order or primary-secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, the meaning of "a plurality" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0065] Referring to "embodiments" herein means that specific features, structures or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. The phrase appears in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0066] In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0067] In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, the term "a plurality" refers to more than two (including two). Similarly, "a plurality of groups" refers to more than two groups (including two groups), and "a plurality of pieces" refers to more than two pieces (including two pieces).

[0068] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by technical terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure 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. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0069] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, technical terms such as "install", "connect", "couple", "fix", etc. shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral body; it may also be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0070] Currently, from the perspective of the development of the market situation, the application of power batteries is becoming more and more widespread. Power batteries are not only used in energy storage power systems such as hydroelectric, thermal, wind, and solar power stations, but also widely used in electric transportation such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, and electric vehicles, as well as in multiple fields such as military equipment and aerospace. With the continuous expansion of the application fields of power batteries, the market demand is also constantly increasing.

[0071] In the production process of batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, in some cases, it is necessary to weld the components of the battery. For example, when assembling the battery 20, it is necessary to weld the end plate and the side plate of the battery 20. In order to ensure the welding quality and prevent intermediate products with welding defects from entering the next production process, it is necessary to detect the dimensions of the welded components and determine whether there are welding defects based on the measurement results. With the development of technology, the weld inspection of lithium batteries has evolved from traditional manual visual inspection to using a weld inspection system for inspection. Common weld inspection systems usually use two sets of 2D+3D cameras for inspection, which are costly and have problems such as slow cycle time, poor compatibility, and low imaging consistency. The use of two sets of cameras greatly increases the cost, and the two sets of cameras need to be calibrated and verified separately, significantly increasing the debugging difficulty, debugging time, and maintenance cost. Using two sets of 2D+3D cameras also makes the device occupy a large space, which is not conducive to implementation and popularization in the industrial manufacturing process. In addition, two sets of 2D+3D cameras are respectively located at both ends of the lithium battery. For the four welds of the same battery, two welds are imaged by different cameras respectively. The differences in calibration and light sources of the two sets of cameras result in poor consistency of the weld images. Using the same vision inspection software algorithm to be compatible with the imaging differences at both ends increases the difficulty of algorithm optimization and brings risks of over-killing and missed-killing. When using 2D+3D cameras for weld inspection, the light path of the light source of the 2D camera usually interferes with the lithium battery carrier on the automated production line, making the design of the light path of the 2D camera light source complex and redundant, and the imaging effect of the 2D camera is poor, increasing the difficulty of optimizing the vision inspection software algorithm. At the same time, in order to avoid interference, the design of the lithium battery carrier on the automated production line becomes more complex, which also increases the cost of industrial design and manufacturing. Moreover, the sequential scanning of the welds by the 2D and 3D cameras increases the imaging time, resulting in slow cycle time and low efficiency.

[0072] Based on the above problems, the present disclosure provides a weld inspection system for inspecting the welds of a battery. The weld inspection system includes: an image acquisition device configured to acquire images of the welds of the battery, the image acquisition device including a 3D camera; a motion mechanism connected to the image acquisition device and configured to be able to move and rotate the 3D camera of the image acquisition device; and a controller configured to be able to control the motion mechanism to move the image acquisition device to a specified position for image acquisition. With the rotation function of the motion mechanism, it is convenient to adjust the position of the image acquisition device to further align with the welds, improving the quality of the acquired images. In addition, it also enables the image acquisition device to use only one or a set of cameras to detect the welds at both ends of the battery, avoiding image mirroring, reducing the number of cameras, and greatly reducing the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space.

[0073] For the convenience of description, the following embodiments will take an electrical device in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle 1000, as an example for illustration.

[0074] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 , which is a schematic structural diagram of the vehicle 1000 provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure. The vehicle 1000 can be a fuel vehicle, a gas vehicle, or a new energy vehicle. The new energy vehicle can be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an extended-range vehicle, etc. A power supply device 200 is disposed inside the vehicle 1000, and the power supply device 200 can be disposed at the bottom, head, or tail of the vehicle 1000. The power supply device 200 can be used for power supply of the vehicle 1000. For example, the power supply device 200 can serve as an operating power source of the vehicle 1000. The vehicle 1000 may further include a controller 100 and a motor 300. The controller 100 is used to control the power supply device 200 to supply power to the motor 300. For example, it is used for the working power requirements during the start, navigation, and driving of the vehicle 1000.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the power supply device 200 can not only serve as an operating power source of the vehicle 1000, but also serve as a driving power source of the vehicle 1000, replacing or partially replacing fuel or natural gas to provide driving power for the vehicle 1000.

[0076] Referring to Figure 2 , the power supply device 200 includes a box body and a battery 20, and the battery 20 is accommodated in the box body. Among them, the box body is used to provide an accommodation space for the battery 20, and the box body can adopt various structures. In some embodiments, the box body may include a first part 10 and a second part 11, the first part 10 and the second part 11 cover each other, and the first part 10 and the second part 11 jointly define an accommodation space for accommodating the battery 20. In the power supply device 200, there may be multiple batteries 20, and the multiple batteries 20 can be connected in series, parallel, or in a mixed connection. A mixed connection means that there are both series and parallel connections among the multiple batteries 20. The multiple batteries 20 can be directly connected in series, parallel, or in a mixed connection together, and then the whole formed by the multiple batteries 20 is accommodated in the box body; of course, the power supply device 200 can also be that multiple batteries 20 are first connected in series, parallel, or in a mixed connection to form a battery module form, and then multiple battery modules are connected in series, parallel, or in a mixed connection to form a whole and are accommodated in the box body. The power supply device 200 may further include other structures. For example, the power supply device 200 may further include a busbar component for realizing electrical connection among the multiple batteries 20.

[0077] Continuing to refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3It is a top view of the battery 20. The battery 20 includes a first end plate 21, a second end plate 22, a first side plate 23, and a second side plate 24. The first end plate 21, the second end plate 22, the first side plate 23, and the second side plate 24 are connected to each other to form a space for accommodating and fixing a plurality of battery cells 25. The end plates and the side plates are all rectangular plates and are fixed by welding. As Figure 3 shown, a first weld seam 201 is formed between the second end plate 22 and the second side plate 24. Similarly, a second weld seam 202, a third weld seam 203, and a fourth weld seam 204 are also formed. It should be understood that the welding machine detection system according to the present disclosure is not limited to detecting the weld seams between the end plates and the side plates of the battery 20, but can also detect other weld seams.

[0078] Subsequently, reference will be made to Figures 4 - 6 to describe the weld seam detection system according to the present disclosure. The weld seam detection system 40 is used to detect the weld seams of the battery 20. Among them, the weld seam detection system 40 includes: an image acquisition device 45, the image acquisition device 45 is configured to acquire images of the weld seams of the battery 20, and the image acquisition device 45 includes a 3D camera; a motion mechanism, the motion mechanism is connected to the image acquisition device 45 and is configured to be able to move and rotate the 3D camera of the image acquisition device 45; a controller, the controller is configured to be able to control the motion mechanism to move the image acquisition device 45 to a specified position for image acquisition.

[0079] With the rotation function of the motion mechanism, it is convenient to adjust the position of the image acquisition device 45 to further align with the weld seam, improving the quality of the acquired images. In addition, it can also enable the image acquisition device 45 to detect the weld seams at both ends of the battery 20 using only one or a group of cameras, avoiding image mirroring, reducing the number of cameras, and greatly reducing the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space.

[0080] Continue to refer to Figures 4 - 6 , the weld seam detection system 40 further includes: a detection tray 46, the detection tray 46 is used to place the battery 20; a conveying device (not shown), the conveying device is used to convey the detection tray 46 and the battery 20 placed thereon for the image acquisition device to perform image acquisition.

[0081] Through the detection tray and the conveying device, it is convenient for the transportation and detection of the battery, improving the detection efficiency.

[0082] Continue to refer to Figures 4 - 6, the motion mechanism includes a three-axis moving mechanism and a rotating mechanism 44. The three-axis moving mechanism includes a first-direction moving mechanism 41, a second-direction moving mechanism 42, and a third-direction moving mechanism 43. The first-direction moving mechanism 41, the second-direction moving mechanism 42, and the third-direction moving mechanism 43 are respectively configured to be able to move the image acquisition device 45 in the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction. The rotating mechanism 44 is configured to be able to rotate the image acquisition device 45 around the third direction.

[0083] In this embodiment, the first direction is the X-axis direction, the second direction is the Y-axis direction, and the third direction is the Z-axis direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other. That is, the motion mechanism includes a three-axis servo positioning system. Subsequently, the first-direction moving mechanism 41, the second-direction moving mechanism 42, and the third-direction moving mechanism 43 are also respectively referred to as the X-axis motion mechanism 41, the Y-axis motion mechanism 42, and the Z-axis motion mechanism 43. It should be understood that the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are not limited to the mutually perpendicular Z-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0084] Continue to refer to Figures 4 - 6 , the second-direction moving mechanism 42 is installed on the frame of the weld detection system. The first-direction moving mechanism 41 and the third-direction moving mechanism 43 are installed on the second-direction moving mechanism 42. The third-direction moving mechanism 43 is installed on the first-direction moving mechanism 41. The rotating mechanism 44 is installed on the third-direction moving mechanism 43. The second-direction moving mechanism 42 is configured to move the first-direction moving mechanism 41, the third-direction moving mechanism 43, the rotating mechanism 44, and the image acquisition device 45 in the second direction. The first-direction moving mechanism 41 is configured to move the third-direction moving mechanism 43, the rotating mechanism 44, and the image acquisition device 45 in the first direction. The third-direction moving mechanism 43 is configured to move the rotating mechanism 44 and the image acquisition device 45 in the third direction.

[0085] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the specific structural form of the conveying device is not limited. The conveying device only needs to be able to convey the detection tray 46 and the battery 20. As an exemplary example, the conveying device can also adopt the form of a conveyor belt of an automated logistics production line that can convey the battery 20 in place. In addition, it should be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the specific structural form of the detection tray 46 is not limited. The detection tray 46 only needs to be able to support the battery 20.

[0086] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the type of the controller is not limited. For example, a programmable logic controller (PLC) can be used to set the controller, or other devices with processing functions can be used to set the controller. For example, an industrial computer can be used to set the controller. The controller includes a PLC programmable logic controller, as well as PLC software for overall control of the motor, solenoid valve, and optical imaging device, and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) screen for displaying and saving hardware information.

[0087] On this basis, it can be considered that the controller in the embodiments of the present disclosure includes any device with processing functions in the weld detection system.

[0088] The frame body 47 can be divided into an upper frame and a lower frame. The upper frame can be set to be closable to form a closed space (the upper frame forming the closed space is not shown in this embodiment for clearly showing the internal structure) for shielding ambient light and reducing the influence of ambient light on the imaging device. The upper frame can be used to fix the HMI screen of the software control device and the display of the server processing device. As Figure 5 shown, the lower frame is provided with an automatic logistics line installation space to facilitate the detection tray 46 and the battery 20 to be transported in place through the automatic logistics line.

[0089] In this embodiment, the motion mechanism, that is, the X-axis motion mechanism 41, Y-axis motion mechanism 42, Z-axis motion mechanism 43, and rotation mechanism 44 can be driven by servo motors respectively. The Y-axis motion mechanism 42 can be provided with two modules, and they are connected by a synchronous bar. The modules can move in a belt manner. The X-axis motion mechanism 41, Z-axis motion mechanism 43, and rotation mechanism 44 are all provided with one module. Each module of the motion mechanism can be embedded with a limit block and includes two limit sensors and an origin sensor. The X-axis motion mechanism 41 and Y-axis motion mechanism 42 can also be provided with a reducer to increase the driving force. In this way, through the three-axis motion mechanism plus the rotation mechanism 44, the image acquisition device can perform all-round moving scanning imaging around four welds.

[0090] As Figure 6 shown, the image acquisition device 45 includes only one 3D camera. By using a single 3D camera to complete image acquisition, not only greatly reduces the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space. Moreover, with the help of the rotation mechanism 44, it is possible to complete the detection of multiple (for example, four) welds of the battery 20 through a single 3D camera, solve the problem of imaging consistency, reduce the optimization difficulty of the detection algorithm and the risk of over-missing and over-killing. In addition, by using a single 3D camera for imaging, half of the camera calibration and verification work is also reduced, which can reduce the debugging installation time and debugging difficulty.

[0091] In this embodiment, the weld detection system 40 further includes an image processing module, which is configured to analyze the weld based on the 3D image and the luminance map obtained by the 3D camera.

[0092] By analyzing based on the 3D image and the luminance map obtained by the 3D camera, it is possible to use the luminance map instead of the traditional 2D camera image, avoiding the problem that there is too much interference between the 2D camera and the tray in the traditional 2D+3D camera set and the imaging quality not meeting expectations. In addition, the cycle time can be improved, the efficiency can be increased, and the hardware cost and occupied space can be further reduced.

[0093] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the image processing module may adopt, for example, a host computer (such as an industrial computer). The host computer may include visual detection software for processing and analyzing the collected information and interacting with the controller and the image acquisition device 45. The host computer is connected with a display and reserves a communication interface with the automatic logistics line and an MES (Manufacturing Execution System) interface.

[0094] In addition, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the image processing module may be a part of the controller. In other words, the controller may include a hardware control device for controlling the movement of the components of the weld detection system and a host computer or software control device for processing information.

[0095] In this embodiment, the image processing module is configured to detect the length, width and position information of the weld by performing image segmentation and extraction on the luminance map, and is configured to detect the weld height information by performing image segmentation and extraction on the 3D image.

[0096] By analyzing the luminance map and the 3D image, sufficient information required for weld detection can be obtained, eliminating the use of the 2D camera, reducing the time for the 2D camera and the 3D camera to switch positions in sequence and for the 2D camera to take pictures of the weld, improving the cycle time and further reducing the hardware cost and occupied space.

[0097] As Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, it is a binary image obtained after processing the luminance map. The length, width and position information of the weld can be easily obtained from the image, and the data is accurate and reliable.

[0098] In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 44 includes a mounting plate 440 and a rotation driver 441. The mounting plate 440 is fixed to the frame 430 of the Z-axis moving mechanism 43. The rotation driver 441 is configured to drive the image acquisition device 45 to rotate around the Z-axis. The rotation driver 441 and the image acquisition device 45 are connected to the mounting plate 440.

[0099] In this way, the rotation mechanism 44 is implemented with a space-saving structure, enabling the volume of the entire motion mechanism to be reduced.

[0100] In this embodiment, the image acquisition device 45 and the rotation driver 441 are connected to opposite sides of the mounting plate 440 along the third direction.

[0101] In this way, the rotation mechanism 44 occupies less space on the horizontal plane, and the floor area of the rotation mechanism 44 is also smaller.

[0102] Refer to Figure 3 , in this embodiment, the weld of the battery 20 is the weld between the end plate and the side plate of the battery 20, and each battery 20 includes four welds.

[0103] The four welds are located at the four ends of the battery 20. With the weld detection system 40 of the present disclosure, it can be conveniently moved into position and the camera can be rotated when needed for image acquisition.

[0104] In this embodiment, the weld detection system 40 is configured to move the image acquisition device through the motion mechanism to sequentially detect the four welds.

[0105] Specifically, the weld detection system 40 of the present disclosure can first move the image acquisition device 45 to the first weld 201 through the motion mechanism and perform image acquisition. The image acquisition in the present disclosure can drive the image acquisition device 45 to move up or down by the Z-axis motion mechanism 43 to scan the entire weld. After the image acquisition of the first weld 201 is completed, the controller is configured to control the X-axis motion mechanism 41 to move the image acquisition device 45 along the X-axis to the position of the second weld 202 and perform image acquisition on the second weld 202 (when the camera field of view is sufficient, there is no need to rotate the camera for alignment at this time). After the image acquisition of the second weld 202 is completed, the controller is configured to control the Y-axis motion mechanism 42 to move the image acquisition device 45 along the Y-axis to the position of the third weld 203 and rotate the camera around the Z-axis through the rotation mechanism 44 to align the camera with the third weld 203 and perform image acquisition on the third weld 203. After the image acquisition of the third weld 203 is completed, the controller is configured to control the X-axis motion mechanism 41 to move the image acquisition device 45 along the X-axis to the position of the fourth weld 204 and perform image acquisition on the fourth weld 204.

[0106] By performing inspections sequentially and taking pictures with a single 3D camera, the image acquisition time can be saved and the image consistency can be improved.

[0107] In addition, the weld detection system 40 further includes a lifting mechanism 48, which is configured to lift and fix the detection tray 46 and the battery 20 thereon that have been conveyed to the place to the detection position.

[0108] The lifting mechanism 48 can conveniently and quickly lift the detection tray 46 and the battery 20 into place, and after the inspection is completed, the lifting mechanism 48 descends to remove the detection tray 46 through the conveying device.

[0109] In this embodiment, the automated logistics line transports the detection tray 46 and the battery 20 on the tray to the weld detection system 40. Subsequently, the controller interacts with the automated logistics line to place the detection tray 46 and the battery 20. The lifting mechanism 48 fixes the detection tray 46 and lifts the detection tray 46 to make the battery 20 reach the fixed height. For example, the lifting mechanism 48 can lift the detection tray 46 by rising the lifting cylinder. When the image acquisition is completed, the lifting mechanism 48 performs a reset operation, that is, releases the fixed detection tray 46 and the lifting cylinder descends. The host computer interacts with the automated logistics line. After the tray leaves, it waits for the next tray again and starts the next cycle.

[0110] The following describes the specific steps for detecting the four welds of the battery 20 as a whole. It should be understood that the following specific steps are only exemplary descriptions and do not have a restrictive effect. Some steps can be omitted, the order of some steps can be adjusted, or some steps can be modified according to needs.

[0111] 1) The automated logistics line transports the detection tray 46 and the battery 20 on the detection tray 46 to the weld detection system 40.

[0112] 2) The controller interacts with the automated logistics line to place the detection tray 46 and the battery 20. The lifting mechanism 48 fixes the detection tray 46 and lifts the detection tray 46 by the lifting cylinder to make the battery 20 reach the fixed height.

[0113] 3) The controller starts to control the motion mechanism. First, it performs a reset operation to return to the origin. Subsequently, the X-axis motion mechanism 41 and the Y-axis motion mechanism 42 group are controlled by the controller according to the template path set by the host computer. The X-axis motion mechanism 41 and the Y-axis motion mechanism 42 move to above the first weld, and the Z-axis motion mechanism 43 starts to descend. At this time, the 3D camera scans and images the first weld.

[0114] 4) After the scanning of the first weld seam is completed, the Z-axis moving mechanism 43 starts to rise, the Y-axis moving mechanism 42 remains stationary, the X-axis moving mechanism 41 moves to the second weld seam at the same end, and the Z-axis moving mechanism 43 descends again. At this time, the 3D camera scans and images the second weld seam.

[0115] 5) After the scanning of the second weld seam is completed, the Z-axis moving mechanism 43 starts to rise, the Y-axis moving mechanism 42 moves to the other end of the battery 20, and the rotating mechanism 44 rotates the 3D camera through the servo drive motor so that the 3D camera lens faces the third weld seam. The Z-axis moving mechanism 43 starts to descend again and scans and images the third weld seam.

[0116] 6) After the scanning of the fourth weld seam is completed, the Z-axis moving mechanism 43 starts to rise, the Y-axis moving mechanism 42 remains stationary, the X-axis moving mechanism 41 moves to the fourth weld seam at the same end, and the Z-axis moving mechanism 43 descends again. At this time, the 3D camera scans and images the fourth weld seam.

[0117] 7) The images scanned by the image acquisition device are transmitted to the host computer. The host computer processes the brightness image and 3D image of the 3D camera respectively through the vision detection software and calculates to obtain each detection value. Among them, the brightness of the 3D camera is used to replace the 2D camera to detect the weld width and length offset, etc., and the 3D image is used to detect the weld height information.

[0118] 8) After the scanning is completed, the lifting mechanism 48 performs a reset operation, that is, releases the fixed detection tray 46 and the lifting cylinder descends.

[0119] 9) The host computer vision detection software determines the defective type and result of the battery 20 according to the upper and lower limits of the detection values, outputs the result to the display, and uploads the data to the MES.

[0120] 10) The host computer interacts with the automated logistics line. After the detection tray leaves, it waits for the next detection tray again and starts the next round of cycle.

[0121] The present disclosure also provides a battery production line, which includes: the weld seam detection system as described above; production equipment (not shown), which is used to produce the battery to be detected; transfer equipment (not shown), which is used to take out the battery to be detected from the production equipment and place it on the conveying device of the weld seam detection system and / or take out the battery that has completed the detection from the weld seam detection system and transfer it to the next station (not shown).

[0122] The battery production line can achieve the same technical effects as the aforementioned weld seam detection system.

[0123] The present disclosure also provides a method for using a weld detection system 40, wherein the weld detection system 40 is used to detect the welds of a battery 20, and the weld detection system 40 includes a motion mechanism and an image acquisition device. The method for using includes: an image acquisition step: moving the image acquisition device into position through the motion mechanism to acquire an image of the weld of the battery 20. The image acquisition step includes a rotation sub-step, and the rotation sub-step includes: rotating the image acquisition device 45 through the motion mechanism to align it with the weld when needed; an image processing step: receiving the image acquired by the image acquisition device 45, and performing image processing on the received image; a determination step: determining whether the weld is qualified.

[0124] Through the method for using the weld detection system 40 of the present disclosure, the acquisition and analysis of weld images can be conveniently and quickly performed.

[0125] The method for using further includes a conveying step, and the conveying step includes conveying the detection tray 46 of the weld detection system and the battery 20 placed thereon into position through the conveying device of the weld detection system.

[0126] Through the detection tray 46 and the conveying device, the transportation and detection of the battery 20 can be facilitated, and the detection efficiency can be improved.

[0127] The image acquisition step includes moving the image acquisition device 45 into position through the three-axis moving mechanism of the motion mechanism to acquire an image of the weld of the battery 20 placed on the detection tray 46. The rotation sub-step includes: rotating the image acquisition device 45 through the rotation mechanism 44 of the motion mechanism to align it with the weld when needed.

[0128] Through the three-axis moving mechanism, the image acquisition device 45 can be moved to different positions to detect the weld. Through the rotation mechanism 44, the position adjustment of the image acquisition device 45 can be facilitated to further align with the weld, improving the quality of the acquired image.

[0129] In addition, the image acquisition step includes acquiring an image through the image acquisition device 45 while moving the image acquisition device 45 along a third direction through the third-direction moving mechanism 43 of the three-axis moving mechanism.

[0130] In this way, images can be acquired quickly and accurately.

[0131] In addition, in the case of detecting multiple weld seams, the image acquisition step includes: moving the image acquisition device 45 along a first direction by a first direction moving mechanism 41 of a motion mechanism and / or moving the image acquisition device 45 along a second direction by a second direction moving mechanism 42 of the motion mechanism, so that the image acquisition device is aligned with the weld seam.

[0132] With the rotation mechanism 44 of the present disclosure, the position adjustment of the image acquisition device 45 can be facilitated to further align with the weld seam, improving the quality of the acquired image. In addition, it can also enable the image acquisition device 45 to detect the weld seams at both ends of the battery 20 using only one or a group of cameras, avoiding image mirroring, reducing the number of cameras, and greatly reducing the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space.

[0133] Refer to Figure 9 , that is, the usage method further includes a moving step, that is, determining whether it is necessary to perform graphic acquisition on the next weld seam. When the determination is yes, the moving step is executed to drive the image acquisition device 45 to the next weld seam by the motion mechanism, and when necessary, the rotation mechanism 44 rotates the image acquisition device 45 to align with the weld seam. It should be understood that it is also possible to upload the data of the previous weld seam and synchronously process it while performing image acquisition on the next weld seam, or it can also be as Figure 9 shown in

[0134] In addition, the image acquisition step includes acquiring an image of the weld seam of the battery 20 by a 3D camera.

[0135] Acquiring an image by a 3D camera can eliminate the need for a 2D camera, saving hardware cost, maintenance cost, and space occupancy.

[0136] In addition, the image acquisition step includes acquiring an image of the weld seam of the battery 20 by only a single 3D camera.

[0137] Completing image acquisition with a single 3D camera not only greatly reduces the hardware cost, maintenance cost, and occupied space. Moreover, with the aid of the rotation mechanism 44, it enables the detection of multiple (for example, four) weld seams of the battery 20 by a single 3D camera, solves the problem of imaging consistency, reduces the optimization difficulty of the detection algorithm and the risk of over-missing and killing. In addition, by using a single 3D camera for imaging, it also reduces the camera calibration and verification work by half, reducing the debugging installation time and debugging difficulty.

[0138] In addition, the image acquisition step includes acquiring a 3D image and a brightness map of the weld seam by a 3D camera. Acquiring a 3D image and a brightness map by a 3D camera can obtain sufficient information for analyzing the weld seam.

[0139] In addition, the image processing step includes analyzing the weld quality by an image processing module based on the 3D image and the luminance map obtained by the 3D camera. By performing the analysis based on the 3D image and the luminance map obtained by the 3D camera, it is possible to use the luminance map instead of the traditional 2D camera image, avoiding the problem that the 2D camera in the traditional 2D + 3D camera group interferes too much with the pallet and the imaging quality fails to meet expectations. In addition, the cycle time can be increased and the efficiency can be improved, and the hardware cost and the occupied space can be further reduced.

[0140] In addition, the image processing step includes detecting the length, width and position information of the weld by performing image segmentation and extraction on the luminance map, and detecting the weld height information by performing image segmentation and extraction on the 3D image. By analyzing the luminance map and the 3D image, sufficient information required for weld detection can be obtained, eliminating the use of the 2D camera, reducing the time for the 2D camera and the 3D camera to perform sequential alignment switching and the 2D camera to take pictures of the weld, increasing the cycle time and further reducing the hardware cost and the occupied space.

[0141] In this embodiment, the image acquisition step includes moving the image acquisition device 45 by the motion mechanism to sequentially detect four welds.

[0142] By performing the detection sequentially and combining with a single 3D camera to take pictures, the image acquisition time can be saved and the image consistency can be improved.

[0143] Referring to Figure 10 , the present disclosure also provides a weld detection method for detecting the welds of the battery 20. The weld detection method includes: an image acquisition step: acquiring a 3D image and a luminance map of the weld by only a single 3D camera; a processing step: performing image segmentation and information extraction on the 3D image and the luminance map respectively; a detection step: detecting the height information of the weld based on the processed 3D image, and detecting the length, width and position information of the weld based on the processed luminance map.

[0144] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit them; although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure, and they should all be covered by the scope of the claims and the description of the present disclosure. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any way. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the text, but includes all technical solutions that fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A weld detection system for detecting the welds of a battery, characterized in that, The weld detection system includes: An image acquisition device configured to acquire images of the welds of the battery, and the image acquisition device includes a 3D camera; A motion mechanism connected to the image acquisition device and configured to be able to move and rotate the 3D camera of the image acquisition device; A controller configured to be able to control the motion mechanism to move the image acquisition device to a specified position for image acquisition, An image processing device configured to analyze the welds based on the 3D image and the luminance map obtained by the 3D camera.

2. The weld detection system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The weld detection system further includes: A detection tray for placing the battery; A conveying device for conveying the detection tray and the battery placed thereon for the image acquisition device to perform image acquisition.

3. The weld detection system according to claim 2, wherein The motion mechanism includes a three-axis moving mechanism and a rotating mechanism. The three-axis moving mechanism includes a first-direction moving mechanism, a second-direction moving mechanism, and a third-direction moving mechanism. The first-direction moving mechanism, the second-direction moving mechanism, and the third-direction moving mechanism are respectively configured to be able to move the image acquisition device along the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction. The rotating mechanism is configured to be able to rotate the image acquisition device around the third direction.

4. The weld detection system according to claim 3, wherein The second-direction moving mechanism is mounted to the frame of the weld detection system. The first-direction moving mechanism is mounted to the second-direction moving mechanism. The third-direction moving mechanism is mounted to the first-direction moving mechanism. The rotating mechanism is mounted to the third-direction moving mechanism. The second-direction moving mechanism is configured to move the first-direction moving mechanism, the third-direction moving mechanism, the rotating mechanism, and the image acquisition device along the second direction. The first-direction moving mechanism is configured to move the third-direction moving mechanism, the rotating mechanism, and the image acquisition device along the first direction. The third-direction moving mechanism is configured to move the rotating mechanism and the image acquisition device along the third direction.

5. The weld detection system according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that The image acquisition device includes only one 3D camera.

6. The weld detection system according to claim 4, wherein The rotating mechanism includes a mounting plate and a rotation driver. The mounting plate is fixed to the third-direction moving mechanism. The rotation driver is configured to drive the image acquisition device to rotate around the third direction. The rotation driver and the image acquisition device are connected to the mounting plate.

7. The weld detection system according to claim 6, wherein The image acquisition device and the rotation driver are connected to opposite sides of the mounting plate along the third direction.

8. The weld detection system according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The welds of the battery are the welds between the end plate and the side plate of the battery, and each battery includes four welds.

9. The weld detection system according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The weld detection system further includes a lifting mechanism configured to lift and fix the detection tray and the battery thereon that have been conveyed to the detection position.

10. The weld detection system according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The weld detection system includes a host computer configured to interact with the controller and the image acquisition device and perform processing and analysis on the acquired images.

11. A battery production line, characterized in that, The battery production line includes: The weld detection system according to any one of claims 1-10; Production equipment for producing the batteries to be detected; Transfer equipment, which is used to take out the battery to be detected from the production equipment and place it on the conveying device of the weld detection system and / or take out the battery that has completed the detection from the weld detection system and transfer it to the next station.

Images