A clamping device

Abstract

The utility model relates to battery production technical field discloses a clamping device, including interval arrangement's two clamping components are a group of synchronous clamping unit, two groups of synchronous clamping unit alternate execution clamping action, first drive assembly is used for driving one of clamping components in each group synchronous clamping unit along the base length direction removal, second drive assembly is used for driving another clamping component in each group synchronous clamping unit along the base width direction removal, the utility model can flexible adaptation different size, different arrangement mode's electric core and incoming material mode change, need not to replace clamp can quick switching production demand, reduce the cost of change production and time loss, the clamping device adopts modularization integration, can realize the stable, accurate clamping of whole row electric core in the narrow operation space, and the first protection part and the second protection part set up on the clamp dog can effectively reduce the risk of electric core surface scratch, extrusion damage, realize the flexible capture to electric core.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of battery manufacturing technology, and in particular to a clamping device. Background Technology

[0002] In automated lithium-ion battery assembly lines, processes such as cell loading, OCV testing, plasma cleaning, and cell assembly all involve the automatic handling of batteries, making gripping mechanisms essential. Currently, customized mechanical grippers adapted to the battery products on the production line are commonly used. These modular designs can accurately pick up the cells from the material frame and place them on the line tray for OCV sorting.

[0003] However, existing technologies mostly use fixed-size clamps with fixed gripping methods and lack of flexibility. The batteries are arranged compactly in the material frame, and the operating space is small. If a single gripper is used to grip them one by one, the cycle time will be extended, which cannot meet the efficiency requirements of large-scale production. If multiple grippers are used to grip them at the same time, although the gripping efficiency can be improved, multiple grippers are difficult to accurately grip an entire row of batteries in the narrow material frame, and may even cause damage to the battery surface. Furthermore, when the material receiving method is changed, the existing grippers cannot be adapted in time, and replacing the clamps will affect production efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a clamping device to solve the problems in the prior art. It can achieve multi-claw gripping of batteries in a narrow space and can flexibly and gently grasp batteries according to the material receiving method, thereby improving the battery loading rate.

[0005] This utility model provides a clamping device for clamping a workpiece, comprising: Base; The clamping mechanism includes four clamping components arranged in sequence. The clamping mechanism is configured such that two clamping components arranged at intervals form a group of synchronous clamping units. Each group of synchronous clamping units synchronously performs the action of clamping the workpiece, and the two groups of synchronous clamping units alternately perform the clamping action. The driving mechanism includes a first driving component and a second driving component. The first driving component is used to drive one of the clamping components in each group of synchronous clamping units to move along the length direction of the base, so as to adjust the relative spacing between the two clamping components in the synchronous clamping unit in the length direction of the base. The second driving component is used to drive another clamping component in each group of synchronous clamping units to move along the width direction of the base, so as to adjust the relative spacing between the two clamping components in each group of synchronous clamping units in the width direction of the base.

[0006] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the clamping component that moves along the length direction of the base is located on the outside of the clamping mechanism, and the clamping component that moves along the width direction of the base is located on the inside of the clamping mechanism. The first driving component is configured to drive the two outer clamping components to move independently, and the second driving component is configured to drive the two inner clamping components to move synchronously.

[0007] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the clamping assembly is slidably connected to both the first driving assembly and the second driving assembly. Each clamping component is equipped with a slider; The first driving component includes a first slide rail and a first cylinder. The first cylinder drives the sliders of the two outer clamping components to move independently on the corresponding first slide rails. The second drive assembly includes a second slide rail and a second cylinder. The second cylinder synchronously drives the sliders of the two clamping assemblies located on the inner side to move on the corresponding second slide rail.

[0008] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the clamping assembly includes a third cylinder and a jaw, wherein the third cylinder is used to drive the jaw to perform the action of clamping or releasing the workpiece.

[0009] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the clamping assembly further includes a detection element and a solenoid valve. The detection element is disposed on the gripper, the input end of the solenoid valve is connected to the output end of the detection element, and the output end of the solenoid valve is connected to the input end of the third cylinder. The detection element is used to detect the presence state of the workpiece, and the solenoid valve drives the third cylinder to clamp the workpiece according to the detection result of the detection element.

[0010] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the grippers are provided with a first protective portion and a second protective portion on the clamping surfaces facing the top of the workpiece and opposite to the sides of the workpiece, respectively.

[0011] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the first protective part includes a protective rubber block, and the second protective part includes a protective rubber pad.

[0012] In the clamping device described above, preferably, a third driving component is provided on the base for driving the base to rotate.

[0013] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the clamping device further includes a visual positioning mechanism for identifying the position of the workpiece. The visual positioning mechanism includes a visual positioning camera and an illumination source. The visual positioning camera is mounted on the base and its field of view is oriented towards the area where the workpiece is located. The illumination source is used to provide illumination for the visual positioning camera to capture images.

[0014] In the clamping device described above, preferably, the base is further provided with a barcode scanning mechanism for identifying barcodes on the workpiece.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention divides four clamping components into two groups of synchronous clamping units with two clamping components spaced apart to perform gripping actions alternately. The two clamping components in the synchronous clamping unit are staggered, which not only avoids the cycle length caused by a single gripper gripping one by one, but also overcomes the problem that multiple grippers are difficult to achieve accurate gripping in a narrow material frame. The first and second drive components respectively enable the spacing adjustment of the two sets of synchronous clamping units in the length and width directions of the base, which can flexibly adapt to different sizes, different arrangements of battery cells and changes in material receiving methods. Production needs can be quickly switched without changing the clamps, reducing production changeover costs and time losses. The clamping device adopts modular integration, which can achieve stable and precise clamping of a whole row of battery cells in a narrow operating space. At the same time, the first and second protective parts set on the grippers can effectively reduce the risk of scratches and squeezing damage to the surface of the battery cells, and achieve flexible gripping of the battery cells. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the clamping device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the clamping device provided in an embodiment of the present invention from another direction; Figure 3 This is a front view of the clamping device provided in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a connection state diagram of the clamping component and the first driving component provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the clamping assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the connection state between the two inner clamping components and the second cylinder provided in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 10. Clamping assembly; 11. Slider; 12. Third cylinder; 13. Gripper; 130. First protective part; 131. Second protective part; 14. Detection component; 15. Solenoid valve; 16. Mounting plate; 20. First drive assembly; 200. First slide rail; 201. First cylinder; 21. Second drive assembly; 210. Second slide rail; 211. Second cylinder; 30. Base; 31. Third drive assembly; 310. Rotary motor; 311. Mounting surface; 40. Visual positioning mechanism; 41. Visual positioning camera; 42. Illumination source; 50. QR code scanning organizations; 60. Workpiece. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0019] See Figure 1-3 As shown, a clamping device for clamping a workpiece 60 includes a base 30, a clamping mechanism, and a driving mechanism, wherein: The base 30 supports the clamping mechanism and the drive mechanism. The clamping mechanism includes four clamping components 10 arranged sequentially. The clamping mechanism is configured such that two clamping components 10 spaced apart form a group of synchronous clamping units. Each group of synchronous clamping units synchronously performs the action of gripping the workpiece 60, and the two groups of synchronous clamping units alternately perform the gripping action. In the embodiment provided in this application, the workpiece 60 is a battery cell. The clamping device grips the battery cell from the material frame to the conveyor line. The two clamping components 10 in the same group of synchronous clamping units are spaced apart, providing more operating space during gripping and avoiding spatial interference when multiple grippers 13 grip simultaneously. The alternating execution of the two groups of synchronous clamping units can accurately position one or more battery cells in the compactly arranged material frame, reducing gripping deviation and lowering the risk of surface scratches on the battery cells caused by crowding of the grippers 13. The alternating action of the two groups of synchronous clamping units eliminates the need for gripping one by one, significantly shortening the process cycle and adapting to the efficiency requirements of large-scale production.

[0020] See Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the driving mechanism includes a first driving component 20 and a second driving component 21. The first driving component 20 is used to drive one of the clamping components 10 in each group of synchronous clamping units to move along the length direction of the base 30, so as to adjust the relative spacing between the two clamping components 10 in the synchronous clamping unit in the length direction of the base 30. The second driving component 21 is used to drive the other clamping component 10 in each group of synchronous clamping units to move along the width direction of the base 30, so as to adjust the relative spacing between the two clamping components 10 in the synchronous clamping unit in the width direction of the base. The two clamping components 10 in the synchronous clamping unit can achieve bidirectional spacing adjustment to adapt to materials of various specifications and arrangements. When performing the gripping action, the two clamping components 10 are distributed front and back. By utilizing the longitudinal gap between the battery cells, mechanical interference is avoided when multiple grippers 13 move simultaneously. Even if the operating space in the material frame is extremely small, the clamping components 10 distributed front and back can accurately clamp from the front and back sides of the battery cells, improving the feasibility of gripping in narrow spaces. After all the battery cells are gripped, the movement of the clamping components 10 in the width direction of the base 30 can be controlled to make the battery cells on the four grippers 13 be in the same straight line, thereby facilitating their transfer to the conveyor line.

[0021] See Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments of this application, the clamping assembly 10 that moves along the length direction of the base 30 is located on the outside of the clamping mechanism, and the clamping assembly 10 that moves along the width direction of the base 30 is located on the inside of the clamping mechanism. The first driving assembly 20 is configured to drive the two outer clamping assemblies 10 to move independently, and the second driving assembly 21 is configured to drive the two inner clamping assemblies 10 to move synchronously. The two outer clamping components 10 can move independently along the length of the base 30, which can flexibly cope with the diverse arrangement of battery cells in the material frame. For example, when the material frame spacing is small and the battery cells are arranged compactly, the two outer clamping components 10 can move closer to the two inner clamping components 10, shortening the clamping distance of each set of synchronous clamping units and accurately meeting the gripping needs of small-pitch battery cells. When the material frame spacing is large, the battery cells are scattered or there are differences in the battery cell spacing, the two outer clamping components 10 can move in opposite directions to expand the clamping distance. They can also be independently fine-tuned by the two outer components to adapt to battery cells that are asymmetrical or have slight arrangement deviations in the material frame. There is no need to change the clamps. The gripping of battery cells of different specifications and different spacings can be covered by simply moving the clamping components 10, which improves the versatility of the mechanism. The synchronous movement of the two inner clamping components 10 can reduce the use of driving components and reduce the manufacturing cost of the equipment. After all four clamping components 10 have completed gripping, the second driving component 21 can synchronously drive the two inner clamping components 10 to move quickly to be flush with the two outer clamping components 10.

[0022] See Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, in one feasible embodiment, the clamping assembly 10, the first driving assembly 20, and the second driving assembly 21 are all slidably connected. Each clamping assembly 10 is equipped with a slider 11. The first driving assembly 20 includes a first slide rail 200 and a first cylinder 201. The first cylinder 201 drives the sliders 11 of the two outer clamping assemblies 10 to move independently on their respective first slide rails 200. The second driving assembly 21 includes a second slide rail 210 and a second cylinder 211. The second cylinder 211 synchronously drives the sliders 11 of the two inner clamping assemblies 10 to move on their respective second slide rails 210. The clamping assembly 10 can be connected to the output end of the first cylinder 201 or the second cylinder 211 via a mounting plate 16. The slider 11 is fixed to the top of the clamping assembly 10 and slidably engages with the first slide rail 200 or the second slide rail 210 at the bottom of the base 30. The slider 11 moves via the extension and retraction of the cylinder. (See [reference]). Figure 6 As shown, the clamping components 10 located on the inner side are respectively connected to the same mounting plate 16. The middle part of the mounting plate 16 is connected to the output end of the second cylinder 211, so that the second cylinder 211 can synchronously drive the two clamping components 10 on the inner side to move.

[0023] See Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the clamping assembly 10 includes a third cylinder 12 and a gripper 13. The third cylinder 12 is used to drive the gripper 13 to perform the action of clamping or releasing the workpiece 60.

[0024] See Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the clamping assembly 10 further includes a detection element 14 and a solenoid valve 15. The detection element 14 is mounted on the gripper 13. The input end of the solenoid valve 15 is connected to the output end of the detection element 14, and the output end of the solenoid valve 15 is connected to the input end of the third cylinder 12. The detection element 14 is used to detect the presence of the workpiece 60. The solenoid valve 15 drives the third cylinder 12 to clamp the workpiece 60 according to the detection result of the detection element 14. The detection element 14 adopts a photoelectric sensor. After the entire clamping mechanism moves above the material frame, when the photoelectric sensor detects that there is a battery cell at that position, the solenoid valve 15 controls the state switching of the third cylinder 12 to grasp the battery cell. If no battery cell is detected, the battery cell is not grasped to avoid empty grasping or accidental grasping and to protect the gripper 13, the third cylinder 12, and other components.

[0025] See Figure 5 As shown, to avoid direct rigid contact between the gripper 13 and the workpiece 60, in this embodiment, the gripper 13 is provided with a first protective part 130 and a second protective part 131 on the gripping surfaces facing the top of the workpiece 60 and opposite to the sides of the workpiece 60, respectively. The first protective part 130 protects the top of the workpiece 60, and the second protective part 131 protects the sides of the workpiece 60. Their function is to prevent scratches or indentations on the surface of the battery cell during clamping.

[0026] In one feasible implementation, the first protective part 130 includes a protective rubber block, and the second protective part 131 includes a protective rubber pad. Both the protective rubber block and the protective rubber pad are made of polyurethane, which is soft and elastic, preventing indentations or scratches on the battery cell surface caused by the rigid compression of the gripper 13. They also buffer the impact force during clamping, preventing battery cell deformation, leakage, or short circuits. The first protective part 130 and the second protective part 131 form a multi-faceted fit with the battery cell, preventing slippage and displacement even in high-speed movement and flipping operations, ensuring handling accuracy. Furthermore, the clamping force can be adjusted by the third cylinder 12 to prevent damage to the battery surface and improve operational flexibility.

[0027] See Figure 1-2 As shown, the transfer path of the battery cell between the material frame and the conveyor line may not be a straight path. Therefore, in this embodiment, a third drive assembly 31 is provided on the base 30 to drive the base 30 to rotate. The third drive assembly 31 includes a rotary motor 310 and a mounting surface 311. The rotary motor 310 is used to drive the base 30 to rotate, and the mounting surface 311 is used to connect a robot (not shown in the figure), which drives the entire clamping device to move.

[0028] See Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments of this application, the clamping device further includes a visual positioning mechanism 40 for identifying the position of the workpiece 60. The visual positioning mechanism 40 includes a visual positioning camera 41 and an illumination source. The visual positioning camera 41 is mounted on the base 30, and its field of view faces the area where the workpiece 60 is located. The illumination source 42 is used to provide illumination for the visual positioning camera 41 to take pictures. By taking diagonal pictures of the material frame with the visual positioning camera 41, the actual position of the material frame is automatically identified without manual calibration. After accurate positioning, the clamping assembly 10 can be guided to move accurately to the gripping point, reducing the risk of collision between the gripper 13 and the material frame and battery cell, and protecting the equipment and battery cell.

[0029] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments of this application, battery cells need to be scanned and identified before being put into service to screen out those that meet the standards. In this embodiment, the base 30 is also equipped with a barcode scanning mechanism 50 for identifying the barcode on the workpiece 60. The barcode scanning mechanism 50 scans the QR code of the battery cell to facilitate the reading of battery traceability information before it is put into service. It can also be linked with the MES system to receive its information feedback. Batteries that do not meet the requirements are not picked up before being put into service, and unqualified products are rejected to prevent defective cells from flowing into subsequent processes and improve their first-pass yield. This embodiment integrates the barcode scanning and detection steps into the battery cell picking device before it is put into service, eliminating the need for a separate barcode scanning and detection station. The battery cell is scanned and screened simultaneously during the picking process, reducing intermediate links such as battery cell transfer and waiting, shortening the service cycle, and adapting to the pace of high-speed automated production lines.

[0030] Based on the above embodiments, the working principle of the clamping device provided in this application is as follows: The visual positioning mechanism 40 positions the material frame, and the barcode scanning mechanism 50 reads the cell barcode and determines whether it is qualified. NG products are skipped and returned to the production line. Qualified products are gripped alternately by two sets of synchronous clamping units. The second drive component 21 drives the two inner clamping components 10 to be on the same straight line as the two outer clamping components 10. The third drive component 31 drives the entire clamping device to flip. The robot moves the clamping device to the conveyor line to complete the cell loading.

[0031] The circuits and controls involved in this utility model are all existing technologies, and will not be described in detail here.

[0032] The above description, based on the embodiments shown in the drawings, details the structure, features, and effects of this utility model. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this utility model, but the scope of implementation of this utility model is not limited to what is shown in the drawings. Any changes made in accordance with the concept of this utility model, or modifications to equivalent embodiments, that do not exceed the spirit covered by the specification and drawings, shall be within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A clamping device for clamping a workpiece, characterized in that, include: Base; The clamping mechanism includes four clamping components arranged in sequence. The clamping mechanism is configured such that two clamping components arranged at intervals form a group of synchronous clamping units. Each group of synchronous clamping units synchronously performs the action of clamping the workpiece, and the two groups of synchronous clamping units alternately perform the clamping action. The driving mechanism includes a first driving component and a second driving component. The first driving component is used to drive one of the clamping components in each group of synchronous clamping units to move along the length direction of the base, so as to adjust the relative spacing between the two clamping components in the synchronous clamping unit in the length direction of the base. The second driving component is used to drive another clamping component in each group of synchronous clamping units to move along the width direction of the base, so as to adjust the relative spacing between the two clamping components in each group of synchronous clamping units in the width direction of the base.

2. The clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping assembly that moves along the length direction of the base is located on the outside of the clamping mechanism, and the clamping assembly that moves along the width direction of the base is located on the inside of the clamping mechanism. The first driving assembly is configured to drive the two outer clamping assemblies to move independently, and the second driving assembly is configured to drive the two inner clamping assemblies to move synchronously.

3. The clamping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping component is slidably connected to both the first driving component and the second driving component, wherein... Each clamping component is equipped with a slider; The first driving component includes a first slide rail and a first cylinder. The first cylinder drives the sliders of the two outer clamping components to move independently on the corresponding first slide rails. The second drive assembly includes a second slide rail and a second cylinder. The second cylinder synchronously drives the sliders of the two clamping assemblies located on the inner side to move on the corresponding second slide rail.

4. The clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping assembly includes a third cylinder and a gripper, the third cylinder being used to drive the gripper to perform the action of clamping or releasing the workpiece.

5. The clamping device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The clamping assembly also includes a detection element and a solenoid valve. The detection element is disposed on the gripper. The input end of the solenoid valve is connected to the output end of the detection element, and the output end of the solenoid valve is connected to the input end of the third cylinder. The detection element is used to detect the presence state of the workpiece, and the solenoid valve drives the third cylinder to clamp the workpiece according to the detection result of the detection element.

6. The clamping device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The gripper has a first protective part and a second protective part on the gripping surface facing the top of the workpiece and the gripping surface opposite to the two sides of the workpiece, respectively.

7. The clamping device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first protective part includes a protective rubber block, and the second protective part includes a protective rubber pad.

8. The clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base is provided with a third driving component for driving the base to rotate.

9. The clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping device also includes a visual positioning mechanism for identifying the position of the workpiece. The visual positioning mechanism includes a visual positioning camera and an illumination source. The visual positioning camera is mounted on the base and its field of view is oriented towards the area where the workpiece is located. The illumination source is used to provide illumination for the visual positioning camera to capture images.

10. The clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base is also equipped with a barcode scanning mechanism for identifying barcodes on the workpiece.

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