Tool sequencing device

Abstract

The utility model provides a tool sequencing device. The tool sequencing device comprises a first conveying line, a second conveying line, a detection mechanism, a cache mechanism, a feeding mechanism and a discharging mechanism. The second conveying line and the first conveying line are arranged side by side and opposite in conveying direction. The first conveying line is configured to convey N tools, a detection station, a cache station and a feeding station are arranged on the conveying path of the first conveying line, the detection mechanism is arranged on the detection station, and the cache mechanism is arranged on the cache station. The detection mechanism detects the type of the tool conveyed to the detection station. And the caching mechanism is used for caching the first type of tools conveyed to the caching station and releasing the cached first type of tools. The feeding mechanism carries the tools conveyed to the feeding station to the second conveying line. The second conveying line conveys the received tools to the backflow station in sequence, and the discharging mechanism puts the tools on the backflow station back to the first conveying line. According to the method and the device, the N tools can be automatically sequenced, and the tool sequencing efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of photovoltaic module production equipment, and more specifically to a tooling sorting device. Background Art

[0002] When cells and ribbons are laid out in strings, the ribbons between adjacent cells (also known as inter-string ribbons) are long. If these ribbons are not properly controlled and allowed to enter the welding station, they can easily bend and deform, leading to poor solder joints at adjacent solder joints on the cells. Furthermore, after the finished strings are cut by the string cutter, the remaining ribbons can warp, hindering subsequent layout and busbar welding.

[0003] To solve this problem, the current solution uses large-size tooling to simultaneously press the solder ribbons on the tail cell (referred to as the tail cell) in the battery string and the solder ribbons between strings. The non-tail cell (referred to as the non-tail cell) in the battery string still uses conventional small-size tooling, which only presses the solder ribbons on the non-tail cell.

[0004] During the battery string production process, in order to meet production efficiency, the number of recycled tooling usually needs to meet the production of more than 3 battery strings. The number of tooling on the tooling conveyor line reaches dozens. Before formal production, the large-size tooling and small-size tooling on the conveyor line need to be pre-arranged according to the sorting rules that match the stringing rules of the battery strings to ensure that when the tooling is loaded onto the welding conveyor line in sequence, the large-size tooling can press the tail piece and the small-size tooling can press the non-tail piece.

[0005] Currently, tooling sorting is usually done manually, with large and small tooling placed on the tooling conveyor line according to sorting rules. The equipment is then started, and the tooling is preheated in a cycle before formal production begins. Manual tooling sorting is inefficient. Utility Model Content

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a battery string transport mechanism, which adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A tool sorting device is used to sort N tools so that the N tools meet a predetermined sorting rule. The tool corresponding to each sorting position in the sorting rule has a specific type. The tool types include first-class tool and second-class tool.

[0008] The tooling sorting device includes a first conveyor line, a second conveyor line, a detection mechanism, a buffer mechanism, a loading mechanism, and an unloading mechanism, wherein:

[0009] The second conveyor line is arranged side by side with the first conveyor line, and the conveying direction of the second conveyor line is opposite to that of the first conveyor line;

[0010] The first conveyor line is configured to convey N workpieces. An inspection station, a buffer station, and a loading station are provided on the conveying path of the first conveyor line. The inspection mechanism is provided at the inspection station, and the buffer mechanism is provided at the buffer station.

[0011] The detection mechanism is configured to detect the type of tooling delivered to the detection station;

[0012] The buffer mechanism is configured to buffer the first type of tooling delivered to the buffer station and release the buffered first type of tooling;

[0013] The loading mechanism is configured to move the tooling delivered to the loading station to the second conveyor line;

[0014] The second conveyor line is configured to convey the received tooling to the reflow station in sequence, and the unloading mechanism is configured to put the tooling at the reflow station back onto the first conveyor line.

[0015] Through the cooperation of the first conveyor line, the second conveyor line, the loading mechanism and the unloading mechanism, the circulation flow of N tooling can be realized, and by setting up the detection mechanism, the type of tooling at the detection station can be detected. Through the setting of the cache mechanism, the first type of tooling can be cached when the first type of tooling is not needed, and the cached first type of tooling can be released and loaded when the first type of tooling is needed, thereby finally realizing the automatic sorting of the first type of tooling and the second type of tooling. The tooling sorting device of the present application can realize the automatic sorting of N tooling to be sorted, without the need for manual sorting, thereby improving the tooling sorting efficiency.

[0016] In some embodiments, the tooling sorting device further includes a limiting mechanism, which is disposed at a stop position located in front of the inspection station. The limiting mechanism is configured to limit the tooling adjacent to the tooling at the inspection station at the stop position, and to release the limit on the tooling.

[0017] By setting a limit tooling, when it is necessary to cache the first type of tooling located at the inspection station, the tooling adjacent to the tooling at the inspection station can be limited at the stop station in front of the inspection station. After completing the caching of the first type of tooling, the limit mechanism releases the limit on the adjacent tooling, allowing the tooling to continue to be transported toward the inspection station and the cache station to undergo sorting operations.

[0018] In some embodiments, the limiting mechanism includes a pressing assembly arranged above the stop position. When the pressing assembly descends, the tooling transported to the stop position is pressed and limited at the stop position. When the pressing assembly rises, the tooling that is pressed and limited is released.

[0019] A limiting mechanism with a simple structure is provided, which presses down a tool conveyed to a stop position through a pressing component to limit the tool at the stop position.

[0020] In some embodiments, the detection mechanism includes a first photoelectric sensing element arranged at the detection station, and when the first type of workpiece and the second type of workpiece are transported to the detection station, the first photoelectric sensing element emits different detection signals; or, the detection mechanism includes a visual detection component arranged at the detection station, and the visual detection component is configured to obtain an image of the workpiece located at the detection station and perform image analysis.

[0021] Two simple tooling detection mechanisms are provided, both of which can quickly and accurately detect and identify the type of tooling delivered to the detection station.

[0022] In some embodiments, the inspection mechanism is further configured to count the number of tools passing through the inspection station.

[0023] By counting the tooling that passes through the inspection station, the sorting position of the tooling that is currently being transported to the inspection station can be automatically determined, and on this basis, it can be determined whether it meets the sorting rules.

[0024] In some embodiments, the caching mechanism includes a lifting drive unit and a picking assembly, wherein the picking assembly is connected to the driving end of the lifting drive unit; the lifting drive unit is used to drive the picking assembly to lift and lower, so as to drive the picking assembly to pick up the tooling to be cached from the cache station, and release the cached tooling to the cache station.

[0025] By setting the cache mechanism to include a lifting drive unit and a picking component, the picking component realizes automatic caching of the first type of tooling to be cached at the cache station under the lifting drive of the lifting drive unit, and automatically releases the cached first type of tooling to the cache station.

[0026] In some embodiments, the caching mechanism further includes a first detection component disposed on the picking component, and the first detection component is configured to detect whether a first type of tooling is cached on the picking component.

[0027] By setting a first detection component on the picking component, it is possible to automatically confirm whether the first type of tooling is cached on the picking component. Based on this, the picking component can be effectively controlled to cache the first type of tooling at the cache station or release the cached first type of tooling to the cache station.

[0028] In some embodiments, the first detection component includes a second photoelectric sensing component, and the second photoelectric sensing component sends different detection signals when the first type of tooling is cached or not cached on the pickup component.

[0029] A simple first detection assembly is provided that can quickly and accurately detect whether a first type of tooling is cached on a pickup assembly. For example, when the first type of tooling is cached on the pickup assembly, the optical path of a second photoelectric sensor is blocked. When the first type of tooling is not cached on the pickup assembly, the optical path of the second photoelectric sensor is not blocked, causing the second photoelectric sensor to emit different detection signals.

[0030] In some embodiments, the tooling sorting device further includes a tidying mechanism provided at the loading station, and the tidying mechanism is used to tidy the tooling located at the loading station along a conveying direction perpendicular to the first conveying line.

[0031] By setting a regularization mechanism at the loading station, the position of the tooling at the loading station is corrected, so that the loading mechanism can accurately pick up the tooling at the loading station.

[0032] In some embodiments, the tooling sorting device also includes a transverse movement mechanism and a holding mechanism, and the holding mechanism and the aligning mechanism are both arranged on the movable parts of the transverse movement mechanism; the holding mechanism is configured to hold the tooling located at the loading station, and the translation mechanism is configured to drive the holding mechanism and the aligning mechanism to translate along the conveying direction of the first conveyor line.

[0033] During battery string production, to meet production efficiency targets, the number of recycled tooling pieces typically needs to be sufficient to produce more than three battery strings. However, the spacing between two adjacent tooling pieces placed on the same battery string is smaller than the spacing between two adjacent tooling pieces placed on two different battery strings. Therefore, the spacing between the tooling pieces being transported to the second conveyor line needs to be adjusted. By placing the holding and aligning mechanisms on the transverse mechanism, the tooling loading position can be adjusted. The loading mechanism can directly transport tooling pieces that meet the required position to the second conveyor line, ensuring that the spacing between tooling pieces on the second conveyor line meets the requirements.

[0034] In some embodiments, the holding mechanism includes adsorption plates arranged on both sides of the first conveyor line, and magnetic suction parts are provided on the adsorption plates. The magnetic suction parts are used to adsorb the tooling conveyed to the loading station.

[0035] A holding mechanism with a simple structure is provided, which uses adsorption plates arranged on both sides of a first conveyor line to cooperate with the adsorption of tooling conveyed to a loading station to implement adsorption and holding of the tooling.

[0036] In some embodiments, the tooling sorting device further includes a blocking assembly, which is disposed on a movable component of the transverse movement mechanism and located in front of the holding mechanism; when the loading mechanism picks up the tooling located at the loading station, the blocking assembly implements blocking and limiting on the adjacent tooling on the front side.

[0037] When the loading mechanism picks up the tooling located at the loading station, the blocking component blocks the adjacent tooling on the front side, thereby preventing the adjacent tooling on the front side from being taken out of the first conveyor line, causing the adjacent tooling on the front side to be offset.

[0038] In some embodiments, a heating mechanism is provided on the second conveyor line, and the heating mechanism is used to heat the tooling when the tooling is conveyed by the second conveyor line.

[0039] During the sorting process, the tooling can be preheated by the heating mechanism on the second conveyor line. In this way, during the battery string production process, when the sorted tooling is pressed onto the battery cells, the preheated tooling can cooperate with the stringing mechanism (such as a red light box, laser welding device, etc.) to heat the battery cells and welding strips, thereby improving the stringing efficiency of the battery cells. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tool sorting device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a partial enlarged view of an area of ​​the tool sorting device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the cache mechanism in an embodiment of the present application from one viewing angle;

[0043] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the cache mechanism in the embodiment of the present application from another perspective;

[0044] Figure 5 A partially enlarged view of another area of ​​the tool sorting device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly of components such as the transverse movement mechanism, the holding mechanism and the regularization mechanism in the embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Figures 1 to 6 Included are:

[0047] First conveyor line 1: loading end 11;

[0048] Second conveyor line 2;

[0049] Detection mechanism 3: first photoelectric sensor 31, mounting plate 32;

[0050] Cache mechanism 4: lifting drive unit 41, pickup assembly 42, first mounting bracket 43;

[0051] Feeding mechanism 5;

[0052] Unloading mechanism 6;

[0053] Limiting mechanism 7;

[0054] Holding mechanism 8;

[0055] Regularization mechanism 9: regularization cylinder 91, first regularization plate 92, second regularization plate 93, third photoelectric sensor 94, fourth photoelectric sensor 95;

[0056] Transverse movement mechanism 10: second mounting bracket 101, sliding bracket 102, transverse movement driving member 103;

[0057] blocking assembly 110;

[0058] Stop station A, inspection station B, buffer station C, loading station D, reflow station E. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0060] The present application provides a tool sorting device, which is used to sort N tools so that the N tools meet a predetermined sorting rule, wherein the tool corresponding to each sorting position in the sorting rule has a specific type, and the tool types include first-category tool and second-category tool.

[0061] For example, if N is 34, the sorting rule includes 34 sorting positions, namely the 1st sorting position, the 2nd sorting position, ..., the 34th sorting position. Among them, the tooling corresponding to the 12th sorting position, the 23rd sorting position, and the 34th sorting position are all first-class tooling, and the tooling corresponding to the remaining 31st sorting positions are all second-class tooling. The sorting task to be completed by the tooling sorting device of the present application is to sort a tooling queue with a random order including 3 first-class tooling and 31 second-class tooling to obtain a tooling queue that meets the above sorting rule.

[0062] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the tool sorting device in the embodiment of the present application includes a first conveyor line 1, a second conveyor line 2, a detection mechanism 3, a buffer mechanism 4, a loading mechanism 5 and a unloading mechanism 6, wherein:

[0063] The second conveyor line 1 is arranged side by side with the first conveyor line 2, and the conveying direction of the second conveyor line 2 is opposite to that of the first conveyor line 1. For example, the conveying direction of the first conveyor line 1 is Figure 1 The direction indicated by the arrow L in the figure is the direction of the second conveyor line 2. Figure 1 The direction indicated by the arrow M.

[0064] The first conveyor line 1 is configured to convey N workpieces. An inspection station B, a buffer station C and a loading station D are provided on the conveying path of the first conveyor line 1. The inspection mechanism 3 is provided at the inspection station B, and the buffer mechanism 4 is provided at the buffer station C.

[0065] The detection mechanism 3 is configured to detect the type of the tooling delivered to the detection station B.

[0066] The cache mechanism 4 is configured to cache the first type of tooling delivered to the cache station C and release the cached first type of tooling.

[0067] The loading mechanism 5 is configured to transport the tooling delivered to the loading station D to the second conveyor line 2 .

[0068] The second conveyor line 2 is configured to convey the received tooling to the reflow station E in sequence, and the unloading mechanism 6 is configured to place the tooling at the reflow station E back onto the first conveyor line 1 .

[0069] The process of sorting N pieces of tooling to be sorted by the tooling sorting device in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

[0070] N tooling to be sorted are placed in any order at the loading end 11 of the first conveyor line 1 , and the first conveyor line 1 conveys the N tooling to be sorted toward the inspection station B in sequence.

[0071] For the i-th tooling that is currently being transported to the inspection station B, where i is any natural number from 1 to N, the following sorting operation is performed:

[0072] When the type of tooling corresponding to the i-th sorting position in the sorting rule is the second type of tooling, the detection mechanism 3 detects the i-th tooling transported to the detection station B to determine the type of the i-th tooling.

[0073] According to the type of the i-th tooling, the first conveyor line 1 and the detection mechanism 3 perform the following processing:

[0074] Solution 1: If the i-th tool is a first-category tool, the adjacent tool in front of the i-th tool is constrained on first conveyor line 1. First conveyor line 1 is controlled to continue conveying the i-th tool to cache station C. Cache mechanism 4 caches the i-th tool delivered to cache station C. After caching the i-th tool, the constraint on the adjacent tool in front is released. In this case, the i-th tool does not occupy the i-th sorting position.

[0075] Solution 2: If the i-th tool is a second-category tool, control the first conveyor line 2 to convey the i-th tool toward loading station D. After the i-th tool arrives at loading station D, it is loaded onto the second conveyor line 2 by loading mechanism 5. In this case, the i-th tool occupies the i-th sorting position, and the tool in the i-th sorting position now meets the sorting rules.

[0076] When the tooling type corresponding to the i-th sorting position in the sorting rule is the first type of tooling, the first conveyor line 1 and the cache mechanism 4 perform the following processing according to whether the first type of tooling is cached in the cache mechanism 4:

[0077] Processing method 3: If the first type of tooling is cached on the cache mechanism 4, the i-th tooling is limited to the first conveyor line 1, and the first conveyor line 1 is controlled to convey the tooling located on the rear side of the i-th tooling (i.e., the tooling located between the detection station B and the loading station D) toward the loading station D until the cache station C is vacated. Subsequently, the cache mechanism 4 releases a cached first type of tooling to the vacant cache station C. Subsequently, the limit on the i-th tooling is released, and the first conveyor line 1 continues to convey it. The released first type of tooling is conveyed to the loading station D and then loaded onto the second conveyor line 2 by the loading mechanism 5. In this case, the released first type of tooling occupies the i-th sorting position, and the tooling at the i-th sorting position now meets the sorting rules.

[0078] Solution 4: If there are no first-category tooling items cached in cache mechanism 4, control first conveyor line 1 to convey the i-th tooling item toward loading station D. After arriving at loading station D, loading mechanism 5 loads the i-th tooling item onto second conveyor line 2. In this scenario, the i-th tooling item occupies the i-th sorting position, but the tooling item in the i-th sorting position does not meet the sorting rules and must be reordered in the next cycle.

[0079] After processing the Nth tool to be sorted, the first round of sorting for the N tools is complete. After the first round of sorting, the number of tools that meet the sorting rules in the N sorting positions increases compared to the initial sorting state of the N tools to be sorted. If at this point, all tools in the N sorting positions meet the sorting rules, the sorting process ends.

[0080] Otherwise, the unloading mechanism 6 will transport the N toolings that have completed the first round of sorting from the reflow station E of the second conveyor line 2 to the loading end 11 of the first conveyor line 1 in sequence to implement the second round of sorting.

[0081] The unloading mechanism 6 can transport the tooling that has completed the first round of sorting to the loading end 11 of the first conveyor line 1 one by one. The unloading mechanism 6 can also transport two or more tooling that has completed the first round of sorting to the loading end 11 of the first conveyor line 1 at a time. The unloading mechanism 6 can adopt various existing handling devices that can carry tooling. For example, the unloading mechanism 6 is a plurality of electromagnetic components arranged side by side driven by a linear drive module or a robot arm, and each electromagnetic component can pick up one tooling.

[0082] Of course, when the tooling that has completed the first round of sorting begins to be transported to the loading end 11 of the first conveyor line 1, there may still be tooling that has undergone the first round of sorting on the first conveyor line 1. In other words, the latter round of sorting is implemented continuously with the previous round of sorting.

[0083] The sorting process for the second round of sorting is identical to that for the first round and will not be further described here. After the second round of sorting, the number of fixtures in the N sorting positions that meet the sorting rules continues to increase compared to the first round of sorting. If, at this point, all fixtures in the N sorting positions meet the sorting rules, the sorting process ends. Otherwise, the unloading mechanism 6 sequentially transports the N fixtures that have completed the second round of sorting from the reflow station D of the second conveyor line 2 to the loading terminal 11 of the first conveyor line 1, and the third round of sorting begins.

[0084] This cycle continues until all the tools in the N sorting positions meet the sorting rules.

[0085] In a specific embodiment, the number of sorting rounds required is related to the number of tooling to be sorted (i.e., the value of N) and the initial sorting of the N tooling to be sorted. Generally speaking, the more tooling to be sorted, the more sorting rounds required. Initially, the fewer tooling that meet the sorting rules among the N sorting positions, the more sorting rounds required.

[0086] It can be seen that through the cooperation of the first conveyor line 1, the second conveyor line 2, the detection mechanism 3, the cache mechanism 4, the loading mechanism 5 and the unloading mechanism 6, the circular flow of N tooling can be realized, and by setting the detection mechanism 3, the type of tooling at the detection station B is detected. Through the setting of the cache mechanism 4, the first type of tooling can be cached when the first type of tooling is not needed, and the cached first type of tooling can be released and loaded when the first type of tooling is needed, thereby finally realizing the automatic sorting of the first type of tooling and the second type of tooling. The tooling sorting device of the present application can realize the automatic sorting of N tooling to be sorted, without manual sorting, thereby improving the tooling sorting efficiency.

[0087] The tooling sorting device of the present embodiment is suitable for automatically sorting N recycled tooling pieces required during the battery string production process. The sorting rules mentioned in this application match the battery string assembly rules. That is, during the battery string production process, N tooling pieces that meet the sorting rules are sequentially loaded and pressed onto the appropriate battery cells.

[0088] For example, when the first type of tooling is large-size tooling and the second type of tooling is small-size tooling, during the battery string production process, when the N tooling that has completed sorting and meets the sorting rules are loaded onto the second conveyor line in sequence, all large-size tooling can be pressed on the tail piece, and all small-size tooling can be pressed on the non-tail piece.

[0089] As those skilled in the art are aware, among the N fixtures that are recycled during battery string production, the number of large-sized fixtures used to compress the final pieces is far less than the number of small-sized fixtures used to compress non-final pieces. Therefore, to expedite the sorting process, it is possible to cache the large-sized fixtures. Specifically, in the embodiments of this application, the first category of fixtures is large-sized fixtures, and the second category is small-sized fixtures.

[0090] In one embodiment, the second conveyor line 2 of the tooling sorting device provided in the embodiments of the present application can serve as a conveyor line for stacking and welding the cells and solder ribbons in a battery string. Before battery string production begins, the first and second conveyor lines 1 and 2 are controlled to start conveying, thereby cooperating with the detection mechanism 3, the buffer mechanism 4, the loading mechanism 5, and the unloading mechanism 6 to pre-sort the N tools required for battery string production. After the N tools are sorted, battery string production can be directly started, thus achieving a seamless connection between tooling sorting and battery string production.

[0091] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the tool sorting device in the embodiment of the present application optionally further includes a limiting mechanism 7, which is disposed at a stop position A located in front of the inspection station B. The limiting mechanism 7 is configured to limit a tool adjacent to the tool at the inspection station B at the stop position A and to release the limit on the tool.

[0092] In the aforementioned process 1, the limiting mechanism 7 limits the adjacent tooling in front of the i-th tooling at the stop position A. After the buffer mechanism 4 completes caching of the i-th tooling, the limiting mechanism 7 releases the limit on the adjacent tooling in front. In the aforementioned process 3, the limiting mechanism 7 also limits the i-th tooling at the stop position A. After the buffer mechanism 4 releases a first-category tooling into the buffer position, the limiting mechanism 7 releases the limit on the i-th tooling.

[0093] Optionally, the limiting mechanism 7 includes a pressing assembly disposed above the stop position A. When the pressing assembly descends, the tooling delivered to the stop position A is pressed and limited at the stop position A. When the pressing assembly ascends, the tooling that has been pressed and limited is released. Two sets of pressing assemblies can be provided, and the two sets of pressing assemblies cooperate to press the ends of the tooling. The pressing assembly, for example, is composed of a pressing cylinder and a pressing block. The pressing block is tightly connected to the driving end of the pressing cylinder. The pressing cylinder drives the pressing block to rise and fall, thereby causing the pressing block to press down or release the tooling delivered to the stop position A.

[0094] like Figure 2 As shown, the detection mechanism 3 optionally includes a first photoelectric sensor 31 provided at the detection station B. When the first type of tooling and the second type of tooling are conveyed to the detection station B, the first photoelectric sensor 31 emits different detection signals. For example, the number of times the first type of tooling triggers the first photoelectric sensor 31 during conveyance is different from the number of times the second type of tooling triggers the first photoelectric sensor 31 during conveyance, so that the first photoelectric sensor 31 can emit different detection signals.

[0095] In order to facilitate the installation of the first photoelectric sensing element 31 , optionally, a mounting plate 32 is provided at the detection station B, and the first photoelectric sensing element 31 is mounted on the mounting plate 2 .

[0096] Of course, the detection mechanism 3 may also adopt other detection mechanisms that can detect the type of tooling. For example, in another embodiment, the detection mechanism 3 includes a visual detection component arranged at the detection station B. The visual detection component obtains an image of the tooling at the detection station B and performs image analysis on the obtained image of the tooling to determine the type of the tooling.

[0097] The visual inspection component, for example, consists of a camera and a PLC controller. The camera is located above, below, or to the side of inspection station B and is used to photograph the tooling at inspection station B, thereby capturing an image of the tooling at inspection station B. The captured image of the tooling is then sent to the PLC controller, which then invokes a pre-stored image recognition algorithm to determine the tooling type. Identifying target objects in images using image recognition algorithms is a mature technique in the field of visual technology, well known to those skilled in the art and not further elaborated upon here.

[0098] Optionally, the detection mechanism 3 is further configured to count the number of toolings passing through the inspection station B. For example, the detection mechanism 3 may further include a counter connected to the first photoelectric sensor 31 or the visual detection component. Whenever a tooling passes through the inspection station B, the first photoelectric sensor 31 or the visual detection component immediately sends a counting signal to the counter, which performs a count. Alternatively, the first photoelectric sensor 31 may employ a beam switch, and the number of toolings passing through may be counted solely through the beam switch.

[0099] By counting the number of tooling that passes through the inspection station, the sorting position corresponding to the tooling currently being transported to inspection station B can be automatically determined, making it easier to determine whether it meets the sorting rules. In addition, this can also be used as a basis to determine whether all tooling to be sorted has completed the current round of sorting.

[0100] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the buffer mechanism 4 optionally includes a lifting drive unit 41 and a pickup assembly 42, wherein the pickup assembly 42 is connected to the driving end of the lifting drive unit 41. The lifting drive unit 41 is used to drive the pickup assembly 42 to rise and fall, thereby driving the pickup assembly 42 to pick up the tooling to be buffered from the buffer station C and release the buffered tooling to the buffer station C.

[0101] Optionally, the picking component 42 can pick up the tooling at the cache station by electromagnet adsorption, suction cup adsorption or clamping.

[0102] Optionally, the lifting drive unit 41 is installed on the first mounting bracket 43, and the picking component 42 can be lifted and slidably installed on the first mounting bracket 43 and connected to the driving end of the lifting drive unit 41. For example, the two ends of the picking component 42 are respectively slidably connected to the first mounting bracket 43 through slide rails.

[0103] The first lifting drive member 43 can adopt various existing linear drive members that can drive the picking assembly 42 to move up and down, such as a cylinder.

[0104] like Figures 2 to 3 As shown, optionally, the detection mechanism 3 can also be installed on the first mounting bracket 43.

[0105] As mentioned above, before releasing the first-category tooling cached on the caching mechanism 4 to the caching station C, it is first necessary to determine whether the first-category tooling is cached on the caching mechanism 4. To automatically determine whether the first-category tooling is cached on the caching mechanism 4, the caching mechanism 4 optionally further includes a first detection component disposed on the pickup assembly 42, the first detection component being configured to detect whether the first-category tooling is cached on the pickup assembly 42.

[0106] Optionally, the first detection assembly includes a second photoelectric sensor, which emits different detection signals depending on whether the first type of tooling is cached in the pickup assembly 42 or not. For example, when the first type of tooling is cached in the pickup assembly 42, the optical path of the second photoelectric sensor is blocked by the first type of tooling. When the first type of tooling is not cached in the pickup assembly 42, the optical path of the second photoelectric sensor is not blocked, thereby causing the second photoelectric sensor to emit different detection signals.

[0107] like Figure 1As shown, optionally, the tooling sorting device in the embodiment of the present application also includes a tidying mechanism 9 arranged at the loading station D, and the tidying mechanism 9 is used to tidy the tooling located at the loading station D along a conveying direction perpendicular to the first conveyor line 1, thereby realizing the position correction of the tooling located at the loading station D, so as to facilitate the loading mechanism 5 to implement accurate picking of the tooling at the loading station.

[0108] like Figure 6 As shown, optionally, the tidying mechanism 9 includes a tidying cylinder 91, a first tidying plate 92, and a second tidying plate 93, wherein the tidying cylinder 91 is arranged on the first side of the first conveyor line 1, the first tidying plate 92 is connected to the driving end of the tidying cylinder 91, and the second tidying plate 93 is arranged on the second side of the first conveyor line 1 and is opposite to the first tidying plate 92. The first tidying plate 92 and the second tidying plate 93 are both parallel to the conveying direction of the first conveyor line 1. When the tooling is transported to the loading station D, the tidying cylinder 91 drives the first tidying plate 92 to translate toward the tooling along the conveying direction perpendicular to the first conveyor line 1, and finally makes the two opposite sides of the tooling stick to the first tidying plate 92 and the second tidying plate 93 respectively, so that the two opposite sides of the tooling are parallel to the conveying direction of the first conveyor line 1, and the tooling is corrected.

[0109] Optionally, the aligning mechanism 9 further includes a third photoelectric sensor 94 and a fourth photoelectric sensor 95. When the tooling is delivered to the loading station D, the third photoelectric sensor 94 emits a position sensing signal, and the aligning cylinder 91 then drives the first aligning plate 92 to move, thereby aligning the tooling. When the tooling is completely aligned, the fourth photoelectric sensor 95 emits a aligning completion signal, activating the next step.

[0110] As mentioned in the background technology section, during battery string production, to maintain production efficiency, the number of recycled tooling pieces typically needs to be sufficient to produce at least three battery strings. However, as those skilled in the art know, the spacing between two adjacent tooling pieces placed on the same battery string is smaller than the spacing between two adjacent tooling pieces placed on two different battery strings.

[0111] Therefore, after the loading mechanism 5 loads the i-th tool at the loading station D onto the second conveyor line 2, it may be necessary to first adjust the position of the i+1-th tool so that after the loading mechanism 5 transports the adjusted i+1-th tool to the second conveyor line 2, the spacing between the i-th tool and the i+1-th tool can meet the requirements. When the tool currently located at the loading station D on the first conveyor line 1 is the i-th tool, the adjacent tool in front of it is the i+1-th tool. After the i-th tool is loaded onto the second conveyor line 2, the loading position of the i+1-th tool needs to be pre-adjusted.

[0112] In order to realize automatic adjustment of the spacing between adjacent tooling, such as Figure 6 As shown, optionally, the tooling sorting device in the embodiment of the present application further includes a transverse movement mechanism 10 and a holding mechanism 8, and the holding mechanism 8 and the aligning mechanism 9 are both arranged on the movable part of the transverse movement mechanism 10. The holding mechanism 8 is configured to hold the tooling located at the loading station D, and the transverse movement mechanism 10 is configured to drive the holding mechanism 8 and the aligning mechanism 9 to translate along the conveying direction of the first conveyor line 1.

[0113] When it is necessary to automatically adjust the spacing between adjacent tooling, the holding mechanism 8 and the straightening mechanism 9 can be driven by the transverse mechanism 10 to move to the specified position in a direction parallel to the first conveyor line 1 according to the tooling spacing requirements, so that the holding mechanism 8 can block the i+1th tooling at a position that meets the spacing requirements, and after straightening, it can be directly transported to the second conveyor line 2.

[0114] Optionally, the holding mechanism 8 includes adsorption plates arranged on both sides of the first conveyor line 1, and magnetic elements are provided on the adsorption plates. The magnetic elements are used to adsorb and convey the tooling to the loading station D.

[0115] like Figure 6 As shown, optionally, the transverse movement mechanism 10 includes a second mounting bracket 101, a sliding bracket 102 and a transverse movement driving member 103, wherein the sliding bracket 102 is slidingly connected to the second mounting bracket 101 and is transmission-connected to the transverse movement driving member 103 installed on the second mounting bracket 101, and the holding mechanism 8 and the regularization mechanism 9 are both arranged on the sliding bracket 102, and the transverse movement driving member 103 drives the sliding bracket 102 to slide on the second mounting bracket 101 along the conveying direction of the first conveyor line 1, thereby driving the holding mechanism 8 and the regularization mechanism 9 to translate along the conveying direction of the first conveyor line 1.

[0116] The transverse driving member 103 can be any known linear driving member capable of driving the sliding bracket 102 to slide on the second mounting bracket 101 along the conveying direction of the first conveying line 1 , such as a cylinder.

[0117] like Figure 6 As shown, the tool sorting device in the embodiment of the present application optionally further includes a blocking assembly 110, which is disposed on the movable component of the transverse movement mechanism 10 and located in front of the holding mechanism 8. When the loading mechanism 5 picks up a tool located at the loading station D, the blocking assembly 110 blocks and limits the position of the adjacent tool in front, thereby preventing the adjacent tool in front from being carried out of the first conveyor line 1 and causing the adjacent tool in front to be shifted.

[0118] Optionally, the blocking assembly 110 includes blocking plates disposed on opposite sides of the first conveyor line 1, each having a blocking space below the blocking plates for tooling to pass through. When the i-th tooling passes through the blocking space below the blocking plates and is conveyed to the loading station D, the i+1-th tooling adjacent to it on the front side is located exactly within the blocking space below the blocking plates, thereby being vertically blocked by the blocking plates. When the loading mechanism 5 picks up the i-th tooling located at the loading station D, the i+1-th tooling blocked by the blocking plates will not be carried upward out of the first conveyor line 1.

[0119] Optionally, a heating mechanism is provided below the conveying surface of the second conveyor line 2 , and the heating mechanism is used to heat the tooling when the second conveyor line 2 is conveying the tooling.

[0120] As mentioned in the background technology, before the formal production of battery strings is implemented, the tooling needs to be cyclically preheated. By arranging a heating mechanism under the conveying surface of the second conveyor line 2 and turning on the heating mechanism during the sorting process, the tooling can be preheated by the heating mechanism on the second conveyor line 2 while being sorted. In this way, the tooling sorting efficiency can be further improved. During the battery string production process, when the tooling that has completed the sorting is pressed onto the battery cell, the preheated tooling can cooperate with the stringing mechanism (such as a red light box, a laser welding device, etc.) to heat the battery cell and the welding strip, thereby improving the stringing efficiency of the battery cell.

[0121] The present application also provides a tooling sorting method for sorting N tools so that the N tools satisfy a predetermined sorting rule, wherein the tooling corresponding to each sorting position in the sorting rule has a specific type, and the tooling types include first-category tooling and second-category tooling.

[0122] For example, if N is 34, the sorting rule includes 34 sorting positions, namely the 1st sorting position, the 2nd sorting position, ..., the 34th sorting position. Among them, the tooling corresponding to the 12th sorting position, the 23rd sorting position, and the 34th sorting position are all the tooling corresponding to the first category, and the tooling corresponding to the remaining 31st sorting positions are all the tooling corresponding to the second category. The sorting task to be completed by the tooling sorting method of the present application is to sort a tooling queue with a random order including 3 first category tooling and 31 second category tooling to obtain a tooling queue that meets the above sorting rules.

[0123] The tooling sorting method in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0124] The first conveyor line is controlled to sequentially convey N workpieces to be sorted. An inspection station, a buffer station and a loading station are provided on the conveying path of the first conveyor line.

[0125] Get the type of tooling corresponding to the i-th sort position in the sorting rule, where i≤N.

[0126] When the type of tooling corresponding to the i-th sorting position in the sorting rule is the second type of tooling, the i-th tooling transported to the inspection station is inspected to determine the type of the i-th tooling.

[0127] According to the type of the i-th tooling, the following processing is performed:

[0128] If the i-th tool is a first-category tool, prevent the tool adjacent to the i-th tool in the front from being transported to the inspection station, control the first conveyor line to transport the i-th tool to the cache station, cache the i-th tool transported to the cache station, and release the limit on the tool adjacent to the i-th tool.

[0129] If the i-th tool is a second-type tool, control the first conveyor line to convey the i-th tool toward the loading station.

[0130] When the tooling type corresponding to the i-th sorting position in the sorting rule is the first type of tooling, it is determined whether the first type of tooling is cached.

[0131] Based on the judgment results, the following actions are taken:

[0132] If there is a first-class tool in the cache, prevent the i-th tool from being transported to the inspection station, control the first conveyor line to transport the tool located behind the i-th tool toward the loading station to free up the cache station, release a first-class tool in the cache to the free cache station, and remove the limit on the i-th tool.

[0133] If the first type of tooling is not cached, the first conveyor line is controlled to convey the i-th tooling toward the inspection station and the loading station.

[0134] The tooling delivered to the loading station is moved to the second conveyor line.

[0135] The second conveyor line is controlled to convey the received N tooling to the reflow station in sequence, and the conveying direction of the second conveyor line is opposite to that of the first conveyor line.

[0136] The tooling transported to the reflow station is moved back to the first conveyor line.

[0137] With each round of sorting, the number of tooling that meets the sorting rules in the N sorting positions increases. If all tooling in the N sorting positions meets the sorting rules after the current round of sorting, the sorting process ends. Otherwise, the next round of sorting is performed until all tooling in the N sorting positions meets the sorting rules.

[0138] The tooling sorting method of the embodiment of the present application can realize automatic sorting of N tooling during the circulation conveying process of N tooling, without the need for manual sorting, thereby improving the tooling sorting efficiency.

[0139] The tooling sorting device of the present embodiment is suitable for automatically sorting N recycled tooling pieces required during the battery string production process. The sorting rules mentioned in this application match the battery string assembly rules. That is, during the battery string production process, N tooling pieces that meet the sorting rules are sequentially loaded and pressed onto the appropriate battery cells.

[0140] For example, when the first type of tooling is large-size tooling and the second type of tooling is small-size tooling, when the N tooling that have completed sorting and meet the sorting rules are moved to the battery cells in turn, all large-size tooling can be pressed on the tail piece, and all small-size tooling can be pressed on the non-tail piece.

[0141] As those skilled in the art are aware, among the N recycled tooling pieces required during battery string production, the number of large-sized tooling pieces is far less than the number of small-sized tooling pieces. Therefore, to expedite sorting, it is possible to cache the large-sized tooling pieces, i.e., the first category of tooling is large-sized tooling, and the second category is small-sized tooling.

[0142] The tooling sorting method of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by the tooling sorting device provided by any of the above embodiments of the present application. For further implementation details, please refer to the relevant description of the sorting process of the tooling sorting device in the previous embodiment. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0143] The present application has been described above in sufficient detail with certain specificity. Those skilled in the art will understand that the descriptions in the examples are merely illustrative, and that all modifications made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present application are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present application. The scope of protection claimed in the present application is defined by the claims, not by the description in the examples.

Claims

1. A tool sorting device, characterized in that: It is used to sort N tools so that the N tools meet a predetermined sorting rule. The tool corresponding to each sorting position in the sorting rule has a specific type, and the tool types include first-type tool and second-type tool. The tooling sorting device includes a first conveyor line, a second conveyor line, a detection mechanism, a buffer mechanism, a loading mechanism and a unloading mechanism, wherein: The second conveying line is arranged side by side with the first conveying line, and the conveying direction of the second conveying line is opposite to that of the first conveying line; The first conveyor line is configured to convey N workpieces. A detection station, a buffer station, and a loading station are provided on the conveying path of the first conveyor line. The detection mechanism is provided at the detection station, and the buffer mechanism is provided at the buffer station. The detection mechanism is configured to detect the type of tooling delivered to the detection station; The cache mechanism is configured to cache the first type of tooling delivered to the cache station and release the cached first type of tooling; The loading mechanism is configured to transport the tooling delivered to the loading station to the second conveyor line; The second conveyor line is configured to sequentially convey the received tooling to the reflow station, and the unloading mechanism is configured to place the tooling at the reflow station back onto the first conveyor line.

2. The tooling sorting device according to claim 1, wherein: The tooling sorting device further includes a limiting mechanism, which is disposed at a stop position located in front of the inspection station. The limiting mechanism is configured to limit a tooling adjacent to the tooling at the inspection station at the stop position and to release the limit on the tooling.

3. The tooling sorting device according to claim 2, wherein: The limiting mechanism includes a pressing component arranged above the stop position. When the pressing component descends, it presses and limits the tooling transported to the stop position at the stop position. When the pressing component rises, it releases the pressed and limited tooling.

4. The tooling sorting device according to claim 1, wherein: The detection mechanism includes a first photoelectric sensor disposed at the detection station, and when the first type of tooling and the second type of tooling are transported to the detection station, the first photoelectric sensor emits different detection signals; or The inspection mechanism includes a visual inspection component disposed at the inspection station, and the visual inspection component is configured to acquire an image of the tooling located at the inspection station and perform image analysis.

5. The tooling sorting device according to claim 1, wherein: The detection mechanism is further configured to count the tooling passing through the detection station.

6. The tooling sorting device according to claim 1, wherein: The cache mechanism includes a lifting drive unit and a picking assembly, wherein the picking assembly is connected to the driving end of the lifting drive unit; The lifting drive unit is used to drive the picking component to lift and lower, so as to drive the picking component to pick up the tooling to be cached from the cache station and release the cached tooling to the cache station.

7. The tooling sorting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The caching mechanism further includes a first detection component provided on the picking component, and the first detection component is configured to detect whether a first type of tooling is cached on the picking component.

8. The tooling sorting device according to claim 7, wherein: The first detection component includes a second photoelectric sensing element. When the first type of tooling is cached on the pickup component or when the first type of tooling is not cached on the pickup component, the second photoelectric sensing element sends different detection signals.

9. The tooling sorting device according to claim 1, wherein: The tooling sorting device further includes a tidying mechanism provided at the loading station, and the tidying mechanism is used to tidy the tooling located at the loading station along a conveying direction perpendicular to the first conveying line.

10. The tooling sorting device according to claim 9, wherein: The tooling sorting device further comprises a transverse movement mechanism and a holding mechanism, wherein the holding mechanism and the regularization mechanism are both arranged on a movable component of the transverse movement mechanism; The holding mechanism is configured to hold the tooling located at the loading station, and the translation mechanism is configured to drive the holding mechanism and the aligning mechanism to translate along the conveying direction of the first conveying line.

11. The tooling sorting device according to claim 10, wherein: The holding mechanism includes adsorption plates arranged on both sides of the first conveying line, and magnetic components are provided on the adsorption plates. The magnetic components are used to adsorb the tooling conveyed to the loading station.

12. The tooling sorting device according to claim 10, wherein: The tool sorting device further includes a blocking assembly, which is arranged on the movable component of the transverse movement mechanism and located in front of the holding mechanism; When the loading mechanism picks up the tooling located at the loading station, the blocking component blocks and limits the adjacent tooling on the front side.

13. The tooling sorting device according to claim 1, wherein: The second conveyor line is provided with a heating mechanism, and the heating mechanism is used to heat the tooling when the second conveyor line conveys the tooling.

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