A pick-and-place mechanism and transfer device

Abstract

The application relates to a material taking and placing mechanism and a transfer device. The material taking and placing mechanism comprises a lifting module, a driving slide, a driven slide, a floating driving element and a pickup assembly. The lifting module comprises a lifting slide rail and a lifting driving element. The driving slide is slidably connected to the lifting slide rail and connected to the driving end of the lifting driving element. The driven slide is slidably connected to the lifting slide rail. The floating driving element is connected between the driving slide and the driven slide and used for driving the driven slide to approach or move away from the driving slide along the lifting slide rail. The pickup assembly is installed on the driven slide. Thus, the floating function is realized by using the floating driving element and the driven slide. The driving slide and the driven slide are both installed on the lifting slide rail, and no additional floating slide rail is needed. On the one hand, the structure of the material taking and placing mechanism is simplified, the load of the lifting driving element is reduced, the manufacturing cost and the operation cost of the material taking and placing mechanism are reduced; on the other hand, the number of slide rails is reduced, the assembly and debugging difficulty is reduced, and the risk of floating jamming or even floating failure is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery manufacturing equipment technology, specifically to a material handling mechanism and a transfer device. Background Technology

[0002] In battery manufacturing, robotic arms are used to handle batteries. However, these arms can easily damage batteries during handling. Therefore, a flexible floating structure is needed on the robotic arm to allow it to float upwards when the battery is compressed, preventing damage. However, existing robotic arms with floating structures are complex, leading to increased weight and lifting load, thus increasing equipment and operating costs. Furthermore, they are more difficult to assemble and debug, and prone to jamming or even failure. Utility Model Content

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a material handling mechanism and transfer device that can simplify the structure, reduce weight, and reduce assembly and debugging difficulty to address the above problems.

[0004] A material handling mechanism, comprising:

[0005] The lifting module includes a lifting slide rail and a lifting drive component;

[0006] An active slide block is slidably connected to the lifting slide rail and connected to the drive end of the lifting drive component;

[0007] The driven slide is slidably connected to the lifting slide rail;

[0008] A floating drive element, connected between the active slide and the driven slide, is used to drive the driven slide to move closer to or away from the active slide along the lifting rail; and

[0009] The pickup component is mounted on the driven slide.

[0010] In some embodiments, the material handling mechanism further includes a limiting member, which is fixedly connected to one of the active slide and the driven slide, and movably connected to the other of the driven slide and the active slide.

[0011] In some embodiments, the limiting member is fixedly connected to one of the active slide and the driven slide, and the limiting member has a limiting groove in which a portion of the other of the active slide and the driven slide is located.

[0012] In some embodiments, the floating drive is a floating cylinder, which is mounted on the active slide and the drive end of the floating cylinder is connected to the driven slide.

[0013] In some embodiments, the air vent of the floating cylinder is connected to an external air supply line through an air vent pipe, and the material handling mechanism further includes a proportional valve connected to the air vent pipe.

[0014] In some embodiments, the driven slide is arranged below the active slide.

[0015] In some embodiments, the lifting module further includes a mounting base, a lead screw, and a lead screw nut. The lifting slide rail is mounted on the mounting base, the lead screw is rotatably connected to the mounting base, and the driving end of the lifting drive component is connected to the lead screw. The lead screw nut is threaded onto the lead screw and is fixedly connected to the active slide.

[0016] In some embodiments, two lifting slides are provided, which are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart, and the lead screw is located between the two lifting slides.

[0017] In some embodiments, the picking component includes a fixed frame and a plurality of picking components, the fixed frame being fixedly connected to the driven slide, and each of the picking components being disposed on the fixed frame.

[0018] A transfer device includes the material handling mechanism as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0019] In the aforementioned material handling mechanism and transfer device, during material handling or unloading, the lifting drive component drives the active slide to move downwards along the lifting rail, thereby causing the floating drive component, the driven slide, and the pickup assembly to move downwards together along the lifting rail. If the pickup assembly encounters resistance during descent, the floating drive component drives the driven slide to float upwards along the lifting rail to prevent the pickup assembly from damaging the product. At this time, the lifting drive component stops driving the active slide to continue descending along the lifting rail, and the floating drive component stops driving the driven slide and the pickup assembly to continue floating upwards.

[0020] In this way, the floating function is achieved by using a floating drive component and a driven slide, and both the active and driven slides are installed on the lifting slide rail, eliminating the need for additional floating slide rails. On the one hand, this simplifies the structure of the picking and placing mechanism, reduces the number of parts, and lightens the weight of the picking and placing mechanism, thereby reducing the load on the lifting drive component and helping to reduce the manufacturing and operating costs of the picking and placing mechanism. On the other hand, the reduction in the number of slide rails reduces the difficulty of assembly and debugging, greatly reducing the risk of floating jamming or even floating failure. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the material handling mechanism in one embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the lifting module of the material handling mechanism.

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The enlarged view of the material handling mechanism at point A is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0027] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0029] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0030] Please see Figures 1 to 3 This application provides a material handling mechanism, including a lifting module 10, an active slide 20, a driven slide 30, a floating drive component 40, and a pickup assembly 50. The lifting module 10 includes a lifting slide rail 12 (see...). Figure 2 The active slide 20 is slidably connected to the lifting slide rail 12 and connected to the driving end of the lifting drive 13, so that the lifting drive 13 can drive the active slide 20 to move up and down along the lifting slide rail 12. The driven slide 30 is also slidably connected to the lifting slide rail 12. Preferably, the driven slide 30 is located below the active slide 20. The floating drive 40 is connected between the active slide 20 and the driven slide 30. On the one hand, the floating drive 40 connects the active slide 20 and the driven slide 30 into a whole, so that the active slide 20 can drive the floating drive 40 and the driven slide 30 to move up and down along the lifting slide rail 12 together; on the other hand, the floating drive 40 can drive the driven slide 30 to move closer to or away from the active slide 20 along the lifting slide rail 12. The pickup component 50 is installed on the driven slide 30, so that the pickup component 50 can rise or fall along the lifting slide rail 12 together with the driven slide 30. The pickup component 50 is used to pick up or release a product. In some embodiments, the product may be a battery or an intermediate product in the battery manufacturing process. Of course, in other embodiments, the product may also be other types of materials, which are not limited here.

[0031] In the aforementioned material handling mechanism, during material handling or unloading, the lifting drive 13 drives the active slide 20 to move downwards along the lifting rail 12, thereby causing the floating drive 40, the driven slide 30, and the pickup component 50 to move downwards together along the lifting rail 12. If the pickup component 50 encounters obstruction during descent, the floating drive 40 drives the driven slide 30 to float upwards along the lifting rail 12 to prevent the pickup component 50 from damaging the product. At this time, the lifting drive 13 stops driving the active slide 20 to continue descending along the lifting rail 12, and the floating drive 40 stops driving the driven slide 30 and the pickup component 50 to continue floating upwards.

[0032] Thus, the floating function is achieved by using the floating drive component 40 and the driven slide 30. Both the active slide 20 and the driven slide 30 are installed on the lifting slide rail 12, eliminating the need for additional floating slide rails. This simplifies the structure of the picking and placing mechanism, reduces the number of parts, and lightens the weight of the picking and placing mechanism, thereby reducing the load on the lifting drive component 13 and helping to reduce the manufacturing and operating costs of the picking and placing mechanism. On the other hand, the reduced number of slide rails makes assembly and debugging easier, greatly reducing the risk of floating jamming or even floating failure.

[0033] In the embodiments of this application, the lifting module 10 further includes a mounting base 11, a lead screw 14, and a lead screw nut 15. A lifting slide rail 12 is mounted on the mounting base 11, and the lead screw 14 is rotatably connected to the mounting base 11 about its own axis. A lifting drive component 13 is also mounted on the mounting base 11, and the drive end of the lifting drive component 13 is connected to the lead screw 14, enabling the lifting drive component 13 to drive the lead screw 14 to rotate about its own axis. The lead screw nut 15 is threadedly connected to the lead screw 14, so that when the lead screw 14 rotates, it can drive the lead screw nut 15 to rise or fall along the lead screw 14. The lead screw nut 15 is fixedly connected to the active slide block 20, thereby enabling the lead screw nut 15 to drive the active slide block 20 to rise or fall together along the lifting slide rail 12. Thus, when material needs to be picked up or placed, the lifting drive 13 drives the lead screw 14 to rotate, thereby driving the lead screw nut 15 to rise or fall. The lead screw nut 15 then drives the active slide 20 to rise or fall, and the active slide 20 then drives the floating drive 40, the driven slide 30, and the pickup assembly 50 to rise or fall together along the lifting slide rail 12. Optionally, the lifting drive 13 can be a motor.

[0034] Furthermore, two lifting slide rails 12 are provided, both of which are mounted on the mounting base 11. The two lifting slide rails 12 are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart, with the lead screw 14 located between them. The driving slide 20 is slidably connected to the two lifting slide rails 12 and fixedly connected to the lead screw nut 15. The driven slide 30 is slidably connected to the two lifting slide rails 12. This improves the guiding effect on the driving slide 20 and the driven slide 30, preventing vibration or positional misalignment of the driving slide 20 and the driven slide 30.

[0035] It is understandable that both lifting slide rails 12 extend longitudinally along the direction of gravity, and the length direction of the lead screw 14 is also parallel to the direction of gravity. One lifting slide rail 12, the lead screw 14, and the other lifting slide rail 12 are arranged alternately along a horizontal direction.

[0036] In some embodiments, the lifting drive member 13 may be arranged above the lead screw 14, and the driving end of the lifting drive member 13 may be connected to the top end of the lead screw 14, thereby enabling the lifting drive member 13 to drive the lead screw 14 to rotate. In other embodiments, the lifting drive member 13 may also be arranged below the lead screw 14, and the driving end of the lifting drive member 13 may be connected to the bottom end of the lead screw 14, thereby enabling the lifting drive member 13 to drive the lead screw 14 to rotate about its own axis.

[0037] In the embodiments of this application, the material handling mechanism further includes a limiting member 60, which is fixedly connected to the active slide 20 and movably connected to the driven slide 30. That is, the limiting member 60 can rise and fall together with the active slide 20, and the driven slide 30 can float relative to the limiting member 60 to a certain extent. Thus, the limiting member 60 limits the maximum amplitude of the driven slide 30's float relative to the active slide 20, preventing the driven slide 30 from colliding with the active slide 20 due to excessive float amplitude.

[0038] It should be noted that the installation method of the limiting member 60 is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the limiting member 60 may be fixedly connected to the driven slide 30 and movably connected to the active slide 20, as long as it can limit the maximum range of the floating of the driven slide 30 relative to the active slide 20, which is not limited here.

[0039] In a specific embodiment, one end of the limiting member 60 is fixedly connected to the active slide 20, and the limiting member 60 has a limiting groove 61. Part of the driven slide 30 is located within the limiting groove 61 of the limiting member 60, so that the driven slide 30 can only float relative to the limiting member 60 within the range of the limiting groove 61, thereby limiting the maximum floating range of the driven slide 30.

[0040] Furthermore, two limiting members 60 are provided, respectively arranged on opposite sides of the driving slide 20 and the driven slide 30. Both limiting members 60 are fixedly connected to the driving slide 20, and the opposite sides of the driven slide 30 are respectively located within the limiting grooves 61 of the two limiting members 60. In this way, using two limiting members 60 to simultaneously limit the driven slide 30 helps to improve the limiting effect and avoid adverse phenomena such as deformation of the driven slide 30 due to uneven force.

[0041] It should be noted that the installation method of the limiting member 60 is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the limiting member 60 may be fixedly connected to the driven slide 30, and part of the driving slide 20 may be located in the limiting groove 61 of the limiting member 60. As long as the maximum amplitude of the floating of the driven slide 30 relative to the driving slide 20 can be limited, no limitation is made here.

[0042] It should also be noted that the limiting member 60 is not limited to using the limiting groove 61 to limit the driven slide 30. In other embodiments, the limiting member 60 can also be a limiting screw, which is used to limit the driven slide 30. For example, the limiting screw can be inserted into the through hole on the driven slide 30 and threaded to the driving slide 20, as long as the maximum amplitude of the floating of the driven slide 30 can be limited, which is not limited here.

[0043] In the embodiments of this application, the floating drive 40 may be a floating cylinder. The floating cylinder is mounted on the active slide 20, and the drive end of the floating cylinder is connected to the driven slide 30, so that when the drive end of the floating cylinder extends or retracts, it can drive the driven slide 30 to float relative to the active slide 20 in the direction of gravity.

[0044] Furthermore, the vent of the floating cylinder is connected to an external air supply line via a vent pipe, allowing compressed gas supplied by the external air supply line to enter the floating cylinder through the vent pipe and the vent. The material handling mechanism also includes a proportional valve 70, which is installed on the vent pipe. This proportional valve 70 allows control of the air pressure inside the floating cylinder, thereby controlling the magnitude of the pulling force applied by the floating cylinder to the driven slide 30.

[0045] In the embodiments of this application, the picking component 50 includes a fixed frame 51 and a plurality of picking components 53. The fixed frame 51 is fixedly connected to the driven slide 30, so that the fixed frame 51 can rise and fall together with the driven slide 30. Each picking component 53 is disposed on the fixed frame 51, so that each picking component 53 can rise and fall together with the fixed frame 51. In this way, each picking component 53 can pick up one product, so that multiple products can be picked up or placed in each rise and fall, greatly improving the efficiency of picking and placing materials.

[0046] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the picking component 53 may be a gripper capable of holding or releasing the product. In other embodiments, the picking component 53 may also be a vacuum suction cup capable of picking up or releasing the product; any device capable of picking up or releasing the product is acceptable and is not limited thereto.

[0047] The working process of the material handling mechanism is explained below:

[0048] During material handling, the lifting drive 13 drives the lead screw 14 to rotate forward, causing the lead screw nut 15 to drive the active slide 20, floating drive 40, driven slide 30, and pickup assembly 50 to descend together. As the pickup assembly 50 descends, the proportional valve 70 is adjusted to ensure that the pulling force applied by the floating cylinder to the driven slide 30 is a first preset value, which can be 90% of the weight of the driven slide 30 and pickup assembly 50. At this time, the driven slide 30 and pickup assembly 50 achieve force balance under the combined action of their own weight, the upward pulling force provided by the floating cylinder, and the upward pulling force provided by the limiting member 60. If the descent of the pickup component 50 is obstructed, and the upward resistance experienced by the pickup component 50 is greater than 10% of the weight of the driven slide 30 and the pickup component 50 itself, the force balance between the pickup component 50 and the driven slide 30 is broken. That is, the upward force experienced by the pickup component 50 and the driven slide 30 is greater than their own weight, thereby driving the pickup component 50 and the driven slide 30 to float upward, avoiding crushing the product below. At this time, the lifting drive component 13 stops driving the lead screw 14 to rotate, causing the active slide 20, the floating cylinder, the driven slide 30, and the pickup component 50 to stop descending. At this time, the pickup component 50 picks up the product, and the lifting drive component 13 drives the lead screw 14 to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby causing the lead screw nut 15 to drive the active slide 20, the floating cylinder, the driven slide 30, the pickup component 50, and the product on the pickup component 50 to move upward together, thus realizing material picking.

[0049] During material unloading, the lifting drive 13 drives the lead screw 14 to rotate forward, causing the lead screw nut 15 to move the active slide 20, floating cylinder, driven slide 30, pickup assembly 50, and the product on the pickup assembly 50 together in a downward motion. As the pickup assembly 50 descends, the proportional valve 70 is adjusted so that the pulling force applied by the floating cylinder to the driven slide 30 is a second preset value, which can be 90% of the weight of the driven slide 30, pickup assembly 50, and the product on the pickup assembly 50. At this time, the driven slide 30, pickup assembly 50, and the product on the pickup assembly 50 achieve force balance under the combined action of their own weight, the upward pulling force provided by the floating cylinder, and the upward pulling force provided by the limiting member 60. If the descent of the pickup component 50 is obstructed, and the upward resistance it experiences is greater than 10% of the weight of the driven slide 30, the pickup component 50, and the product, the force balance among them is broken. This means the upward force on the driven slide 30, the pickup component 50, and the product is greater than their own weight, causing them to float upwards and preventing damage. At this point, the lifting drive 13 stops driving the lead screw 14 to rotate, causing the active slide 20, the floating cylinder, the driven slide 30, and the pickup component 50 to stop descending. Then, the pickup component 50 releases the product, and the lifting drive 13 drives the lead screw 14 to rotate in the opposite direction. This causes the lead screw nut 15 to drive the active slide 20, the floating drive 40, the driven slide 30, and the pickup component 50 to rise together, thus achieving material release.

[0050] Based on the above-described material handling mechanism, this application also provides a transfer device. This transfer device includes a motion drive mechanism and the material handling mechanism as described in any of the above embodiments. The mounting base 11 of the lifting module 10 is installed on the drive end of the motion drive mechanism, enabling the motion drive mechanism to drive the material handling mechanism to move, thereby realizing the transfer of the product. For example, when it is necessary to transfer a product from a first station to a second station, firstly, the motion drive mechanism drives the material handling mechanism to move above the first station; then, the material handling mechanism picks up the product located at the first station through a lifting action; then, the motion drive mechanism drives the material handling mechanism to move above the second station; then, the material handling mechanism releases the product to the second station through a lifting action.

[0051] It should be noted that the motion drive mechanism can drive the picking and placing mechanism to perform translational motion, swinging motion, or other forms of motion, as long as it can achieve product transfer. No limitation is made here.

[0052] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0053] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A material handling mechanism, characterized in that, include: The lifting module (10) includes a lifting slide rail (12) and a lifting drive component (13); The active slide (20) is slidably connected to the lifting slide rail (12) and connected to the driving end of the lifting drive (13); The driven slide (30) is slidably connected to the lifting slide rail (12); A floating drive element (40), connected between the active slide (20) and the driven slide (30), is used to drive the driven slide (30) to move closer to or away from the active slide (20) along the lifting slide rail (12); and Pick-up assembly (50) is mounted on the driven slide (30).

2. The material handling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material handling mechanism further includes a limiting member (60), which is fixedly connected to one of the active slide (20) and the driven slide (30), and movably connected to the other of the driven slide (30) and the active slide (20).

3. The material handling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material handling mechanism further includes a limiting member (60), which is fixedly connected to one of the active slide (20) and the driven slide (30). The limiting member (60) has a limiting groove (61), and a portion of the other of the active slide (20) and the driven slide (30) is located in the limiting groove (61).

4. The material handling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The floating drive component (40) is a floating cylinder, which is mounted on the active slide (20), and the driving end of the floating cylinder is connected to the driven slide (30).

5. The material handling mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The air inlet of the floating cylinder is connected to an external air supply line through an air pipe, and the material handling mechanism also includes a proportional valve (70) connected to the air pipe.

6. The material handling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driven slide (30) is arranged below the active slide (20).

7. The material handling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting module (10) also includes a mounting base (11), a lead screw (14) and a lead screw nut (15). The lifting slide rail (12) is mounted on the mounting base (11). The lead screw (14) is rotatably connected to the mounting base (11). The driving end of the lifting drive component (13) is connected to the lead screw (14). The lead screw nut (15) is threaded onto the lead screw (14) and fixedly connected to the active slide block (20).

8. The material handling mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lifting slide rails (12) are configured as two, and the two lifting slide rails (12) are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart. The lead screw (14) is located between the two lifting slide rails (12).

9. The material handling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The picking component (50) includes a fixed frame (51) and multiple picking components (53). The fixed frame (51) is fixedly connected to the driven slide (30), and each of the picking components (53) is disposed on the fixed frame (51).

10. A transfer device, characterized in that, Includes the material handling mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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