An automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system

Abstract

This utility model discloses an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system, including a robot and a material roll storage cabinet. The robot includes a traveling trolley and a robotic arm. The end of the robotic arm is equipped with a gripper and a camera. A material roll placement position is located on the top of the trolley, and a column is installed at the placement position. The material roll storage cabinet has two or more positioning columns inside. An electric door is installed on one side of the material roll storage cabinet. A reference block is provided on the inner wall of the material roll storage cabinet opposite the electric door. Outside the side of the material roll storage cabinet with the electric door, there are also a robot camera position and a robot material handling position, located on the robot's traveling path. This utility model's automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system, through the arrangement of the robot and the material roll storage cabinet, enables the robot to replace manual labor for automatic material handling, laying the foundation for an intelligent material roll supply system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of material roll supply systems, and in particular to an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system. Background Technology

[0002] In the battery manufacturing industry, battery separator paper is a key material whose core function is to physically isolate the positive and negative electrodes of the battery, effectively preventing direct contact between the two electrodes that could lead to a short circuit, thereby ensuring the battery's safety and electrochemical performance. In the production process of alkaline batteries, battery separator paper is typically stored and supplied in reels and installed on battery production equipment through a material roll supply system for use.

[0003] In existing alkaline battery production processes, the replacement of separator paper reels after the supply system runs out relies primarily on manual labor. Specifically, workers must manually retrieve materials from the storage cabinet based on the production situation and equipment requirements, and then manually install new separator paper reels onto the battery production equipment to ensure production continuity. However, this traditional manual method has several drawbacks.

[0004] First, manually changing the release liner rolls requires staff to be on-site in advance to ensure timely replacement when the release liner runs out. This not only increases labor costs but may also lead to production interruptions due to delayed response or poor on-site coordination, thus reducing production efficiency. Second, due to varying levels of staff proficiency, inexperienced operators may prolong the material changeover time, thereby affecting equipment uptime and overall production progress.

[0005] Furthermore, during the material handling and replacement processes, workers' hands come into direct contact with the separator paper, which may contaminate it. The cleanliness of the separator paper is crucial to battery performance. Contaminated separator paper may introduce impurities, affecting the internal chemical reaction environment of the battery, leading to decreased battery performance and even safety hazards. For example, it may cause micro-short circuits inside the battery or accelerate the corrosion of electrode materials, thereby shortening the battery's lifespan and reducing its reliability and consistency.

[0006] Currently, to avoid the aforementioned problems, improve production efficiency and product quality, and reduce labor costs and production risks, there is an urgent need to develop an intelligent supply system capable of automatic roll changing and splicing. One of the key technical challenges in developing this intelligent supply system is how to achieve efficient, accurate, and reliable automatic material handling. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system.

[0008] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of this utility model is: an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system, comprising a robot and a material roll storage cabinet. The robot includes a traveling trolley and a robotic arm. The traveling trolley includes a body and wheels mounted on the bottom of the body. The robotic arm is mounted on the body, and a gripper and a camera are mounted at the end of the robotic arm. A material roll placement position is provided on the top of the body, and a column is installed on the material roll placement position. The center hole of the material roll placed on the material roll placement position passes through the column. The height of the column is D1, and the distance from the upper surface of the material roll at the material roll placement position to the upper surface of the body is D2. The relationship between D1 and D2 satisfies D1. <D2;

[0009] The material roll storage cabinet has two or more positioning posts erected inside. The two or more positioning posts are spaced apart and have a material roll storage position on one side. The material rolls stored in the material roll storage position are tangent to all the positioning posts. An electric door is installed on one side of the material roll storage cabinet. A reference block is provided on the inner wall of the material roll storage cabinet opposite the electric door. Outside the side of the material roll storage cabinet with the electric door, there are also a robot shooting position and a robot picking position. The robot shooting position and the robot picking position are located on the robot's walking path. The distance between the robot shooting position and the material roll storage cabinet is D3, and the distance between the robot picking position and the material roll storage cabinet is D4. The relationship between D3 and D4 is D3>D4.

[0010] Furthermore, the robotic arm is a six-axis robotic arm. The robotic arm can be a three-axis, four-axis, five-axis, six-axis, or seven-axis collaborative robotic arm. Compared with others, the six-axis collaborative robotic arm has high flexibility, can realize movements in all directions and angles, and is also less expensive than the seven-axis one.

[0011] Furthermore, the gripper is an electric gripper or a pneumatic gripper.

[0012] Furthermore, the gripper includes a gripper base and two pawls. The gripper base is mounted on the robotic arm, and a linear guide rail is provided on the gripper base. The roots of the two pawls are slidably mounted on the linear guide rail. During operation, the two pawls move linearly along the linear guide rail to achieve opening and closing. The two pawls can be hinged, achieving scissor-like opening and closing through swinging; the two pawls can also be mounted on the linear guide rail and move linearly to achieve opening and closing. Compared to the former, the latter, with the limitation of the linear guide rail, makes the opening and closing of the two pawls more stable and reliable.

[0013] Furthermore, the linear guide rails are arranged in parallel, and the two pawls are installed in a one-to-one correspondence with the two linear guide rails. The number of linear guide rails can be one or two. When there is only one linear guide rail, and the two pawls are located on the same linear guide rail, the stroke of a single pawl is short due to the influence of the stroke of the other pawl, requiring a high-precision pawl structure to close the two pawls. However, when there are two linear guide rails, and the two pawls are installed in a one-to-one correspondence with the two linear guide rails, the stroke of each pawl on its corresponding linear guide rail is large, and the strokes of the pawls do not affect each other. Regardless of the structure of the two opposing pawls, closure can be easily achieved by controlling the stroke.

[0014] Furthermore, the opposing portions of the two pawls form a clamping part, and an anti-slip pad is provided on the clamping part of the pawls. During the process of material roll replacement and reconnection, there are not only actions of picking up and installing the material roll, but also actions of clamping the tape released from the material roll on the rotating shaft and threading the tape. With the anti-slip pad provided, the friction of the anti-slip pad is greater, making it easier to pick up and install the tape released from the material roll. The pawls of this invention can not only clamp the material roll to pick up or install the material roll, but also clamp the tape and thread it. In this way, the robot's functions are more powerful, and one machine can complete the operations of picking up, replacing, and threading paper.

[0015] Furthermore, the camera is a binocular camera. Compared to a monocular camera, a binocular camera has higher image acquisition accuracy.

[0016] Furthermore, the relationship between D1 and D2 satisfies D2-D1>2cm. This setting ensures that there is a large space above the central hole of the material roll passing through the column at the material roll placement position, so that the pawl can extend into the central hole of the material roll and grab the material roll after opening.

[0017] Furthermore, the number of positioning posts is three, and the three positioning posts are equidistantly arranged on one side of the material roll storage position. The number of positioning posts can be two, three, four, or even more. When the number of positioning posts is three, it can reliably limit the movement while keeping the number of positioning posts relatively small.

[0018] Furthermore, the robot's camera position and the robot's material handling position are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the electric gate.

[0019] This utility model relates to an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system. Firstly, by equipping the robot with wheels for mobility, a robotic arm, grippers, and a camera are mounted on the trolley, enabling it to freely grasp and perceive. Secondly, a material roll placement position is provided on the top of the trolley, where a column is installed to position the material roll, allowing it to be moved and placed securely. This provides the function of placing material rolls. The robot, possessing mobility, free grasping, vision, and a material roll placement position, can intelligently move and grasp material rolls based on its vision. On the other hand, combined with the material roll storage cabinet, the positioning posts are used to position the material rolls, allowing them to be neatly stacked and stored in the cabinet. A reference block is then placed on the inner wall of the cabinet. A robot shooting position and a robot picking position are located on one side of the cabinet, allowing the robot to move to these positions to photograph the material rolls and the reference block stored in the cabinet. This determines the size of the material rolls within the cabinet and calibrates and centers the gripper position, thus determining the relative position of the material rolls and the gripper. This facilitates the robotic arm's movement. The gripper extends into the center hole of the material roll, picks it up, and places it at the material roll placement position on the top of the vehicle, completing the material retrieval. This utility model's automatic material retrieval device for a material roll supply system, through the robot and the material roll storage cabinet, enables the robot to replace manual labor for automatic material retrieval, laying the foundation for an intelligent material roll supply system. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a top view of the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robot of the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper of the robot in the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the material roll placed at the material roll placement position in the robot of the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 6This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the material roll storage cabinet of the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a front view structural diagram of the material roll storage cabinet of the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The preferred embodiment of the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0028] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system includes a robot 1 and a material roll storage cabinet 2. The robot 1 includes a traveling trolley 11 and a robotic arm 12. The traveling trolley 11 includes a body 111 and wheels 112 mounted on the bottom of the body 111. The robotic arm 12 is mounted on the body 111, and a gripper 13 and a camera 14 are mounted at the end of the robotic arm 12. A material roll placement position 15 is provided on the top of the body 111, and a column 16 is mounted on the material roll placement position 15. The center hole 101 of the material roll 10 placed on the material roll placement position 15 passes through the column 16. The height of the column 16 is D1, and the distance from the upper surface of the material roll 10 on the material roll placement position 15 to the upper surface of the body 111 is D2. The relationship between D1 and D2 satisfies D1 = D2. <D2;

[0029] The material roll storage cabinet 2 has two or more positioning posts 21 standing inside. The two or more positioning posts 21 are spaced apart and have a material roll storage position 22 on one side. The material roll 10 stored in the material roll storage position 22 is tangent to all the positioning posts 21. An electric door 23 is installed on one side of the material roll storage cabinet 2. A reference block 24 is provided on the inner wall of the material roll storage cabinet 2 opposite to the electric door 23. Outside the side of the material roll storage cabinet 2 with the electric door 23, there is also a robot shooting position 25 and a robot picking position 26. The robot shooting position 25 and the robot picking position 26 are located on the walking path of the robot 1. The distance between the robot shooting position 25 and the material roll storage cabinet 2 is D3, and the distance between the robot picking position 26 and the material roll storage cabinet 2 is D4. The relationship between D3 and D4 is D3>D4.

[0030] This utility model relates to an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system. The robot 1 is used to automatically handle material rolls. The robot 1 includes a trolley 11 equipped with wheels 112, which is capable of movement. A robotic arm 12 is mounted on the top of the trolley 111 and is freely extendable. A gripper 13 and a camera 14 are mounted at the end of the robotic arm 12. The gripper 13 is used for gripping materials and related operations; the camera 14 is used to acquire image information, acting as the robot's "eyes" to provide visual information so that the trolley 11 can move accordingly, the robotic arm 12 can perform corresponding actions, and the gripper 13 can open and close accordingly. A material roll placement position 15 is provided on the top of the trolley 111 for placing material rolls 10, and a column 16 mounted on the material roll placement position 15 is used to position the placed material rolls 10. The height of the column 16 is less than the distance between the upper surface of the material roll 10 and the upper surface of the vehicle body 111. The upper part of the central hole 101 of the material roll 10 is not filled by the column 16. There is space at the top of the central hole 101 of the material roll 10. The space provides the operating conditions for the two pawls 132 to extend into the central hole 101 of the material roll 10 to grab the material roll 10.

[0031] This utility model relates to an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system. The material roll storage cabinet 2 is used to store material rolls. In the material roll storage cabinet 2, the positioning post 21 limits the position of the material rolls 10 stored in the material roll storage position 22, ensuring that the material rolls 10 stored in the material roll storage position 22 are neatly stacked. The electric door 23 can automatically open and close. The reference block 24 serves as a calibration object; by aligning the reference block 24 with the calibration object and taking a picture, the position of the robotic arm 12 and its gripper 13 is determined, thereby calibrating and centering the position of the gripper 13. The robot shooting position 25 and the robot material handling position 26 are the operating positions for the robot to automatically handle materials.

[0032] This utility model relates to an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system. Material rolls 10 are stacked and stored in the material roll storage position 22 of the material roll storage cabinet 2, contacting and tangential to all the positioning posts 21. During material handling, the electric door 23 opens, and the trolley 11 of the robot 1 moves to the robot camera position 25. The camera 14 photographs the material rolls stored in the material roll storage cabinet 2 to determine the height position of the material rolls within the cabinet 2. Then, the trolley 11 moves to the robot picking position 26, and the camera 14 photographs the reference block 24 to determine the position of the robotic arm 12 and its gripper 13, and uses this to determine the position of the gripper 13. After calibration and alignment, the robotic arm 12 moves to the material roll, and the gripper 13 extends into the center hole 101 of the material roll 10. After opening, it picks up the material roll and places it at the material roll placement position 15 on the top of the vehicle body 111. The center hole 101 of the material roll 10 placed at the material roll placement position 15 passes through the column 16 and is positioned by the column 16. Then, the gripper 13 releases and exits, the electric door 23 closes, and the traveling trolley 11 moves away, completing the material retrieval.

[0033] This utility model relates to an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system. Firstly, by equipping the robot 1 with wheels 112 for mobility, a robotic arm 12, grippers 13, and a camera 14 are mounted on the trolley 11, enabling it to freely grasp and perform visual operations. Secondly, a material roll placement position 15 is located on the top of the trolley 111, with a column 16 mounted on it to position the material roll, allowing it to be moved and placed securely in the placement position 15. This provides the function of placing material rolls. The robot 1, possessing mobility, free grasping, visual, and material roll placement capabilities, can intelligently move and grasp material rolls based on its visual function. On the other hand, combined with the setting of the material roll storage cabinet 2, the positioning column 21 is used to position the material roll, so that the material roll can be neatly stacked and stored in the material roll storage cabinet 2. The reference block 24 is set on the inner wall of the material roll storage cabinet 2. The robot shooting position 25 and the robot picking position 26 are set on one side of the material roll storage cabinet 2, so that the robot 1 can walk to the robot shooting position 25 and the robot picking position 26 to take pictures of the material rolls stored in the material roll storage cabinet 2 and the reference block 24, respectively, to determine the size of the material rolls in the material roll storage cabinet 2 and to calibrate and center the position of the gripper 13, so as to determine the relative position of the material rolls in the material roll storage cabinet 2 and the gripper 13, which facilitates the operation of the robotic arm 12. The gripper 13 extends into the center hole 101 of the material roll 10, picks up the material roll, and places it at the material roll placement position 15 on the top of the vehicle body 111 to complete the material picking. The automatic material handling device of this utility model material roll supply system, through the setting of the robot 1 and the material roll storage cabinet 2, enables the robot 1 to replace manual labor to automatically handle materials, laying the foundation for an intelligent material roll supply system.

[0034] This utility model relates to an automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system. Two working positions, a robot shooting position 25 and a robot material handling position 26, are located at different distances on one side of the material roll storage cabinet 2. This arrangement of the two working positions allows for convenient fulfillment of different operational needs. For example, when shooting a large material roll to determine its height, the shot can be taken from the farther robot shooting position 25, which provides a wider field of view and allows for capturing the entire large material roll. Conversely, when handling material, due to the limited length of the robotic arm 12, the material can be handled from the closer robot material handling position 26.

[0035] In this utility model, the automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system preferably includes a six-axis robotic arm 12. The robotic arm 12 can be a three-axis, four-axis, five-axis, six-axis, or seven-axis collaborative robotic arm. Compared to others, the six-axis collaborative robotic arm offers higher flexibility, enabling directional and angular movements, and is also less expensive than the seven-axis type.

[0036] In the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model, preferably, the gripper 13 is an electric gripper or a pneumatic gripper.

[0037] The automatic material handling device of this utility model material roll supply system preferably includes a gripper 13 comprising a gripper base 131 and two pawls 132. The gripper base 131 is mounted on the robotic arm 2, and a linear guide rail 1311 is provided on the gripper base 131. The roots 1321 of the two pawls 132 are slidably mounted on the linear guide rail 1311. During operation, the two pawls 132 move linearly along the linear guide rail 1311 to open and close. The two pawls 132 can be hinged, and scissor-like opening and closing can be achieved by swinging; alternatively, the two pawls 132 can be mounted on the linear guide rail 1311 and move linearly to open and close. Compared to the former, the latter, with the limitation of the linear guide rail 1311, makes the opening and closing of the two pawls 132 more stable and reliable.

[0038] In this utility model, the automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system preferably includes two linear guide rails 1311 arranged in parallel, with two pawls 132 corresponding to each of the two linear guide rails 1311. The number of linear guide rails 1311 can be one or two. When there is only one linear guide rail 1311, and two pawls 132 are located on the same linear guide rail 1311, the stroke of a single pawl 132 is short due to the influence of the stroke of the other pawl 132. Therefore, the structure of the pawls 132 requires high precision to allow both pawls 132 to close. The linear guide rails 1311 are of two types, and when the two pawls 132 are installed in a one-to-one correspondence with the two linear guide rails 1311, the stroke of each pawl 132 on the corresponding linear guide rail 1311 is large. The strokes of the pawls 132 do not affect each other. In any structure of the two opposing pawls 132, closure can be easily achieved by controlling the stroke.

[0039] In this utility model, the automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system preferably has a clamping portion 1322 where the two opposing pawls 132 face each other. The clamping portion 1322 of the pawls 132 is provided with an anti-slip pad 1323. During the material roll replacement and reconnection process, in addition to the actions of picking up and installing the material roll, there is also the action of clamping the tape released from the material roll on the rotating shaft and threading the tape. With the anti-slip pad 1323 provided, the friction of the anti-slip pad 1323 is increased, making it easier to clamp the tape released from the material roll. The pawls 132 of this utility model can not only clamp the material roll to pick up or install the material roll, but also clamp the tape and thread it. This makes the robot more powerful, allowing one machine to complete the operations of picking up, replacing, and threading paper.

[0040] In this utility model's automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system, preferably, the camera 14 is a binocular camera. Compared to a monocular camera, a binocular camera offers higher image acquisition accuracy.

[0041] In this utility model, the automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system preferably has a relationship between D1 and D2 such that D2-D1>2cm. This arrangement ensures that there is a large space above the central hole of the material roll 10 passing through the column 16 on the material roll placement position 15, so that the pawl 132 can extend into the central hole of the material roll 10 and grab the material roll 10 after opening.

[0042] In this utility model's automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system, preferably, the number of positioning posts 21 is three, and the three positioning posts 21 are equidistantly arranged on one side of the material roll storage position 22. The number of positioning posts 21 can be two, three, four, or even more. Having three positioning posts 21 provides reliable positioning while also keeping the number of positioning posts relatively small.

[0043] In the automatic material handling device of the material roll supply system of this utility model, preferably, the robot shooting position 25 and the robot material handling position 26 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the electric door 23.

[0044] For those skilled in the art to which this utility model pertains, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of this utility model, and all such deductions or substitutions should be considered to fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. An automatic material handling device for a material roll supply system, characterized in that: The system includes a robot and a stock storage cabinet. The robot comprises a trolley and a robotic arm. The trolley includes a body and wheels mounted on its bottom. The robotic arm is mounted on the body and has a gripper and a camera at its end. A stock placement area is located on the top of the body, and a column is mounted on this area. The center hole of the stock placed in the placement area passes through the column. The height of the column is D1. The distance from the upper surface of the stock in the placement area to the upper surface of the body is D2. The relationship between D1 and D2 satisfies D1. <D2; The material roll storage cabinet has two or more positioning posts erected inside. The two or more positioning posts are spaced apart and have a material roll storage position on one side. The material rolls stored in the material roll storage position are tangent to all the positioning posts. An electric door is installed on one side of the material roll storage cabinet. A reference block is provided on the inner wall of the material roll storage cabinet opposite the electric door. Outside the side of the material roll storage cabinet with the electric door, there are also a robot shooting position and a robot picking position. The robot shooting position and the robot picking position are located on the robot's walking path. The distance between the robot shooting position and the material roll storage cabinet is D3, and the distance between the robot picking position and the material roll storage cabinet is D4. The relationship between D3 and D4 is D3>D4.

2. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm is a six-axis robotic arm.

3. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper is an electric gripper or a pneumatic gripper.

4. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper includes a gripper base and two pawls. The gripper base is mounted on the robotic arm and has a linear guide rail. The roots of the two pawls are slidably mounted on the linear guide rail.

5. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The linear guide rails are of two types, arranged in parallel, and the two pawls are installed in a one-to-one correspondence with the two linear guide rails.

6. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The opposing portions of the two pawls form a clamping portion, and an anti-slip pad is provided on the clamping portion of the pawls.

7. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera is a binocular camera.

8. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The relationship between D1 and D2 satisfies D2-D1>2cm.

9. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of positioning posts is three, and the three positioning posts are equidistantly distributed on one side of the material roll storage position.

10. The automatic material handling device for the material roll supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot's camera position and the robot's material handling position are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the electric gate.

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