A battery piece feeding device

Abstract

This utility model discloses a battery cell feeding device, which includes a replenishing mechanism, several feeding mechanisms, and a transfer and conveying mechanism. Each of the replenishing and feeding mechanisms has a basket for loading battery cells positioned on it. The transfer and conveying mechanism transports the basket loaded with battery cells from the replenishing mechanism to the feeding mechanism for replenishment. The replenishing mechanism includes a positioning seat for positioning the basket, and the feeding mechanism includes a positioning platform for positioning the basket and a drive module for driving the positioning platform to move back and forth. Both the positioning seat and the positioning platform are provided with positioning units for positioning the basket around its perimeter. This utility model achieves uninterrupted, high-cycle continuous feeding, avoiding equipment waiting time and greatly improving production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the technical field of battery cell feeding equipment, and in particular relates to a battery cell feeding device. Background Technology

[0002] In the production process of solar cells, there is a guiding process, which requires stacking two solar cells back-to-back in a basket and placing them into a transfer boat. Generally, baskets are used for loading. For example, the basket conveying mechanism in the solar cell guiding equipment and method disclosed in Chinese Patent Publication CN116281050B has two basket conveying mechanisms, and each basket conveying mechanism holds a first type of basket and a second type of basket. During loading, both basket conveying mechanisms transport the first type of basket and the second type of basket to the loading station. That is, two linear conveying components transport four baskets to the loading station inside the guiding equipment for loading. The solar cells in the first type of basket are arranged in the forward direction, and the solar cells in the second type of basket are arranged in the reverse direction. The solar cells in the first type of basket and the second type of basket are stacked back-to-back in a one-to-one correspondence and placed into the transfer boat. The two basket conveying mechanisms correspond to two transfer boats, which are exactly one-to-one correspondences. However, with the optimization of the wafer guiding equipment, the space of the loading station inside the equipment has been reduced, making it impossible to place four baskets at the same time. At most, only three baskets can be placed. In this case, the solar cells in each basket are placed either face up or face down. With three baskets, the number of face up and face down solar cells cannot be matched one by one, making it impossible to smoothly stack two solar cells back to back in the basket and put them into the transfer boat.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a battery cell feeding device to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Utility Model Content

[0004] The main purpose of this utility model is to provide a battery cell feeding device that achieves uninterrupted, high-speed continuous feeding, avoids equipment waiting time, and greatly improves production efficiency.

[0005] This utility model achieves the above-mentioned objective through the following technical solution: a battery cell feeding device, comprising a replenishing mechanism, several feeding mechanisms, and a transfer and conveying mechanism. Each of the replenishing mechanism and the feeding mechanism has a basket for loading battery cells positioned on it. The transfer and conveying mechanism transports the basket loaded with battery cells from the replenishing mechanism to the feeding mechanism for replenishment. The replenishing mechanism includes a positioning seat for positioning the basket, and the feeding mechanism includes a positioning platform for positioning the basket and a drive module for driving the positioning platform to move back and forth. Both the positioning seat and the positioning platform are provided with positioning units for positioning the basket around its perimeter.

[0006] Furthermore, the feeding mechanism is provided in three parts. The arrangement direction of the battery cells on the feeding mechanism is the same as that on one of the feeding mechanisms, while the arrangement direction of the battery cells on the feeding mechanism is opposite to that on the other two feeding mechanisms.

[0007] Furthermore, the drive module includes a drive motor, a transmission belt driven by the drive motor to perform forward and backward transmission, and the positioning platform is fixed on the transmission belt.

[0008] Furthermore, support components are provided on both the left and right sides of the positioning platform. Each support component includes a support base and a slide rail mounted on the support base. The positioning platform is slidably mounted on the slide rail via a slider.

[0009] Furthermore, the positioning unit includes a front stop block, a rear push block, a left limiting block, and a right limiting block. The rear push block is connected to a push block cylinder. A proximity switch is provided on the front stop block. The distance between the left limiting block and the right limiting block is set to conform to the width of the flower basket.

[0010] Furthermore, both the positioning base and the positioning platform are equipped with a first sensor to detect whether the flower basket is placed there; a barcode reader is provided at the front or rear end of the positioning platform, and the flower basket is provided with a through hole corresponding to the barcode reader.

[0011] Furthermore, detection modules are provided on both the front and rear sides of the positioning platform. Each detection module includes a support frame and several second sensors mounted on the support frame. Several notches are provided on the front and rear sides of the flower basket for the detection lines of the second sensors to pass through.

[0012] Furthermore, the transfer and handling mechanism includes a mounting frame, a first motor mounted on the mounting frame, a movable frame driven by the first motor to move along the X direction, a second motor mounted on the movable frame, a column driven by the second motor to move up and down, and a handling unit mounted at the bottom of the column. The handling unit includes a support plate and gripping components mounted on the front and rear sides of the support plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the gripping assembly includes a gripping cylinder and a gripping plate that moves back and forth driven by the gripping cylinder. Each of the two gripping plates has several positioning elements on its opposite inner side. The flower basket has several positioning holes corresponding to the positioning elements for them to extend into. A third sensor for sensing the flower basket is provided on the gripping plate.

[0014] Furthermore, a driving component is connected to the bottom of the positioning seat, and the positioning seat moves back and forth under the drive of the driving component.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this utility model's battery cell feeding device are as follows: (1) The combination of a feeding mechanism, multiple feeding mechanisms and a transfer and handling mechanism is set up to achieve uninterrupted high-speed continuous feeding. When the basket on a certain feeding mechanism is empty, the feeding mechanism can immediately feed the feeding mechanism through the transfer and handling mechanism, avoiding equipment waiting time, greatly improving production efficiency, and meeting the stringent requirements of the automated production line for the cycle time. Moreover, the feeding mechanism has the same direction of the battery cells as one of the feeding mechanisms and the opposite direction to the other two, which cleverly solves the process requirement that the guiding equipment needs to pair the positive and negative battery cells in a certain proportion for feeding. Through the fixed layout configuration, it is ensured that the positive and negative battery cells in the feeding area can be supplied at the same time, avoiding production interruption or error caused by mismatch of directions, and ensuring the correctness and continuity of the production process. (2) Both the positioning seat and the positioning platform are equipped with a positioning unit consisting of a front stop block, a rear push block, a left limit block, and a right limit block, as well as a proximity switch, which realizes the precise positioning and clamping of the flower basket. The four-sided limit ensures that the position of the flower basket remains unchanged during subsequent lifting, piece removal and other operations, which improves the stability and reliability of the feeding process. The proximity switch provides the arrival signal, realizes the closed-loop control of the positioning process, and ensures the positioning accuracy. (3) Detection modules are set on both the front and rear sides of the positioning platform. Several second sensors are set on the detection modules, and they correspond one-to-one. On the one hand, the second sensors can detect whether there are cards at the flower basket when feeding, monitor the feeding process in real time, confirm that each step of the action is executed successfully, provide feedback signals for process control, realize automated cycle, realize the automatic detection function of fragments, and can immediately detect and alarm to prevent fragments from scratching subsequent battery cells, damaging expensive equipment, or causing batch quality problems. On the other hand, the second sensors can also detect the existence status and position of the flower basket on the positioning platform in real time, whether it is centered or in place, provide safety signals for the grabbing of battery cells, prevent misoperation or collision, and improve the safety and operational reliability of the equipment. (4) Support components (support base + slide rail + slider) are set on both the left and right sides of the positioning platform. The double-sided support structure greatly improves the rigidity and stability of the positioning platform movement, prevents the positioning platform from shaking or tilting during movement, ensures the accuracy of long-term operation, and extends the service life of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cell feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding mechanism with a flower basket positioned on it, according to an embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding mechanism with a flower basket positioned on it, according to an embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism of this utility model after removing the drive module and support components; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second motor, column, and transport unit on the transfer and handling mechanism of this utility model embodiment; The numbers in the diagram represent: 100 - Solar cell feeding device; 200 - Solar cell; 1-Feeding mechanism, 11-Positioning seat, 12-Drive component; 2-Feeding mechanism, 21-Positioning platform, 22-Drive module, 221-Drive motor, 222-Transmission belt, 23-Positioning unit, 231-Front stop block, 232-Rear push block, 233-Left limit block, 234-Right limit block, 235-Push block cylinder, 236-Proximity switch, 24-First sensor, 25-Code reader, 26-Support assembly, 261-Support base, 262-Slide rail, 263-Slider, 27-Detection module, 271-Second sensor, 272-Support frame; 3-Transfer and handling mechanism, 31-Mounting frame, 32-First motor, 33-Moving frame, 34-Second motor, 35-Column, 36-Transfer unit, 361-Support plate, 362-Grip assembly, 3621-Grip cylinder, 3622-Grip plate, 3623-Positioning component, 363-Third sensor; 4-Basket, 41-Through hole, 42-Positioning hole, 43-Notch. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Please refer to Figures 1-5 This embodiment is a battery cell feeding device 100, which includes a feeding mechanism 1, several feeding mechanisms 2, and a transfer and transport mechanism 3. Both the feeding mechanism 1 and the feeding mechanism 2 are equipped with baskets 4 for loading battery cells 200. The transfer and transport mechanism 3 transports the baskets 4 loaded with battery cells from the feeding mechanism 1 to the feeding mechanism 2 to achieve the feeding action. The feeding mechanism 1 includes a positioning seat 11 for positioning the baskets 4. The feeding mechanism 2 includes a positioning platform 21 for positioning the baskets 4 and a drive module 22 for driving the positioning platform 21 to move back and forth. Both the positioning seat 11 and the positioning platform 21 are equipped with positioning units 23 for positioning the baskets 4 around their perimeter.

[0018] In this embodiment, the flower basket 4 can hold four rows of battery cells 200. The number of rows of battery cells 200 in the flower basket 4 is not limited and can be set according to actual conditions. The flower basket 4 includes a first type of flower basket and a second type of flower basket. The battery cells 200 in the first type of flower basket are arranged in a forward orientation, while the battery cells 200 in the second type of flower basket are arranged in a reverse orientation. Specifically, before each flower basket 4 is positioned on the positioning seat 11 and the positioning platform 21, the battery cells 200 in each flower basket 4 are arranged in the same orientation. However, when positioned on the corresponding positioning seat 11 and positioning platform 21, some flower baskets 4 are placed in a forward orientation, and the battery cells 200 are placed in a forward orientation, forming the first type of flower basket. Some flower baskets 4 are placed in a reverse orientation, and the battery cells 200 are placed in a reverse orientation, forming the second type of flower basket.

[0019] Since the feeding area of ​​the wafer guide device can only accommodate a maximum of three baskets 4, three feeding mechanisms 2 are provided, each with one basket 4. However, the three baskets 4 may consist of two second-type baskets and one first-type basket, or one second-type basket and two first-type baskets. This results in a discrepancy between the number of forward-facing and reverse-facing solar cells 200, making it impossible to match them one-to-one during feeding. Therefore, a replenishing mechanism 1 is provided to supplement the feeding mechanisms 2. The replenishing mechanism 1 has one basket 4 positioned on it, but it cannot enter the feeding area of ​​the wafer guide device. It can only be located outside the feeding area. After one of the feeding mechanisms 2 exits the feeding area, the transfer and handling mechanism 3 can move the basket 4 on the replenishing mechanism 1 to the feeding mechanism 2 for replenishment. Therefore, the replenishing mechanism 1 and one of the feeding mechanisms 2 have a first type or a second type of basket positioned on them, and the other two feeding mechanisms 2 have a second type of basket 4a or a first type of basket 4b positioned on them. That is, the arrangement direction of the battery cells on the replenishing mechanism 1 is the same as the arrangement direction of the battery cells on one of the feeding mechanisms 2, and the arrangement direction of the battery cells 200 on the replenishing mechanism 1 is opposite to the arrangement direction of the battery cells 200 on the other two feeding mechanisms 2. The replenishing mechanism 1 and the transfer and handling mechanism 3 can work together to replenish the feeding mechanism 2, so as to smoothly achieve high-frequency feeding.

[0020] In this embodiment, a feeding mechanism 1 and three feeding mechanisms 2 are arranged side by side. The three feeding mechanisms 2, from left to right, are the first feeding mechanism, the second feeding mechanism, and the third feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism 1 is adjacent to the first feeding mechanism. Specifically, a first type of flower basket is positioned on the feeding mechanism 1 and the first feeding mechanism, and a second type of flower basket is positioned on the second feeding mechanism and the third feeding mechanism; or, a second type of flower basket is positioned on the feeding mechanism 1 and the first feeding mechanism, and a first type of flower basket is positioned on the second feeding mechanism and the third feeding mechanism. The specific replenishment action is as follows: the baskets 4 on the first, second, and third feeding mechanisms can be driven by their respective drive modules 22 into the feeding area of ​​the sheet guide device for feeding. The replenishment mechanism 1 replenishes one of the feeding mechanisms 2 (the first, second, or third feeding mechanism). For example, after the battery cells in the basket 4 on the first feeding mechanism are taken out, the first feeding mechanism exits the feeding area, and the transfer and handling mechanism 3 moves the basket 4 loaded with battery cells on the replenishment mechanism 1 to the first feeding mechanism. Then, the first feeding mechanism continues to enter the feeding area for re-feeding.

[0021] In other embodiments, the number of the replenishing mechanism 1 and the three feeding mechanisms 2 is not limited and can be set according to actual conditions. If there is an odd number of feeding mechanisms 2, for example, if the designer designs five feeding mechanisms 2, the replenishing mechanism 1 can be set to perform the replenishing operation. Furthermore, the direction of the flower basket 4 positioned on the replenishing mechanism 1 and the three feeding mechanisms 2 is not limited and can be set according to actual conditions. Moreover, which feeding mechanism 1 specifically replenishes can be set according to actual conditions and is not limited here.

[0022] To facilitate the positioning of the flower basket 4 onto the feeding mechanism 1, a driving component 12 is connected to the bottom of the positioning seat 11. The positioning seat 11 moves back and forth under the drive of the driving component 12. Due to space limitations, the feeding mechanism 1 cannot enter the feeding area of ​​the guide plate device. Therefore, the range of movement of the positioning seat 11 is smaller than the range of movement of the positioning platform 21, that is, the length of the driving component 12 is smaller than the length of the driving module 22. In this embodiment, the driving component 12 is a linear drive motor, but other drive structures can also be used, which are not limited here.

[0023] The drive module 22 includes a drive motor 221, a transmission belt 222 driven by the drive motor 221 to perform forward and backward transmission, and a positioning platform 21 fixed on the transmission belt 222 so as to move forward and backward together with the transmission belt 222.

[0024] Support components 26 are provided on both the left and right sides of the positioning platform 21. Each support component 26 includes a support base 261 and a slide rail 262 mounted on the support base 261. The positioning platform 21 is slidably mounted on the slide rail 262 via a slider 263. The dual-sided support structure significantly improves the rigidity and stability of the positioning platform 21 during its forward and backward movement, preventing swaying or tilting during operation, ensuring long-term operational accuracy, and extending the equipment's service life.

[0025] Both the positioning base 11 and the positioning platform 21 are equipped with a first sensor 24 to detect whether the flower basket 4 is placed. The positioning platform 21 has an avoidance notch in the middle so that the lifting mechanism can lift the battery cells in the flower basket 4 during loading, forming a positioning area for positioning the flower basket 4 between the avoidance notch and the positioning unit 23.

[0026] The positioning platform 21 has detection modules 27 on its front and rear sides. The detection modules 27 include a support frame 272 and several second sensors 271 on the support frame 272. The flower basket 4 has several notches 43 on its front and rear sides for the detection lines of the second sensors 271 to pass through. The notches 43 on the front and rear sides of the flower basket 4 correspond one-to-one. The second sensor 271 on the detection module 27 can detect whether there are any cards in the basket 4 during material feeding or unloading. Initially, the second sensor 271 cannot detect the battery cells. During feeding, the lifting mechanism lifts the battery cells upwards and then sucks them away. If there are any fragments of the battery cells, the fragments will fall and get stuck at the top of the basket 4, which will be detected by the second sensor 271, and an alarm will be triggered to prompt the staff to handle the situation. During unloading, if there are any fragments, the fragments will get stuck at the top of the basket 4, which will be detected by the second sensor 271, and an alarm will be triggered to prompt the staff to handle the situation. The second sensor 271 can monitor the feeding process in real time, confirm that each step of the action is executed successfully, provide feedback signals for process control, realize automated looping, realize the automatic fragment detection function, and can immediately detect and alarm, preventing fragments from scratching subsequent battery cells, damaging expensive equipment, or causing batch quality problems. Furthermore, the detection module 27 can also detect the position or state of the flower basket 4 after positioning. Initially, the detection line of the second sensor 271 can pass through the notch 43. If the detection line of the second sensor 271 cannot pass through the notch, it indicates that the position or state of the flower basket 4 has shifted, and an alarm will be triggered to prompt the staff to confirm. The second sensor 271 can detect the existence and position of the flower basket 4 on the positioning platform 21 in real time, as well as whether its position is centered or in place, providing a safety signal for the grasping of the battery cell 200, preventing misoperation or collision, and improving the safety and operational reliability of the equipment.

[0027] The positioning unit 23 includes a front stop block 231, a rear push block 232, a left limit block 233, and a right limit block 234. The rear push block 232 is connected to the push block cylinder 235. A proximity switch 236 is provided on the front stop block 231. The distance between the left limit block 233 and the right limit block 234 is set in the same shape as the width of the flower basket 4. When the flower basket 4 is placed on the positioning seat 11 and the positioning platform 21, the left limit block 233 and the right limit block 234 limit the left and right sides of the flower basket. The push block cylinder 235 pushes the flower basket 4 towards the rear push block 232. When the proximity switch 236 senses the flower basket 4, it means that the flower basket 4 has completed the front and back positioning. That is, the front stop block 231, the rear push block 232, the left limit block 233, and the right limit block 234 jointly complete the positioning of the flower basket 4 around its perimeter.

[0028] A barcode reader 25 is installed at either the front or rear end of the positioning platform 21. The flower basket 4 has a through-hole 41 corresponding to the barcode reader 25. This allows the barcode reader 25 to read the information code on the battery cells, thus determining whether the battery cells in the flower basket 4 are arranged correctly. For example, if the barcode reader 25 is installed at the front end of one positioning platform 21, the through-hole of the flower basket must face forward for the barcode reader 25 to read the information. Similarly, if the barcode reader 25 is installed at the rear end of another positioning platform 21, the through-hole of the flower basket must face backward for the barcode reader 25 to read the information. This ensures that one flower basket is placed facing forward and the other backward, resulting in the battery cells in one flower basket being arranged in a forward orientation and the battery cells in the other flower basket being arranged in a backward orientation.

[0029] The transfer and handling mechanism 3 includes a mounting frame 31, a first motor 32 mounted on the mounting frame 31, a movable frame 33 driven by the first motor 32 to move in the X direction, a second motor 34 mounted on the movable frame 33, a column 35 driven by the second motor 34 to move up and down, and a handling unit 36 ​​mounted at the bottom of the column 35.

[0030] The handling unit 36 ​​includes a support plate 361 and gripping components 362 disposed on the front and rear sides of the support plate 361. The gripping components 362 include a gripping cylinder 3621 and a gripping plate 3622 driven by the gripping cylinder 3621 to move back and forth. Both gripping plates 3622 are provided with a number of positioning elements 3623 on their respective inner sides. The flower basket 4 is provided with a number of positioning holes 42 for the positioning elements 3623 to extend into.

[0031] A third sensor 363 is provided on the gripping plate 3622. After the third sensor 363 senses the flower basket 4, it sends a signal to the gripping cylinder 3621. When the gripping cylinder 3621 drives the gripping plates 3622 to move closer together, the positioning part 3623 on the gripping plate 3622 extends into the positioning hole 42 on the flower basket 4. The first motor 32 and the second motor 34 drive the transport unit 36 ​​to move, which can realize the transport of the flower basket 4.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first motor 32 can drive the moving frame 33 to move between the feeding mechanism 1 and the supply mechanism 2, that is, the transfer and handling mechanism 3 can move the flower basket 4 loaded with battery cells on the feeding mechanism 1 to the first supply mechanism.

[0033] In other embodiments, the movement range of the moving frame 33 can be changed by altering the movement range of the first motor 32, enabling the transfer and handling mechanism 3 to move the basket 4 loaded with battery cells from the feeding mechanism 1 to other feeding mechanisms 2a. Therefore, the movement range of the moving frame 33 is not limited here and can be set according to actual conditions.

[0034] The above descriptions are merely some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the inventive concept of this utility model, and all such modifications and improvements fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A battery piece feeding device, characterized in that: It includes a replenishing mechanism, several feeding mechanisms, and a transfer and handling mechanism. Both the replenishing mechanism and the feeding mechanism have baskets loaded with battery cells positioned on them. The transfer and handling mechanism transports the baskets loaded with battery cells from the replenishing mechanism to the feeding mechanism for replenishment. The replenishing mechanism includes a positioning seat for positioning the baskets, and the feeding mechanism includes a positioning platform for positioning the baskets and a drive module for driving the positioning platform to move back and forth. Both the positioning seat and the positioning platform are provided with positioning units for positioning the baskets around their perimeter.

2. The battery cell feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism is provided in three parts. The arrangement direction of the battery cells on the feeding mechanism is the same as that on one of the feeding mechanisms, while the arrangement direction of the battery cells on the feeding mechanism is opposite to that on the other two feeding mechanisms.

3. The battery cell feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The drive module includes a drive motor and a transmission belt driven by the drive motor to perform forward and backward transmission, and the positioning platform is fixed on the transmission belt.

4. The battery piece feeding device according to claim 1, wherein: Support components are provided on both the left and right sides of the positioning platform. Each support component includes a support base and a slide rail mounted on the support base. The positioning platform is slidably mounted on the slide rail by a slider.

5. The battery cell feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning unit includes a front stop block, a rear push block, a left limiting block, and a right limiting block. The rear push block is connected to a push block cylinder. A proximity switch is provided on the front stop block. The distance between the left limiting block and the right limiting block is set to conform to the width of the flower basket.

6. The battery cell feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Both the positioning base and the positioning platform are equipped with a first sensor to detect whether the flower basket is placed there; a barcode reader is provided at the front or rear end of the positioning platform, and the flower basket is provided with a through hole corresponding to the barcode reader.

7. The battery cell feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning platform is equipped with detection modules on both the front and rear sides. Each detection module includes a support frame and several second sensors mounted on the support frame. Several notches are provided on the front and rear sides of the flower basket for the detection lines of the second sensors to pass through.

8. The battery cell feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer and handling mechanism includes a mounting frame, a first motor mounted on the mounting frame, a movable frame driven by the first motor to move along the X direction, a second motor mounted on the movable frame, a column driven by the second motor to move up and down, and a handling unit mounted at the bottom of the column. The handling unit includes a support plate and gripping components mounted on the front and rear sides of the support plate.

9. The battery piece feeding device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The gripping assembly includes a gripping cylinder and gripping plates that move back and forth driven by the gripping cylinder. Each of the two gripping plates has several positioning elements on its opposite inner side. The flower basket has several positioning holes for the positioning elements to extend into. A third sensor for sensing the flower basket is provided on the gripping plate.

10. The battery piece feeding device according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom of the positioning seat is connected to a driving component, and the positioning seat moves back and forth under the drive of the driving component.

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