Multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism and battery cell appearance detection equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism and battery cell appearance detection equipment. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism comprises a multi-rotor linear assembly, a clamping mechanism and a rotary driving mechanism. The multi-mover linear assembly comprises a mounting seat and a plurality of movers movably assembled on the mounting seat, and each mover can independently move relative to the mounting seat so as to change the distance between the adjacent movers; the clamping mechanism is used for clamping a battery cell, and the clamping mechanism is rotationally assembled on the rotor; the number of the clamping mechanisms is multiple, and at least one clamping mechanism is installed on each rotor. The rotation driving mechanism is installed on the rotor and used for driving the clamping mechanism to rotate relative to the rotor. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism disclosed by the utility model can meet the requirements of multi-cell variable pitch and rotary variable pitch at the same time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery testing equipment technology, specifically to a multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism and a battery cell appearance testing device. Background Technology

[0002] With the full arrival of the electrical age, lithium batteries, as the heart of electrical systems, have permeated all aspects of life and become an indispensable functional component. In the production, assembly, and handling of lithium batteries, to improve production efficiency, several battery cells are typically clamped, moved, adjusted in distance, transported, and rotated simultaneously to move the cells to the next workstation within a specified timeframe. This is especially true in cell appearance inspection equipment, where high precision, stability, and continuous rotational positioning are crucial to meet customer positioning and inspection requirements.

[0003] However, the relative spacing between the current fixed-pitch grippers cannot be changed, which makes it impossible to meet the pitch requirements between several cells; and the cell grippers have the disadvantage that they cannot simultaneously meet the pitch and rotation requirements between multiple groups of cells. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a multi-station rotary pitch-changing clamping mechanism and a battery cell appearance inspection device, which can solve the problem that existing equipment cannot meet the needs of multi-cell pitch changing and rotary pitch changing.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism, including a multi-moving linear assembly, a clamping mechanism, and a rotary drive mechanism. The multi-moving linear assembly includes a mounting base and multiple moving parts movably mounted on the mounting base. Each moving part can move independently relative to the mounting base to change the spacing between adjacent moving parts. The clamping mechanism is used to clamp the battery cell and is rotatably mounted on the moving parts. There are multiple clamping mechanisms, with at least one clamping mechanism mounted on each moving part. The rotary drive mechanism is mounted on the moving parts and is used to drive the clamping mechanism to rotate relative to the moving parts.

[0006] In one embodiment, the mover is mounted on the mounting base along the Y direction, and the multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism further includes a linear guide rail, on which the mounting base is movably assembled. The linear guide rail is used to guide the mounting base to move along the X direction.

[0007] In one embodiment, the multi-station rotary clamping mechanism further includes a linear drive mechanism and multiple support members. Each support member is provided with a linear guide rail, and the linear drive mechanism is provided with support members on both sides in the Y direction. The linear drive mechanism is used to drive the mounting base to move linearly back and forth in the X direction.

[0008] In one embodiment, the rotary drive mechanism includes a direct drive motor mounted on the mover, and a clamping mechanism is mounted on the power output end of the direct drive motor.

[0009] In one embodiment, the multi-motor linear assembly includes a first cable protector and a plurality of second cable protectors. The first cable protector is mounted on one side of the mounting base along the Y direction, and the second cable protectors are mounted on both sides of the mounting base along the X direction.

[0010] In one embodiment, the clamping mechanism includes a driving member, a supporting member, a first clamping member, and a second clamping member. The supporting member has a cell placement position for supporting the cell. The first clamping member and the second clamping member are respectively disposed on both sides of the cell placement position. The driving member is used to drive the first clamping member and the second clamping member to move closer or further away from each other.

[0011] In one embodiment, the driving component is a cylinder, which has a first mounting component and a second mounting component capable of moving in opposite directions. The cylinder is mounted on a rotary driving mechanism, a support component is fixed to the cylinder, a first clamping component is fixedly connected to the first mounting component, and a second clamping component is fixedly connected to the second mounting component.

[0012] In one embodiment, a sensing element is provided on the first clamping member and / or the second clamping member, the sensing element being used to sense whether there is material at the battery cell placement position.

[0013] In one embodiment, at least a portion of the surface of the clamping mechanism that contacts the battery cell is an elastic surface.

[0014] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a battery cell appearance inspection device, including a first battery cell transfer mechanism and a multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism as described in any of the above embodiments. The first battery cell transfer mechanism is used to grip the battery cells on the transfer clamping mechanism.

[0015] This application provides a multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism and a battery cell appearance inspection device. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism includes a multi-moving linear assembly, a clamping mechanism, and a rotary drive mechanism. The multi-moving linear assembly includes a mounting base and multiple moving parts movably mounted on the mounting base. Each moving part can move independently relative to the mounting base to change the spacing between adjacent moving parts. The clamping mechanism is used to clamp the battery cell and is rotatably mounted on the moving parts. There are multiple clamping mechanisms, and at least one clamping mechanism is mounted on each moving part. The rotary drive mechanism is mounted on the moving parts and is used to drive the clamping mechanism to rotate relative to the moving parts. In the multi-station rotary pitch-changing clamping mechanism of this application, multiple independently moving movers of the multi-moving linear component can independently drive the clamping mechanism to move. The clamping mechanism is used to clamp the battery cells, so each mover can independently drive the battery cells to move, realizing pitch changing between multiple battery cells. Furthermore, since multiple rotary drive mechanisms are respectively installed on each mover, the multiple rotary drive mechanisms can individually drive the corresponding clamping mechanism to rotate, so that multiple sets of battery cells can rotate to change pitch. Therefore, the multi-station rotary pitch-changing clamping mechanism of this application can simultaneously meet the requirements of multi-cell pitch changing and rotary pitch changing. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping mechanism and the rotary drive mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a portion of the mechanism of a battery cell appearance inspection device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Reference numerals: 1. Multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism; 10. Multi-mover linear assembly; 11. Mounting base; 12. Mover; 13. Base; 14. First cable protection component; 15. Second cable protection component; 20. Clamping mechanism; 21. Drive component; 211. First mounting component; 212. Second mounting component; 22. Support component; 23. First clamping component; 24. Second clamping component; 25. Limiting component; 251. First slot; 252. Second slot; 26. Abutment component; 261. Abutment part; 27. Sensing element; 28. Fixing component; 30. Rotary drive mechanism; 31. Direct drive motor; 32. Assembly component; 40. Battery cell; 50. Linear guide rail; 60. Linear drive mechanism; 70. Support component; 2. Detection module; 3. Second battery cell transfer mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by related similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of the present application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0021] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments, and the operational steps involved in each embodiment can also be rearranged or adjusted in a manner that is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the specification and drawings are only for clearly describing a particular embodiment and do not imply that they represent the necessary components and / or order.

[0022] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages).

[0023] The terms "parallel" and "perpendicular," etc., are specific to the current technological level, not absolute mathematical definitions. Slight deviations are permissible; approximations of parallelism or perpendicularity are acceptable. For example, "A and B are parallel" means that A and B are parallel or approximately parallel, with the angle between A and B ranging from 0° to 10°. Similarly, "A and B are perpendicular" means that A and B are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular, with the angle between A and B ranging from 80° to 100°. The directional terms used in the embodiments of this application, such as "upper," "inner," "outer," and "side," are merely for reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for better and clearer explanation and understanding of the embodiments of this application, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1 This application provides a multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1, which can be applied to battery cell appearance inspection equipment. The multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1 includes a multi-moving linear component 10, a clamping mechanism 20 and a rotary drive mechanism 30.

[0025] The multi-moving linear assembly 10 includes a mounting base 11 and multiple moving parts 12 movably mounted on the mounting base 11. The multiple moving parts 12 can be two or more. Each moving part 12 can move independently relative to the mounting base 11 to change the distance between adjacent moving parts 12; that is, the mounting base 11 can be the moving track for each moving part 12. The multi-moving linear assembly 10 can, for example, be a multi-moving linear motor, with the mounting base 11 serving as the stator track of the multi-moving linear motor. Figure 1 In this system, the multi-mover linear assembly 10 employs a four-mover linear motor. The multi-mover linear motor enables a single motor system to control the independent and precise movement of multiple movers 12. Its core principle lies in the fact that the stator of the linear motor is divided into multiple independently controlled sections, each equipped with an independent winding. When a mover 12 moves to a certain section, that section is energized to generate an electromagnetic field, propelling the mover 12. Different sections can be activated simultaneously or sequentially, thus independently controlling multiple movers 12. Each mover 12 carries a permanent magnet or magnetically conductive material and can move freely on the stator track. By precisely controlling the magnetic field of each section, the system can drive each mover 12 individually, avoiding mutual interference. Besides the multi-mover linear motor, which can control the independent movement of multiple movers 12, the multi-mover linear assembly 10 can also employ a magnetically levitated multi-mover platform, a segmented conveyor belt, a pneumatic multi-mover subsystem, a flexible electronic track system, an electromagnet array drive system, a piezoelectric ceramic drive module, a voice coil motor array, etc., depending on the specific requirements of precision, load, cost, and control complexity.

[0026] The clamping mechanism 20 is used to clamp the battery cell 40 and is rotatably mounted on the mover 12. The clamping mechanism 20 can be directly mounted on the mover 12 or indirectly mounted on it. For example, the clamping mechanism 20 can be indirectly mounted on the mover 12 via a rotary drive mechanism 30. Direct mounting, for example, can be achieved by mounting the clamping mechanism 20 on the mover 12 via bearings, and then driving the clamping mechanism 20 to rotate via a motor and a gear ring. In indirect mounting, the rotary drive mechanism 30 is directly mounted on the mover 12, and the clamping mechanism 20 is directly mounted on the rotary drive mechanism 30.

[0027] There are multiple clamping mechanisms 20, with at least one clamping mechanism 20 mounted on each mover 12. For example, in one embodiment, one clamping mechanism 20 is mounted on each mover 12, and the number of clamping mechanisms 20 corresponds one-to-one with the number of movers 12. A rotary drive mechanism 30 is mounted on the mover 12 and is used to drive the clamping mechanisms 20 to rotate relative to the mover 12.

[0028] Most existing battery cell grippers are either fixed-pitch or single-pitch type. Fixed-pitch grippers cannot change the relative positions of their individual grippers, making pitch variation impossible. Single-pitch grippers, on the other hand, use a motor to drive a left- or right-hand lead screw to rotate, achieving pitch variation between two sets of battery cells, but this cannot meet the pitch variation and rotation requirements of more than two sets of battery cells.

[0029] In the multi-station rotary pitch-changing clamping mechanism 1 of this application, multiple independently moving movers 12 of the multi-moving linear component 10 can independently drive the clamping mechanism 20 to move. The clamping mechanism is used to clamp the battery cell 40. Therefore, each mover 12 can independently drive the battery cell 40 to move, realizing pitch change among multiple battery cells 40. Furthermore, since multiple rotary drive mechanisms 30 are respectively installed on each mover 12, multiple rotary drive mechanisms 30 can individually drive the corresponding clamping mechanism 20 to rotate, so that multiple sets of battery cells 40 can rotate to change pitch. Therefore, the multi-station rotary pitch-changing clamping mechanism 1 of this application can simultaneously meet the needs of multi-battery cell pitch change and rotary pitch change. By combining multi-battery cell pitch change, handling, rotation, conveying, clamping and other actions in the multi-station rotary pitch-changing clamping mechanism 1, the battery cell 40 can achieve high-speed rotation and precise and rapid transfer without leaving the workstation. Multiple products can achieve center pitch change at the same time, which greatly improves production efficiency, reduces the equipment footprint, reduces the equipment cost and reduces the cost of human maintenance. Compared to some existing mechanisms that use lead screws or connecting rods for pitch control, the multi-mover linear component 10 of the multi-station rotary pitch control mechanism 1 only requires program control of the position of each mover 12, which can arbitrarily switch the position of each mover 12. It has a fast response speed, high precision, flexible control, end position feedback, and high reliability and maintainability.

[0030] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1As shown, the mover 12 is mounted on the mounting base 11 and moves along the Y direction, meaning each mover 12 can independently reciprocate linearly along the Y direction. Specifically, the length of the mounting base 11 extends along the Y direction. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism 1 also includes a linear guide rail 50, on which the mounting base 11 is movably mounted. The linear guide rail 50 guides the mounting base 11 to move along the X direction. Specifically, the length of the linear guide rail 50 extends along the X direction to guide the mounting base 11 to reciprocate linearly along the X direction. Since the clamping mechanism 20 and the rotary drive mechanism 30 are both mounted on the multi-mover linear assembly 10, the mover 12 of the multi-mover linear assembly 10 can move along the Y direction, and the multi-mover linear assembly 10 as a whole can move along the X direction under the guidance of the linear guide rail 50. Therefore, the multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism 1 of this application can control the position of the battery cell 40 in the X and Y directions, facilitating the switching of the position of the battery cell 40. The X direction is perpendicular to the Y direction. Furthermore, the rotary drive mechanism 30 can rotate in a direction that is simultaneously perpendicular to both the X and Y directions.

[0031] Furthermore, the multi-station rotary clamping mechanism 1 also includes a linear drive mechanism 60 and multiple support members 70. Each support member 70 is provided with a linear guide rail 50. Generally, there are two or more support members 70, and each support member 70 is provided with one linear guide rail 50. The length extension direction of the support member 70 can extend along the X direction, and the linear guide rail 50 can protrude above the support member 70. The multi-actuator linear assembly 10 is slidably disposed above the linear guide rail 50. The linear drive mechanism 60 is provided with support members 70 on both sides of the Y direction. Specifically, in some embodiments, there are two support members 70, with one support member 70 on each side of the linear drive mechanism 60 in the Y direction, and the support members 70 on both sides of the linear drive mechanism 60 in the Y direction are symmetrical. The linear drive mechanism 60 is used to drive the mounting base 11 to move linearly back and forth along the X direction. The linear drive mechanism 60 can be, for example, a single-actuator linear motor, which can achieve high-precision, high-speed response spatial position handling, with a motion repeatability positioning accuracy of 0.01mm.

[0032] In some embodiments, the multi-movement linear assembly 10 may further include a base 13, with a mounting base 11 fixedly mounted on the base 13. The bottom of the base 13 has a guide portion for matching with the linear guide rail 50. One of the guide portion and the linear guide rail 50 may be a slider and the other may be a guide rail. Through the guiding cooperation between the slider and the guide rail, the linear guide rail 50 can guide the guide portion.

[0033] Since the linear drive mechanism 60 has support members 70 extending along the X direction on both sides of the Y direction, the linear drive mechanism 60 no longer directly bears the entire weight of the other components of the multi-station rotary torque clamping mechanism 1. The weight of the other components is mainly borne by the support members 70 on both sides of the linear drive mechanism 60. The linear drive mechanism 60 only needs to drive all loads to accelerate and decelerate to overcome friction and net external force, thereby reducing energy consumption and operating costs, and realizing point-to-point control of other components in the X direction.

[0034] In one embodiment, the rotary drive mechanism 30 includes a direct drive motor 31 mounted on the mover 12. The direct drive motor may be, for example, a DD motor, and a clamping mechanism is mounted on the power output end of the direct drive motor 31. Specifically, in some embodiments, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the rotary drive mechanism 30 also includes an assembly 32, which is directly fixedly mounted on the corresponding mover 12, and the direct drive motor 31 is fixedly mounted on the assembly 32.

[0035] Existing grippers with rotational functions generally use rotary cylinders or servo motors to drive hollow rotary platforms. In both cases, the precision of cylinder-based rotation control cannot be guaranteed, while hollow rotary platforms are large and heavy, cannot withstand high torque, and are affected by their own gear backlash, resulting in poor control precision. When high precision, high load, high inertia, and fast response rotation requirements are needed, neither of these two rotational structures can meet the requirements. This application uses a direct drive motor 31, which drives the gripping mechanism to rotate and complete the required position for the next workstation. It achieves brushless operation, zero backlash, high rigidity, high precision, fast response, and end-effector position feedback. Its large hollow inner diameter effectively prevents wear on the air hoses and cables mounted on the direct drive motor 31 due to rotation. Furthermore, the direct drive motor 31 achieves a repeatability of 3 arcseconds, enabling high-precision rotary positioning.

[0036] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1As shown, the multi-moving linear assembly 10 includes a first cable protector 14 and multiple second cable protectors 15. The first cable protector 14 is mounted on one side of the mounting base 11 along the Y direction, and the second cable protectors 15 are mounted on both sides of the mounting base 11 along the X direction. The first cable protector 14 is fixed to the base 13. The number of second cable protectors 15 is the same as the number of moving parts 12. One end of each second cable protector 15 is mounted on the base 13, and the other end is directly or indirectly connected to the moving part 12, for example, it can be connected to the assembly 32. The first cable protector 14 can be, for example, a bus cable chain to protect the cables of the multi-moving linear assembly 10, and the second cable protectors 15 can be branch cable chains to protect the cables of the direct drive motor 31 and the clamping mechanism 20. This arrangement not only protects the cables from tangling and damage but also allows for a reasonable and planned arrangement of the cable positions.

[0037] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the clamping mechanism 20 includes a driving member 21, a supporting member 22, a first clamping member 23, and a second clamping member 24. The supporting member 22 has a cell placement position, the upper surface of which supports the cell 40. The first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 are respectively disposed on both sides of the cell placement position. The driving member 21 drives the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 to move closer or further apart. When the driving member 21 drives the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 to move closer, the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 abut against the opposite sides of the cell 40 to clamp the cell 40. When the driving member 21 drives the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 to move further apart, the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 are spaced apart from the cell 40, so that the cell 40 is released from the clamping mechanism 20. Through the above structure, the clamping mechanism 20 can clamp and release the cell 40.

[0038] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the driving component 21 is a cylinder. The cylinder has a first mounting component 211 and a second mounting component 212 that can move in opposite directions. The cylinder is mounted on the rotary drive mechanism 30. Specifically, the cylinder can be directly or indirectly mounted on the rotary drive mechanism 30. For example, in one embodiment, the clamping mechanism 20 includes a fixing component 28, which is fixed to the direct drive motor 31, and the cylinder is mounted above the fixing component 28.

[0039] The support member 22 is fixed above the cylinder. The first mounting member 211 and the second mounting member 212 can be located on opposite sides of the support member 22, and both the first mounting member 211 and the second mounting member 212 are slidably connected to the support member 22 to ensure the stability of their movement. The first clamping member 23 is fixedly connected to the first mounting member 211, and the second clamping member 24 is fixedly connected to the second mounting member 212.

[0040] In some embodiments, the first mounting member 211 and the second mounting member 212 are provided with a plurality of holes. By adjusting the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 to connect with different holes on the first mounting member 211 and the second mounting member 212 respectively, or by replacing the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 with different sizes, the clamping mechanism 20 can be compatible with different sizes of battery cells 40 to meet the needs of rapid model changeover during the production cycle and reduce the cost of the equipment.

[0041] In some embodiments, both the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 include a limiting member 25 and an abutting member 26. The abutting member 26 is mounted on a corresponding mounting member; that is, the abutting member 26 of the first clamping member 23 is mounted on the first mounting member 211, and the abutting member 26 of the second clamping member 24 is mounted on the second mounting member 212. The abutting members 26 of the first clamping member 23 and the abutting members 26 of the second clamping member 24 are respectively connected to their corresponding mounting members through different holes to adjust the distance between them. The limiting member 25 of the first clamping member 23 is mounted on the abutting member 26 of the first clamping member 23, and the limiting member 25 of the second clamping member 24 is mounted on the abutting member 26 of the second clamping member 24. The first clamping member 23 has a first slot 251 on its limiting member 25, and the second clamping member 24 has a second slot 252 on its limiting member 25. The first slot 251 and the second slot 252 are arranged opposite to each other. When the first clamping member 23 and the second clamping member 24 are close to each other, the opposite sides of the battery cell 40 can respectively extend into the first slot 251 and the second slot 252. The first slot 251 and the second slot 252 can limit the battery cell 40 and prevent it from moving. The abutting member 26 has an abutting part 261. The abutting part 261 of the first clamping member 23 extends into the first slot 251, and the abutting part 261 of the second clamping member 24 extends into the second slot 252. The abutting part 261 is used to abut against the surface of the battery cell 40.

[0042] In one embodiment, the clamping mechanism 20 has at least a portion of its surface in contact with the battery cell 40 that is elastic. Specifically, the abutment portion 261 of the first clamping member 23 and the abutment portion 261 of the second clamping member 24 can be made of an elastic material, such as EPDM rubber, to buffer the contact with the battery cell 40 and increase the force-bearing area, preventing the clamping mechanism 20 from damaging the battery cell 40. Furthermore, the cylinder can also be equipped with a speed control valve to regulate the opening and closing of the clamping mechanism 20 to avoid impact on the battery cell 40.

[0043] In one embodiment, a sensing element 27 is provided on the first clamping member 23 and / or the second clamping member 24. The sensing element 27 is used to sense whether there is material on the battery cell placement position. The sensing element 27 can be, for example, a photoelectric sensor, an infrared sensor, etc. The sensing element 27 senses the material on the battery cell placement position and sends a signal feedback to the cylinder so that the cylinder can control the movement of the first mounting member 211 and the second mounting member 212 according to whether there is material on the battery cell placement position.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 3 This application provides a battery cell appearance inspection device. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of part of the battery cell appearance inspection equipment is shown. The battery cell appearance inspection equipment includes a first battery cell transfer mechanism (not shown) and a multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1. The first battery cell transfer mechanism can be used to grip and transfer battery cells 40 on the multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1. In addition, the battery cell appearance inspection equipment may also include an inspection module 2, which can be used to inspect the appearance of the battery cell 40. Furthermore, the battery cell appearance inspection equipment may also include a second battery cell transfer mechanism 3, which is used to grip the battery cell 40 and move the battery cell 40 to the station of the inspection module 2 and to the battery cell placement position of the multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1. The operation of the battery cell appearance inspection equipment is as follows: The second battery cell transfer mechanism 3 picks up the battery cell 40 and moves the battery cell 40 to the workstation of each inspection module 2. In order to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the entire surface of the battery cell 40, after the inspection module 2 has finished inspection, the second battery cell transfer mechanism 3 moves the battery cell 40 to the battery cell placement position of the multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1. The multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1 can drive each battery cell 40 to change pitch, move and rotate, so that each battery cell 40 can be rotated to a specified angle for subsequent inspection. After the battery cell 40 moves, changes pitch and rotates, the first battery cell transfer mechanism can pick up and transfer the battery cell 40 on the multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism 1 to the subsequent workstation.

[0045] The above examples illustrate this application only to aid understanding and are not intended to limit its scope. Those skilled in the art to which this application pertains can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the ideas presented.

Claims

1. A multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism, characterized in that, include: A multi-moving linear assembly includes a mounting base and a plurality of moving parts movably mounted on the mounting base, each of the moving parts being capable of moving independently relative to the mounting base to change the spacing between adjacent moving parts; A clamping mechanism is provided for clamping a battery cell, and the clamping mechanism is rotatably mounted on the mover; there are multiple clamping mechanisms, and at least one clamping mechanism is installed on each mover. And a rotary drive mechanism, which is mounted on the mover and is used to drive the clamping mechanism to rotate relative to the mover.

2. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The moving element is mounted on the mounting base along the Y direction. The multi-station rotary variable pitch clamping mechanism also includes a linear guide rail. The mounting base is movably assembled on the linear guide rail, which guides the mounting base to move along the X direction.

3. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a linear drive mechanism and multiple support members, each of which is provided with a linear guide rail. The linear drive mechanism is provided with the support members on both sides in the Y direction. The linear drive mechanism is used to drive the mounting base to move linearly back and forth in the X direction.

4. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary drive mechanism includes a direct drive motor mounted on the mover, and the clamping mechanism is mounted on the power output end of the direct drive motor.

5. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-moving linear assembly includes a first cable protection component and a plurality of second cable protection components. The first cable protection component is assembled on one side of the mounting base along the Y direction, and the second cable protection components are assembled on both sides of the mounting base along the X direction.

6. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism includes a driving member, a supporting member, a first clamping member, and a second clamping member. The supporting member has a cell placement position for supporting the cell. The first clamping member and the second clamping member are respectively disposed on both sides of the cell placement position. The driving member is used to drive the first clamping member and the second clamping member to move closer or further away from each other.

7. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that, The driving component is a cylinder, which has a first mounting component and a second mounting component capable of moving in opposite directions. The cylinder is mounted on the rotary driving mechanism, and the supporting component is fixed to the cylinder. The first clamping component is fixedly connected to the first mounting component, and the second clamping component is fixedly connected to the second mounting component.

8. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first clamping member and / or the second clamping member are provided with a sensing element, which is used to sense whether there is material on the battery cell placement position.

9. The multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The clamping mechanism is designed so that at least a portion of the surface in contact with the battery cell is elastic.

10. A battery cell appearance inspection device, characterized in that, It includes a first cell transfer mechanism and a multi-station rotary variable-pitch clamping mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the first cell transfer mechanism is used to grip and transfer the cell on the clamping mechanism.

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