DEVICE FOR MOISTENING PICK-UP AND INSERTION AIDS AND / OR CONTAINER OR FRAME CONSTRUCTIONS FOR IMPROVED ASSIGNMENT OF PLATE PACKS WITHIN A COMPLEX MANUFACTURING PLANT

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for wetting the inner surfaces of receiving and insertion aids and / or container or frame constructions in order to create an improved receiving or alignment of devices subsequently to be inserted into these containers, such as plate packs for battery production.

[0002] Due to the limited space available within a complex production plant, there is often very little room for implementing additional measures to improve production processes. Safety measures within the production plant must also be considered, which likewise require separate space and additional technical measures. For example, in typical spray systems for wetting or coating with lubricants, explosion protection within the production plant must also be taken into account.

[0003] US 2006 / 045 981 A1 describes a wetting device according to the preamble of claims 1 and 2. WO 2004 / 080 610 A1 discloses a coating device in which the coating is applied using a roller guided by a robot. US 2017 / 256 824 A1 describes a device for equipping battery housings with battery plates. A method for manufacturing cylindrical batteries is disclosed in JP H03 30254 A.

[0004] A wetting device according to the preamble of claims 1 and 2 is known from US patent 2018 / 257112 A1.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an additional device for wetting the inner surfaces of a container or frame structure outside the actual manufacturing process, which requires little space and no explosion protection measures. Furthermore, the device according to the invention should simultaneously serve to clean the relevant inner surfaces of contaminants and abrasion residues.

[0006] According to the invention, the problem is solved by the features of claim 1 or 2, wherein the advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0007] A device for wetting insertion aids for improved allocation of plate packages, wherein the device itself is arranged outside the complex manufacturing plant at the maintenance and rest position of the insertion aids, consists of a positioning device for precisely positioning the further arranged wetting device on the inner walls of the insertion aids to be wetted.

[0008] Furthermore, the device according to the invention comprises a supply system for the wetting agent. Advantageously, liquid PTFE is used as a wetting agent to improve lubrication.

[0009] In a first variant, the positioning device is designed as a linear axis system, which is constructed in such a way that both horizontally and vertically controllable movement sequences can be carried out in order to position the wetting device on the surfaces to be wetted.

[0010] At the end of the positioning device, a coating brush is arranged, which is connected to a wetting agent supply system.

[0011] A cleaning device for the coating brush, consisting of an additional container for rotating the removal of wetting, contamination, and abrasion residues, is also provided. The brush can be cleaned by rotating it and / or by rinsing it in a cleaning fluid located in the container to remove the residues.

[0012] The arrangement of the device for wetting the insertion aids outside the actual manufacturing process and there in the area of ​​the rest and / or maintenance station of the auxiliary devices and containers offers the possibility of a disruption in the manufacturing process.

[0013] In a further variant, the device according to the invention can be designed such that the positioning device is designed as a robot handling system and the wetting brush is arranged on the robot head in such a way that it can be brought and positioned to the points to be wetted on the receiving and insertion aids and / or containers or frame construction for gripping and boxing plate packs into the plate containers or frames via controllable movement sequences of the robot head and arm.

[0014] Here too, the arrangement of the robot handling system is outside the actual manufacturing process and is planned in the area of ​​the rest and / or maintenance station of the auxiliary devices and containers.

[0015] The wetting brush itself is equipped with an additional drive for rotation. In addition, the wetting brush can be designed as a horizontally or vertically arranged and / or as a swiveling brush roller.

[0016] The roller brush allows for more efficient wetting of larger areas of the surfaces to be wetted.

[0017] Advantageously, the wetting brushes or brush rollers are equipped with their own absorption and dispensing system for the wetting agent. This allows for low-loss and efficient application of the wetting agent.

[0018] To supply the brush with wetting agent, a receiving / dispensing system is arranged above the brush to receive and transfer the wetting agent to the bristles or the coating of the brushes.

[0019] However, the wetting agent can also be absorbed in the brush itself, and the wetting agent reaches the bristles or the coating of the wetting brush from the inside via bores.

[0020] This variant also includes a cleaning device for the coating brush, consisting of an additional container for the rotating removal of wetting, contamination, and abrasion residues. In this case as well, the brush can be cleaned both by rotating it and / or by rinsing it in a cleaning fluid located in the container.

[0021] Both variants also lead to a very efficient, low-loss use of the wetting agent and also mean that explosion protection measures, which are otherwise usual when using spray devices, for example, can be dispensed with.

[0022] To ensure a continuous supply of wetting agent to the wetting brush, the brush is directly connected to an upstream reservoir via a ring main. The reservoir is pressurized and, to guarantee the quality of the wetting agent, is equipped with a mixing device, such as an agitator.

[0023] The invention will be explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment.

[0024] This shows Fig. 1 a schematic top view of a positioning device (1) as a linear axis system (1) with drive motor for the linear horizontal and vertical movement of the positioning device with the wetting brush (2) arranged thereon, the receiving and dispensing system (3) for the wetting agent, the ring line (6) between the reservoir (5) for the wetting agent and the insertion aids 4 to be wetted and the cleaning container 7 for the coating brush 2; Fig. 2 a schematic side view of a positioning device (1) as a linear axis system with a wetting brush roller (2) arranged vertically on it between the surfaces to be wetted of the insertion aids (4) and the receiving and dispensing system (3) for the wetting agent connected to the wetting brush roller (2), the ring line (6) between the reservoir (5) for the wetting agent and the brush. Fig. 3 a schematic view of a positioning device (1) as a robot handling system with a coating brush (2) arranged on the robot head between the surfaces to be wetted of the insertion aids (4) and the receiving and dispensing system (3) for the wetting agent connected to the brush (2), the ring line (6) between the reservoir (5) for the wetting agent and the brush. Example 1:

[0025] According to the Figure 1 and 2The invention relates to a device for wetting insertion aids 4 in the form of a spreading device for the pockets of a battery housing for improved boxing of battery plate packs into these container or frame constructions.

[0026] This wetting process improves the alignment of the plate packs within the container or frame structures, the so-called battery housings of a complex production system. Above all, it aims to reliably prevent abrasion and damage to the battery housings and the battery plate packs.

[0027] This wetting device has a positioning device 1 for precisely positioning the wetting device on the inner walls of the insertion aids to be wetted.

[0028] Furthermore, the device has a wetting device with a supply system for the wetting agent and a cleaning device 7 for the coating brush.

[0029] In this example, the positioning device 1 is designed as a linear axis system with axes X and Z, thus enabling both horizontal and vertical movements. A coating brush 2 is arranged at the end of the positioning device 1 and is connected to a wetting agent supply system. This wetting agent supply system consists of the wetting agent receptacle 3 on the coating brush 2, which is connected via the ring line 6 to the reservoir 5 from which the wetting agent is supplied. The coating brush 2 is designed to rotate and is therefore equipped with an additional drive A. The coating brush 2 can be arranged and configured horizontally, vertically, or as a pivoting brush roller at the end of the linear system.

[0030] The coating brush or brush roller 2 is further equipped with a receiving and dispensing system 3 for receiving and dispensing the wetting agent.

[0031] To supply the coating brush 2 with the wetting agent, a receiving and dispensing system 3 is provided above the coating brush 2 for receiving and transferring the wetting agent to the bristles or the coating of the brush. For this purpose, the coating brush 2 is connected via a ring line 6 to an upstream pressurized reservoir 5 for the supply of wetting agent. A liquid PTFE is preferably used as the wetting agent.

[0032] This means that this wetting device is supplied and operates independently of the rest of the system. For cleaning the coating brush 2, the wetting device also includes a cleaning device 7, where the brush 2 can be cleaned of old coating materials via rapid rotation and / or an immersion tank and prepared for further use.

[0033] The advantages of this solution lie in an autonomous supply of the wetting brush 2 with the wetting agent, independent of the other process sequences of the production plant, and a feeder integrated into the production plant as a positioning device 1 for wetting the inner walls of the insertion aids when boxing the battery plate packs into the container or frame constructions.

[0034] This reliably prevents damage to the battery plate packs and the container and frame construction, without affecting or delaying the actual process. Example 2:

[0035] Another variant is according to Fig. 3 the design of the positioning device 1 as a robot handling system, wherein the coating brush 2 of the wetting device is arranged on the robot head.

[0036] The coating brush 2 is moved and positioned by controllable movements of the robot head and arm at the points on the inner walls of the insertion aids 4 to be wetted during the boxing of the battery plate packs into the container or frame structures. The coating brush 2 is designed to rotate and is therefore equipped with an additional drive A for rotation.

[0037] The coating brush 2 can be arranged horizontally or vertically on the robot head or designed as a swiveling brush roller.

[0038] The coating brush or brush roller 2 is further equipped with a receiving and dispensing system 3 for receiving and dispensing the wetting agent. This means that this wetting device is supplied and operates independently of the rest of the system.

[0039] To supply the coating brush 2 with the wetting agent, a wetting agent intake and dispensing device 3 is provided above the coating brush 2 for receiving and transferring the wetting agent to the bristles or the coating of the brush. For this purpose, the coating brush 2 is connected via a ring line 6 to an upstream pressurized reservoir 5 for the wetting agent supply. A liquid PTFE is preferably used as the wetting agent.

[0040] For cleaning the coating brush 2, the wetting device additionally has a cleaning device 7, where the brush 2 can be cleaned of old coating materials via rapid rotation and / or an immersion tank and prepared for further use.

[0041] The advantages of this solution lie in an autonomous supply of the wetting brush 2 with the wetting agent, independent of the other process sequences of the production plant, and an additional feeder to be installed on the production plant as a positioning device 1 for wetting the gripping device for gripping battery plate packages for boxing in container or frame constructions and / or for wetting the container or frame constructions.

[0042] This ensures that damage to the battery plate packs and the container and frame construction is avoided without affecting or delaying the actual process. Reference symbol list

[0043] 1 Positioning device as a linear axis system 2 Coating brush 3 Wetting agent intake and dispensing at the brush 4 Feed aids 5 Reservoir for the wetting agent 6 Ring line for the wetting agent supply 7 Cleaning device for brush A Drive X, Z axes of movement

Claims

1. Apparatus for wetting of inserting aids for the improved allocation of plate assemblies outside a complex fabrication system having positioning apparatus for accurate positioning of the wetting apparatus at the internal walls, to be wetted, of the inserting aids, as well as a wetting apparatus having a supply system for the wetting agent and a cleaning apparatus for the cleaning of a coating brush (2), wherein the positioning apparatus (1) is designed as a linear axis system, which is equipped via separate drives (A) for the movement axes (X, Z) with horizontal and also vertical movement sequences, and the coating brush (2), which is in communication with a wetting-agent supply system (3, 5 and 6), is disposed at the end of the positioning apparatus (1), and wherein the coating brush (2) is equipped with an additional drive (A) for rotation, characterized in that for supply of the coating brush (2) with wetting agent, a receiving / delivery system (3) disposed above the brush (2) is constructed for receiving and for transfer of the coating agent onto the bristles or the lining of the brushes.

2. Apparatus for wetting of inserting aids for the improved allocation of plate assemblies outside a complex fabrication system having positioning apparatus for accurate positioning of the wetting apparatus at the internal walls, to be wetted, of the inserting aids, as well as a wetting apparatus having a supply system for the wetting agent and a cleaning apparatus for the cleaning of the coating brush (2), wherein the positioning apparatus (1) is designed as a robotic handling system and the coating brush (2) is disposed on the robotic head and brought up to and positioned at the places to be wetted of the inserting aids (4) via controllable movement sequences of robotic head and arm, and wherein the coating brush (2) is equipped with an additional drive (A) for rotation, characterized in that for supply of the coating brush (2) with wetting agent, a receiving / delivery system (3) disposed above the brush (2) is constructed for receiving and for transfer of the coating agent onto the bristles or the lining of the brushes.

3. Apparatus for wetting of inserting aids according to claim 2, characterized in that the brush (2) is designed as a brush roller that is horizontally or vertically disposed and / or is swivelable.

4. Apparatus for wetting of inserting aids according to any one of claims 1 and 2 as well as 3, characterized in that the brush or brush roller (2) is equipped with a receiving and delivery system (3) of its own equipped for receiving the wetting agent.

5. Apparatus for wetting of inserting aids according to any one of claims 1 and 2 as well as 4, characterized in that, for the supply with wetting agent, the brush (2) is in communication via a ring line (6) with a reservoir container (7) disposed upstream and kept under pressure.

6. Apparatus for wetting of inserting aids according to any one of claims 1 and 2 as well as 4 and 5, characterized in that a cleaning apparatus (7) functioning for cleaning of the brush (2) is disposed as an additional container for rotary separation of the wetting, soiling and abrasion residues and / or in a cleaning fluid, disposed in the container, for flushing out the residues.

7. Apparatus for wetting of inserting aids according to any one of claims 1 and 2 as well as 4 to 6, characterized in that the wetting agent is a liquid PTFE.