Transfer device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport device which is composed of a plurality of plates connected to each other, and which attaches battery cells to the plates and transports them in one direction, and which includes a mounting portion to which the battery cells are attached, the mounting portion including a center plate to which the battery cells are attached, support plates respectively connected to both sides of the center plate, and a moving bar which moves on the support plates toward the center plate to support sides of the attached battery cells.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer device that transfers attached battery cells in one direction, and is characterized by having a structure that can align and fix attached battery cells while transferring them.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0108576, filed on August 29, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Lithium secondary batteries are manufactured in cylindrical, prismatic, pouch, and other shapes depending on their shape. Pouch-type battery cells are particularly used in a variety of fields because they can be stacked with high density, have high energy density per weight, are inexpensive, and are easily deformable.

[0004] The operating voltage of such a pouch-type battery cell is approximately 2.5 V to 4.2 V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series or in parallel.

[0005] The manufactured pouch-type battery cells can be transported in a variety of ways, but typically a belt or plate-type conveyor is used.

[0006] FIG. 1 shows the process of placing a battery cell C, which is to be sucked and transported by a suction unit U, on a conveyor 10.

[0007] As shown in Fig. 1, the battery cells C carried loose by the suction unit U are mounted on plates 20 included in the conveyor 10 at regular intervals. In order to prevent the battery cells C from shifting position, support bars 30 may be provided on the plates 20 at regular intervals. The battery cells C are transported by the conveyor 10 while inserted between the support bars 30.

[0008] However, in the conveyor 10 having the above structure, since the support bar 30 is fixed on the plate 20, if the adjustment of the lowered position of the suction unit U and the position of the support bar 30 fails, problems may arise in that the battery cell C is installed in a misaligned state or the battery cell C is not properly inserted between the support bars 30. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0026316 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that can align and fix battery cells during transfer.

[0011] Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and become more apparent from the embodiments of the present invention. Also, it is easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof as claimed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] According to the present invention, there is provided a transfer device comprising a plurality of plates connected to each other, for attaching battery cells to the plates and transferring them in one direction, the transfer device including a mounting portion to which the battery cells are attached, the mounting portion including a center plate to which the battery cells are attached, support plates connected to both sides of the center plate, and a moving bar that moves on the support plates toward the center plate to support the sides of the attached battery cells.

[0013] The mounting portion may further include a sensor for sensing an object.

[0014] The sensor is provided on the center plate, and the sensor included in the center plate detects that the battery cell is attached to the center plate, and the moving bar can move forward toward the center plate and pressurize the battery cell upon detection by the sensor.

[0015] It may include a plurality of mounting portions spaced apart at predetermined intervals.

[0016] The support plate includes a first support plate connected to one side of the center plate and a second support plate connected to the other side of the center plate, and a pair of moving bars included in the first support plate and the second support plate can move toward the center plate to support and fix both sides of the battery cell attached to the center plate.

[0017] The moving bars included in the first support plate and the second support plate may move in opposite directions.

[0018] The mounting portion may be provided on a lower portion of the support plate and may include a cylinder body into which a piston that reciprocates toward the center plate is inserted.

[0019] The support plate includes a guide portion formed to extend in a transfer direction, and the piston includes a connecting member at an end portion thereof that penetrates the guide portion and is connected to the moving bar, and the moving bar connected to the piston can move toward the center plate by the connecting member that moves while being guided by the guide portion.

[0020] The mounting part may further include an auxiliary plate connected to one side of the support plate facing the center plate, and the mounting part may include a cylinder body provided below the auxiliary plate and having a piston inserted therein that reciprocates toward the center plate.

[0021] The support plate includes a guide portion formed to extend in a transfer direction, and the piston includes a connecting member at an end portion thereof that penetrates the guide portion and is connected to the moving bar, and the moving bar connected to the piston can move toward the center plate by the connecting member that moves while being guided by the guide portion.

[0022] The moving bar may be formed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0023] The travel bar may include a sloped surface on a top edge toward the center plate.

[0024] The plate may further include a connecting member connecting a pair of adjacently positioned plates. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, the misalignment of the battery cells can be prevented in advance during the process of transporting the battery cells via the plate-type conveyor, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting the battery cells. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 shows a conventional conveyor transfer device. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 shows the attachment portion of the transfer device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the attachment portion of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] This shows that a sensor is applied to the mounting part. [Figure 6] This shows the mounting portion before the battery cells are attached. [Figure 7] 1 shows the mounting portion after the battery cells have been mounted and before the battery cells are aligned. [Figure 8] This shows the mounting area after the battery cells have been aligned. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a transfer device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a mounting portion included in the transfer device of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before that, the terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of the terms to best describe his own invention.

[0028] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of this application.

[0029] Furthermore, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related publicly known structures or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0030] The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, and therefore the shapes and sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or illustrated schematically for clearer explanation. Therefore, the sizes and proportions of each component do not completely reflect the actual sizes and proportions.

[0031] The present invention relates to a transfer device 1000 incorporating an alignment function. More specifically, the present invention relates to a transfer device 1000 that is composed of a plurality of plates 1000a connected to each other, and transfers battery cells C attached to the plates 1000a in one direction.

[0032] The transfer device 1000 of the present invention is characterized in that it applies pressure to both sides of the battery cells C mounted on the plate 1000a to align and fix the positions of the battery cells C.

[0033] 2 to 7 relate to a transfer device 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 8 to 10 relate to a transfer device 1000 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Hereinafter, the transfer device 1000 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] (First embodiment) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a transfer device 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer device 1000 of the present invention is composed of a plurality of plates 1000a connected to each other.

[0037] The plates 1000a are spaced apart at predetermined intervals and connected to each other by separate connecting members 1000b that connect adjacent plates 1000a, as shown in FIG.

[0038] The transfer device 1000 of the present invention includes mounting portions to which battery cells C are attached. More specifically, the transfer device 1000 of the present invention includes a plurality of mounting portions spaced apart at predetermined intervals, and a battery cell C is attached to each mounting portion and transferred.

[0039] The mounting portion is composed of a center plate 110 on which the battery cells C are mounted, support plates 120 connected to both sides of the center plate 110, and a moving bar 150 that moves on the support plate 120 toward the center plate 110 to support the sides of the mounted battery cells C.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the battery cell C may be transferred onto the mounting portion with its upper portion being sucked onto the suction unit U, and is mounted on the center plate 110 by moving the suction unit U.

[0041] The battery cells C attached to the center plate 110 as described above are transported in one direction.

[0042] The battery cells C attached to the mounting portions may be attached only on the center plate 110 or may be attached across the center plate 110 and the support plate 120 .

[0043] The transfer device 1000 of the present invention may include a plurality of center plates 110 spaced apart at predetermined intervals, and the battery cells C attached to each center plate 110 are all transferred in the same direction.

[0044] The support plate 120 serves to guide the battery cell C sucked by the suction unit U to the center of the center plate 110. More specifically, the support plate 120 serves to support the lower part of the moving bar 150 so that the moving bar 150 moving at the upper part can move back and forth horizontally.

[0045] The moving bar 150 reciprocates on the support plate 120 toward the center plate 110 or in a direction opposite to the center plate 110 .

[0046] The moving bar 150 moves to the center plate 110 to align the positions of the battery cells C mounted on the center plate 110 or to press and fix the battery cells C.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows the mounting portion of the transfer device 1000 of FIG.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the moving bar 150 may be formed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and press or support the side of the battery cell C through the side of the extended moving bar 150.

[0049] The moving bar 150 further includes an inclined surface that guides the battery cell C descending from above so that the battery cell C is attached to the center plate 110 .

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inclined surface is formed on an upper edge of the moving bar 150 facing the center plate 110, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the moving bar 150.

[0051] When the battery cell C descends while being sucked into the suction unit U, if the position is misaligned, the battery cell C can descend to the inside of the moving bar 150 by riding on the inclined surface formed on the moving bar 150 and be attached to the center plate 110.

[0052] 2 and 3, the moving bar 150 moves back and forth toward the center plate 110 to support the sides of the attached battery cells C. More specifically, the moving bars 150 located on both sides of the center plate 110 simultaneously move on the support plate 120 toward the center plate 110, applying pressure to both sides of the attached battery cells C.

[0053] Therefore, the battery cells C, which are pressed at the same speed on both sides, are aligned on the center plate 110 so that the longitudinal direction of the battery cells C is parallel to both the longitudinal direction of the moving bar 150 and the longitudinal direction of the center plate 110.

[0054] The moving bar 150 can be reciprocated by the operation of a piston 141 inserted into a cylinder body 140 .

[0055] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the mounting portion of FIG.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 4, the mounting portion is provided at the bottom of the support plate 120 and includes a cylinder body 140 into which a piston 141 that reciprocates toward the center plate 110 is inserted, and the moving bar 150 is coupled to the piston 141 and reciprocates with the operation of the piston 141.

[0057] The mounting portion of the present invention may further include an auxiliary plate 130 connected to one side of the support plate 120 facing the center plate 110, and in this case, the cylinder body 140 is coupled to the auxiliary plate 130.

[0058] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the cylinder body 140 is connected to the lower part of the auxiliary plate 130, and the piston 141 inserted into the cylinder body 140 reciprocates under the support plate 120 between the auxiliary plate 130 and the center plate 110.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the support plate 120 includes a guide portion 121 extending in a moving direction, and the piston 141 moves while being guided by the guide portion 121.

[0060] The piston 141 includes a connecting member 160 at an end thereof, which penetrates the guide portion 121 and is connected to the moving bar 150, and the moving bar 150 and the piston 141 reciprocate along a path guided by the connecting member 160 in the guide portion 121. That is, the moving bar 150 connected to the piston 141 by the connecting member 160 can move toward the center plate 110 by the connecting member 160, which moves while being guided by the guide portion 121.

[0061] As the piston 141 is inserted into the cylinder body 140, the moving bar 150 moves in a direction facing the center plate 110, and as the piston 141 protrudes from the cylinder body 140, the moving bar 150 moves toward the center plate 110. Due to the operation of the piston 141, the moving bar 150 moves toward and away from the battery cell C.

[0062] The travel bar 150 can be actuated by sensing the sensor 170 .

[0063] That is, the attachment portion included in the transfer device 1000 of the present invention may further include a sensor 170 that detects an object.

[0064] To improve the efficiency of the process, the moving bar 150 moves in response to the detection of the sensor 170 only after the battery cell C sucked by the suction unit U is mounted on the center plate 110 .

[0065] FIG. 5 shows the sensor 170 applied to the mount.

[0066] The sensor 170 may preferably be provided on the center plate 110, and the sensor 170 included in the center plate 110 detects that the battery cell C, which is attracted to and moves by the suction unit U, is attached to the mounting portion.

[0067] The sensor 170 may be a pressure sensor 170 that senses the weight of the battery cell C, or an optical sensor 170 that senses light to detect whether the battery cell C is completely attached to the center plate 110. However, the sensor 170 of the present invention is not limited to the above types, and any type of sensor 170 that can detect whether the battery cell C is properly attached to the center plate 110 can be applied to the transfer device 1000 of the present invention.

[0068] The support plate 120 includes a first support plate 120a connected to one side of the center plate 110 and a second support plate 120b connected to the other side of the center plate 110.

[0069] The moving bars 150 included in the first and second support plates 120a and 120b move in opposite directions.

[0070] Figures 6 to 8 show the operation of the transfer device 1000 of the present invention in stages. Specifically, Figure 6 shows the mounting portion before the battery cells C are mounted, Figure 7 shows the mounting portion after the battery cells C have been mounted and before the battery cells C are aligned, and Figure 8 shows the mounting portion after the battery cells C have been aligned.

[0071] Referring to Figure 6(a), before the battery cell C attracted to the suction unit U descends to the mounting portion, the moving bar 150 waits in a state where it has moved to its maximum extent in a direction facing the center plate 110. At this time, referring to Figure 6(b), the piston 141 remains fully inserted into the cylinder body 140.

[0072] 7(a), the battery cell C sucked by the suction unit U descends to the mounting portion and is mounted on the center plate 110. At this time, the moving bar 150 waits while maintaining the position shown in FIG. 6 so as not to interfere with the mounting of the battery cell C. At this time, the piston 141 also maintains the position shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 7(b).

[0073] 8(a), the moving bars 150 on both sides move toward the battery cell C mounted on the center plate 110 and press the side of the battery cell C. As a result, the battery cell C is pressed by the moving bars 150, and is aligned and fixed at the same time. At this time, the piston 141 protrudes from the cylinder body 140 as shown in FIG. 8(b).

[0074] As described with reference to the drawings, the transfer device 1000 of the present invention is provided with a moving bar 150 that moves back and forth horizontally to align and fix the battery cells C on the plate 1000a. This prevents the process of the battery cells C being attached by the moving bar 150 from being interrupted, and the battery cells are stably aligned, thereby improving the efficiency of the process.

[0075] (Second embodiment) The cylinder body of the present invention can also be directly coupled to the support plate 120 instead of the auxiliary plate 130 .

[0076] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a transfer device 1000 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a mounting portion included in the transfer device 1000 of FIG.

[0077] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the mounting portion includes a center plate 110, a pair of support plates 120 connected to both sides of the center plate 110, and a moving bar 150 that moves horizontally back and forth on the support plate 120.

[0078] The cylinder body 140 is provided under the support plate 120 .

[0079] Specifically, the support plate 120 includes a guide portion 121 extending in the transfer direction, and a cylinder body 140 having a piston 141 inserted therein, which reciprocates toward the center plate 110, at its lower portion.

[0080] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the battery cell C adsorbed to the suction unit U is attached to the upper part of the center plate 110, the piston 141 of the cylinder body 140 provided at the lower part of the support plate 120 moves, and the moving bar 150 connected to the piston 141 by the connecting member 160 moves toward the center plate 110 to pressurize the side of the battery cell C.

[0081] The transfer device 1000 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the advantage that a larger number of battery cells C can be transferred on the transfer device 1000 of the same length, since a smaller number of plates 1000a are required to align and fix the battery cells C.

[0082] The present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to the drawings and embodiments, etc. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments, etc. in this specification are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10: (Prior Art) Conveyor 20: (Prior Art) Plate 30: (Prior Art) Support bar 1000: Transfer device 1000a: Plate 1000b: connecting member 110: Center plate 120: Support plate 120a: First support plate 120b: Second support plate 121: Guide section 130: Auxiliary plate 140: Cylinder body 141: Piston 150:Movement bar 160: Connecting member 170: Sensor U: Inhalation unit C: Battery cell

Claims

1. A transfer device that is composed of a plurality of plates connected to each other, and transfers battery cells attached to the plates in one direction, a mounting portion to which the battery cell is attached; The mounting portion is a center plate on which the battery cells are attached; support plates connected to both sides of the center plate; a moving bar that moves on the support plate toward the center plate to support a side of the attached battery cell.

2. The transfer device of claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion further includes a sensor for sensing an object.

3. the sensor is provided on the center plate; the sensor included in the center plate detects that the battery cell is mounted on the center plate; The transfer device according to claim 2 , wherein the moving bar moves forward toward the center plate and presses the battery cells in response to detection by the sensor.

4. 10. The transfer device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of mounting portions spaced apart at predetermined intervals.

5. The support plate is a first support plate connected to one side of the center plate; a second support plate connected to the other side of the center plate, 2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a pair of moving bars included in the first support plate and the second support plate move toward the center plate to support and fix both sides of the battery cell attached to the center plate.

6. The transfer device of claim 5 , wherein the moving bars included in the first support plate and the second support plate move in opposite directions.

7. The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion is provided on a lower portion of the support plate and includes a cylinder body into which a piston that reciprocates toward the center plate is inserted.

8. The support plate includes a guide portion extending in a transfer direction, the piston includes a connecting member at an end thereof, the connecting member passing through the guide portion and connecting with the moving bar; The transfer device according to claim 7 , wherein the moving bar coupled to the piston moves toward the center plate by the coupling member that moves while being guided by the guide portion.

9. The mounting portion is The support plate further includes an auxiliary plate connected to one side of the support plate facing the center plate, The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion is provided on a lower portion of the auxiliary plate and includes a cylinder body into which a piston that reciprocates toward the center plate is inserted.

10. The support plate includes a guide portion extending in a transfer direction, the piston includes a connecting member at an end thereof, the connecting member passing through the guide portion and connecting with the moving bar; The transfer device according to claim 9 , wherein the moving bar coupled to the piston moves toward the center plate by the coupling member that moves while being guided by the guide portion.

11. The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the moving bar extends in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction.

12. The transfer device of claim 1 , wherein the travel bar includes a sloped surface on an upper edge toward the center plate.

13. The transfer device according to claim 1 , further comprising a connecting member connecting a pair of adjacently positioned plates.

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