Multi-compatible cell sorting station

Abstract

This application provides a multi-compatible battery cell sorting station, including: a base frame and battery cell support bars fixed on the base frame, a side centering mechanism, a large-area reference telescopic mechanism, and a servo propulsion mechanism; the side centering mechanism is located on both sides of the battery cell support bars and is used to center and clamp multiple battery cells placed on the battery cell support bars in the width direction; the large-area reference telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic cylinder and a limiting plate connected to the piston rod of the telescopic cylinder, used to push the limiting plate against the end face of the battery cell to perform reference positioning of multiple battery cells; the servo propulsion mechanism is arranged opposite to the large-area reference telescopic mechanism, and the servo propulsion mechanism includes a propulsion module driven by a first servo motor and a pressing block disposed on the propulsion module, used to press and propel the multiple battery cells along the length direction. The battery cell sorting station of this application has a compact structure, high degree of automation, and high compatibility, which can improve production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of new energy battery production equipment technology, specifically to an automated equipment for feeding and distributing prismatic battery cells, and in particular a multi-compatible battery cell distributing station. Background Technology

[0002] Against the backdrop of the rapid development of the new energy battery industry, the market has placed higher demands on the production efficiency, equipment compatibility, and rapid model changeover capabilities of square-shell battery cells. End customers offer a wide variety of product models, with significant differences in cell dimensions (length, width, and height). This necessitates that production equipment be able to flexibly adapt to different cell specifications while maintaining a high-speed production pace to achieve the goal of cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

[0003] Currently, traditional cell sorting methods mostly employ tray transitions or intermediate transfer table processes. These traditional solutions have the following inherent drawbacks: First, they are complex in structure and occupy a large area, resulting in inflexible production line layouts and high costs; second, they require manual intervention during changeovers, leading to long adjustment times and severely impacting production efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a compact, highly automated, and highly compatible cell sorting mechanism to address the shortcomings of the existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a multi-compatible cell sorting station with a compact structure, high degree of automation and high compatibility, which can improve production efficiency.

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a multi-compatible battery cell sorting platform, comprising: a base frame and battery cell support bars fixed to the base frame, a side centering mechanism, a large-area reference telescopic mechanism, and a servo propulsion mechanism; the side centering mechanism is located on both sides of the battery cell support bars and is used to center and clamp multiple battery cells placed on the battery cell support bars in the width direction; the large-area reference telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic cylinder and a limiting plate connected to the piston rod of the telescopic cylinder, used to push the limiting plate against the end face of the battery cell to perform reference positioning of the multiple battery cells; the servo propulsion mechanism is arranged opposite to the large-area reference telescopic mechanism, and the servo propulsion mechanism includes a propulsion module driven by a first servo motor and a pressing block disposed on the propulsion module, used to press and propel the multiple battery cells along the length direction of the multiple battery cells.

[0007] Optionally, the side alignment mechanism includes a second servo motor, a positive and negative trapezoidal lead screw driven by the second servo motor, and two cell alignment bars respectively connected to the two ends of the positive and negative trapezoidal lead screw; the second servo motor drives the positive and negative trapezoidal lead screw to rotate, causing the two cell alignment bars to move synchronously towards or away from each other, thereby centering and clamping the multiple cells in the width direction.

[0008] Optionally, a laser beam sensor is provided on the large-area reference telescopic mechanism to detect whether the battery cell is too high or too low.

[0009] Optionally, the large-area reference telescopic mechanism is also equipped with a laser ranging sensor, which is used to detect the distance between the limiting plate and the end face of the battery cell or to detect whether there is a battery cell on the battery cell support strip.

[0010] Optionally, the push block is a flexible block.

[0011] Optionally, the push block integrates a pressure sensor and an overpressure protection device for real-time monitoring of the pushing force.

[0012] Optionally, the contact surfaces of the cell support bar, the cell centering bar, the limiting plate, and the push block are all smooth surfaces made of highly self-lubricating plastic material.

[0013] Optionally, the sorting station is a highly integrated single-station structure. The multi-compatible cell sorting station is compatible with cell specifications of 130-305mm in length, 25-90mm in width, and 80-140mm in height.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of this application have the following advantages:

[0015] High compatibility and automation: The centering mechanism driven by servo motors and forward and reverse lead screws, as well as the servo-driven propulsion module, enables stepless adjustment and fully automatic centering and pushing of battery cells of different sizes, eliminating the need for manual cell replacement and ensuring high compatibility.

[0016] Compact structure and space saving: Adopting a highly integrated single-station design, all functional modules are integrated into a compact base frame, which greatly reduces the equipment footprint and facilitates transportation and production line layout.

[0017] Effective cell protection: The push block features a flexible design and integrates a pressure sensor and overvoltage protection device, enabling real-time monitoring and control of the pushing force to prevent cell damage. All parts in contact with the cell are made of highly self-lubricating plastic with smooth surfaces and no sharp edges, effectively avoiding the risk of scratching the cell's blue film.

[0018] Precise positioning and high reliability: By using laser rangefinders and laser beam sensors, the position, presence, and attitude of the battery cells are accurately detected, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the material sorting process and reducing the failure rate.

[0019] High production efficiency: The high degree of automation and smooth operation process significantly improve the efficiency of cell transfer from robot loading to subsequent processes. Attached Figure Description

[0020] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-compatible cell sorting station according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a servo propulsion mechanism according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a side centering mechanism according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of a large-area reference telescopic mechanism according to an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure label:

[0026] Base frame 1; battery cell support bar 2; side centering mechanism 3; second servo motor 31; positive and negative trapezoidal lead screws 32; battery cell centering bar 33; large surface reference telescopic mechanism 4; limit plate 41; laser beam sensor 42; laser rangefinder sensor 43; optical path 44; servo propulsion mechanism 5; propulsion module 51; push block 52; battery cell 6. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0028] It should be noted that the following description covers various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this application, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number and aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0029] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this application. The drawings only show the components related to this application and are not drawn according to the actual number, shape and size of the components in the actual implementation. In the actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0030] Additionally, specific details are provided in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, those skilled in the art will understand that practice can be carried out without these specific details.

[0031] like Figures 1-4As shown, this application embodiment provides a multi-compatible battery cell sorting station, including: a base frame 1 and battery cell support bars 2 fixed on the base frame 1, a side centering mechanism 3, a large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4, and a servo propulsion mechanism 5; the side centering mechanism 3 is located on both sides of the battery cell support bar 2, and is used to center and clamp multiple battery cells 6 placed on the battery cell support bar 2 in the width direction; the large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4 includes a telescopic cylinder and a limiting plate 41 connected to the piston rod of the telescopic cylinder, and is used to push the limiting plate 41 against the end face of the battery cell 6 to perform reference positioning of multiple battery cells 6; the servo propulsion mechanism 5 is arranged opposite to the large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4, as shown in the figure. Figure 2 As shown, the servo propulsion mechanism 5 includes a propulsion module 51 driven by a first servo motor and a pressing block 52 disposed on the propulsion module 51. The propulsion module 51 is located below the cell support bar 2. The pressing block 52 is used to press and propel the cells 6 along the length direction of the plurality of cells 6 under the push of the propulsion module 51.

[0032] In this embodiment, the base frame 1 can be a rigid frame welded from square tubing, providing support for the entire device. Several parallel cell support bars 2 are fixedly installed on the base frame 1 to support multiple cells 6 placed by the robot. Side alignment mechanisms 3 are provided on both sides of the cell support bars 2, clamping and aligning the cells 6 in the width direction (X-direction) to ensure that the sides of all cells 6 are flush. A large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4 and a servo propulsion mechanism 5 are provided perpendicular to the alignment direction of the side alignment mechanism 3, arranged opposite each other. The function of the large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4 is to extend a limiting plate 41 to provide a reference positioning surface for the length direction (Y-direction) of the cell 6. The servo propulsion mechanism 5 is responsible for pressing the cell 6 towards the reference surface. The propulsion module 51 of the servo propulsion mechanism 5 can specifically be a ball screw module or a synchronous belt linear module, with its base fixedly installed on the base frame 1 and located below the cell support bars 2. The clamping operation is as follows: The first servo motor starts after receiving a command from the control system. Its output shaft can be directly connected to the drive shaft (lead screw or synchronous pulley) of the propulsion module 51 via a coupling. The drive shaft is connected to the clamping block 52. When the motor rotates, it drives the drive shaft (lead screw or synchronous pulley) of the propulsion module 51 to move linearly, thereby causing the clamping block 52 to move smoothly towards the large surface of the battery cell assembly 6. When the clamping block 52 contacts the end face of the battery cell, it clamps the battery cell 6 in the length direction (Y direction). Then, the large surface reference telescopic mechanism 4 returns to its initial position, and then the servo propulsion mechanism 5 pushes the battery cells 6 one by one to the subsequent production line.

[0033] This embodiment of the application constructs a basic and efficient automated material distribution platform through the coordinated operation of three core mechanisms (side centering mechanism 3, large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4, and servo propulsion mechanism 5). This platform achieves precise positioning and orderly pushing of the battery cells 6. The side centering mechanism 3, through its clamping function, adapts to battery cells 6 of different widths. The large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4, driven by a cylinder, extends the limiting plate 41, providing a unified reference positioning surface for battery cells 6 of different lengths. The servo propulsion mechanism 5, through a servo motor-driven propulsion module 51 and a pressing block 52, flexibly adjusts the pressing and pushing strokes to match the length of the battery cells 6. The coordinated operation of these three mechanisms ensures compatibility with different sizes of prismatic battery cells, improving versatility.

[0034] In an alternative embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the side alignment mechanism 3 includes a second servo motor 31, a forward and reverse trapezoidal lead screw 32 driven by the second servo motor 31, and two battery cell alignment bars 33 respectively connected to the two ends of the forward and reverse trapezoidal lead screw 32. The forward and reverse trapezoidal lead screw 32 is defined as having a left-hand thread at one end and a right-hand thread at the other end. The left-hand battery cell alignment bar 33 is connected to the left-hand threaded section via a nut pair, and the right-hand battery cell alignment bar 33 is connected to the right-hand threaded section via a nut pair. The battery cell 6 is located between the left-hand and right-hand battery cell alignment bars 33. When the second servo motor 31 receives a command, it starts to rotate, driving the forward and reverse trapezoidal lead screw 32 to rotate, causing the two battery cell alignment bars 33 to move synchronously towards or away from each other, thereby centering and clamping or releasing the battery cell 6 in the width direction (X direction). In other embodiments, the side alignment mechanism 3 of this application may also employ other methods (such as the driving method of a cylinder or hydraulic cylinder) to achieve alignment and clamping of multiple battery cells 6 placed on the battery cell support bar 2 in the width direction.

[0035] This embodiment uses a servo motor in conjunction with a forward and reverse trapezoidal lead screw to achieve stepless and precise adjustment of the centering width. It can adapt to battery cells of different widths, avoid manual changeover, significantly shorten changeover time, and improve the equipment's versatility and operational efficiency.

[0036] Preferred, such as Figure 4As shown, a laser beam sensor 42 is installed on the large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4 to detect whether the battery cell 6 is too high or too low. The transmitting and receiving ends of the laser beam sensor 42 can be located on the upper sides of the battery cell support bar 2, respectively. When the battery cell 6 is placed on the battery cell support bar 2, if the battery cell 6 is "too low" due to misalignment or "too high" due to stacking, it will block the detection optical path 44 of the laser beam sensor 42. The laser beam sensor 42 will immediately send a signal to the control system to alarm or suspend the operation. This embodiment adds a real-time detection function for the incoming status of the battery cell 6, which can effectively avoid equipment jamming or battery cell damage caused by abnormal robot feeding, and greatly improve the intelligence and operational reliability of the equipment.

[0037] Preferably, the large-area reference telescopic mechanism 4 is further provided with a laser range sensor 43, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the laser rangefinder 43 is used to detect the distance between the limiting plate 41 and the end face of the battery cell 6, or to detect whether there is a battery cell 6 on the battery cell support strip 2. In this embodiment, the laser rangefinder 43 can have two detection logics: first, it can measure the distance between the limiting plate 41 and the end face of the battery cell 6 to help determine whether the battery cell 6 has been pushed into place; second, it can detect whether there is a battery cell 6 at a predetermined position on the battery cell support strip 2 to determine whether all the battery cells 6 have been pushed out. This embodiment provides a non-contact, precise detection method, providing key data input for the logic judgment of the control system, ensuring accurate triggering of the material distribution action and smooth process flow.

[0038] In an optional embodiment, the pusher block 52 is a flexible block. This flexible block can be made of materials with a certain degree of elasticity and toughness, such as polyurethane or engineering rubber. When the flexible pusher block 52 comes into contact with the large surface of the battery cell 6, it can undergo slight deformation, increasing the contact area and making the pressure distribution more uniform, thus avoiding surface damage or internal structural destruction of the battery cell 6 caused by rigid impacts and point contacts.

[0039] Preferably, the pressing block 52 integrates a pressure sensor for real-time monitoring of the pressing force and an overpressure protection device. The pressure sensor can monitor the force exerted by the pressing block 52 on the battery cell 6 in real time and feed the data back to the control system. When the force exceeds the set safety threshold, the overpressure protection device will be triggered, stopping the advancement and triggering an alarm. This dual protection ensures the safety of the battery cell 6 during the pressing and pushing process.

[0040] Preferably, the contact surfaces of the cell support strip 2, the cell centering strip 33, the limiting plate 41, and the pressing block 52 are all smooth surfaces made of highly self-lubricating plastic material. The highly self-lubricating material ensures an extremely low coefficient of friction, effectively preventing scratches, abrasions, or wear on the blue protective film (blue film) on the surface of the cell 6 from metal or rough surfaces during the pushing and sliding process. This makes the pushing and sliding process smooth, further protecting the integrity of the blue film on the surface of the cell 6 and improving product yield.

[0041] Preferably, the multi-compatible cell sorting station is a highly integrated single-station structure. The cell specifications it accommodates are: length 130-305mm, width 25-90mm, and height 80-140mm. The single-station integrated design significantly reduces the equipment's footprint and overall cost, facilitating transportation, installation, and maintenance. This embodiment, through its reasonable size range design, can cover the specifications of most square-shell cells on the market, exhibiting extremely high versatility.

[0042] It has the following advantages compared to existing technologies:

[0043] High compatibility and automation: The centering mechanism driven by servo motors and forward and reverse lead screws, as well as the servo-driven propulsion module, enables stepless adjustment and fully automatic centering and pushing of battery cells of different sizes. No manual type change is required, and it is compatible with the specifications of most square-shell battery cells on the market.

[0044] Compact structure and space saving: Adopting a highly integrated single-station design, all functional modules are integrated into a compact base frame, which greatly reduces the equipment footprint and facilitates transportation and production line layout.

[0045] Effective cell protection: The push block features a flexible design and integrates a pressure sensor and overvoltage protection device, enabling real-time monitoring and control of the pushing force to prevent cell damage. All parts in contact with the cell are made of highly self-lubricating plastic with smooth surfaces and no sharp edges, effectively avoiding the risk of scratching the cell's blue film.

[0046] Precise positioning and high reliability: By using laser rangefinders and laser beam sensors, the position, presence, and attitude of the battery cells are accurately detected, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the material sorting process and reducing the failure rate.

[0047] High production efficiency: The high degree of automation and smooth operation process significantly improve the efficiency of cell transfer from robot loading to subsequent processes.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments are specific embodiments for implementing the present invention, and in practical applications, various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-compatible battery cell sorting station, characterized in that, include: The base frame, along with the battery cell support bar, side centering mechanism, large-area reference telescopic mechanism, and servo propulsion mechanism fixed on the base frame; The side alignment mechanism is located on both sides of the cell support bar and is used to center and clamp multiple cells placed on the cell support bar in the width direction. The large-area reference telescopic mechanism includes a telescopic cylinder and a limiting plate connected to the piston rod of the telescopic cylinder, which is used to push the limiting plate against the end face of the battery cell to perform reference positioning on the multiple battery cells; The servo propulsion mechanism is arranged opposite to the large-area reference telescopic mechanism. The servo propulsion mechanism includes a propulsion module driven by a first servo motor and a pressing block disposed on the propulsion module, which is used to press and propel the multiple battery cells along the length direction of the multiple battery cells.

2. The multi-compatible cell sorting station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side alignment mechanism includes a second servo motor, a positive and negative trapezoidal lead screw driven by the second servo motor, and two battery cell alignment bars respectively connected to the two ends of the positive and negative trapezoidal lead screw; The second servo motor drives the positive and negative trapezoidal lead screws to rotate, causing the two cell centering bars to move synchronously towards or away from each other, thereby centering and clamping the multiple cells in the width direction.

3. The multi-compatible cell sorting station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The large-area reference telescopic mechanism is equipped with a laser beam sensor to detect whether the battery cell is too high or too low.

4. The multi-compatible cell sorting station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The large-area reference telescopic mechanism is also equipped with a laser range sensor, which is used to detect the distance between the limiting plate and the end face of the battery cell or to detect whether there is a battery cell on the battery cell support bar.

5. The multi-compatible cell sorting station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The push block is a flexible block.

6. The multi-compatible cell sorting station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The push block is equipped with a pressure sensor and an overpressure protection device for real-time monitoring of the pushing force.

7. The multi-compatible cell sorting station according to claim 2, characterized in that, The contact surfaces of the cell support bar, the cell centering bar, the limiting plate, and the push block are all smooth surfaces made of highly self-lubricating plastic material.

8. The multi-compatible cell sorting station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sorting station is a highly integrated single-station structure. The multi-compatible cell sorting station is compatible with cell specifications of 130-305mm in length, 25-90mm in width, and 80-140mm in height.

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