System and method for detecting cover closing gap of cylindrical cell

Abstract

A system and method for detecting a cover closing gap of a cylindrical cell. The system (10) for detecting a cover closing gap of a cylindrical cell comprises a support cup (2), a detection mechanism (3), a rotary jacking mechanism (4), a down-pressing mechanism (5), and one or more gap detection stations (1). The support cup (2) is disposed at a gap detection station (1), and the support cup (1) is provided with a receiving recess (2a) for receiving the cylindrical cell (20) and a through hole (2b) running through the bottom wall of the receiving recess. The detection mechanism (3) is disposed at the gap detection station (1) for detecting the cover closing gap (20a) on the side surface of the cylindrical cell (20). A rotary jacking mechanism (4) is disposed below the support cup (2) for jacking the cylindrical cell (20) located in the receiving recess (2a). The down-pressing mechanism (5) is disposed above the support cup (2) for pressing down the cylindrical cell (20), such that the down-pressing mechanism (5) and the rotary jacking mechanism (4) clamp two ends of the cylindrical cell (20) in the height direction, and the rotary jacking mechanism (4) can drive the cylindrical cell (20) to rotate. The down-pressing mechanism (5) comprises a third driving member and a down-pressing portion (51), and the detection system (10) further comprises an encoder (6) disposed on the down-pressing portion.

Description

Detection system and method for cylindrical battery cell cover gap

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure is based on Chinese patent application number 202410178317.8, application date February 9, 2024, and invention name “Detection system and detection method for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells”, and claims the priority of the Chinese patent application. The entire content of the Chinese patent application is hereby introduced into this disclosure as a reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of battery production, and in particular to a detection system and method for a gap between the covers of cylindrical battery cells. Background Art

[0004] This section is intended to provide a background or context for the embodiments of the present disclosure. No admission is made that the description herein is prior art by virtue of its inclusion in this section.

[0005] New energy batteries are being used more and more widely in life and industry. For example, new energy vehicles equipped with batteries have been widely used. In addition, batteries are also being increasingly used in energy storage fields.

[0006] In the battery cell production process, a bare cell is placed into a cylindrical casing and the rear cover is closed to produce a cylindrical cell with a casing. After the bare cell is placed into the casing, casing-cover welding is required to weld the cylindrical casing to the cell rear cover. To ensure the quality of the casing-cover welding, the gap between the cell rear cover and the cylindrical casing can be inspected after the cells are closed and before the casing is welded to ensure that the gap is within the process range.

[0007] However, the solutions for detecting the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells in related technologies have low detection reliability and may cause damage such as wear or scratches on the surface of the cylindrical battery cells, affecting product quality.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure hope to provide a detection system and method for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells, which can improve the reliability of the cover gap detection of cylindrical battery cells, reduce damage to the surface of cylindrical battery cells, and improve product quality.

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for detecting a gap between a cylindrical battery cell and a cover, comprising:

[0011] One or more gap detection stations;

[0012] A support cup is provided at the gap detection station, wherein the support cup is provided with a receiving groove for receiving the cylindrical battery cell and a through hole penetrating the bottom wall of the receiving groove;

[0013] A detection mechanism provided at the gap detection station, for detecting the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell;

[0014] A rotary lifting mechanism provided below the support cup, for lifting the cylindrical battery cell located in the receiving groove;

[0015] The pressing mechanism provided above the supporting cup is used to press down the cylindrical battery core so that the pressing mechanism and the rotating lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction, and the rotating lifting mechanism can drive the cylindrical battery core to rotate.

[0016] In the detection system for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells of the disclosed embodiment, on the one hand, the rotary lifting mechanism drives the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, and during the process of the cylindrical battery cell rotating relative to the detection mechanism, the detection mechanism detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell, which enables the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap in different areas of the side of the cylindrical battery cell, thereby improving the reliability of the cover gap detection. On the other hand, before the rotary lifting mechanism drives the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, the pressing mechanism can press down the cylindrical battery cell, which can clamp the pressing mechanism and the rotary lifting mechanism at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell in the height direction, thereby making the cylindrical battery cell in a clamped state in the height direction during the rotation process, reducing the jumping and slipping problems of the cylindrical battery cell, so as to further improve the reliability of the cover gap detection and reduce the problem of battery cell scratches. On the other hand, before the pressing mechanism presses down the cylindrical battery cell, the rotating lifting mechanism can first lift the cylindrical battery cell located in the support cup by a first preset distance so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell is separated from the bottom wall of the support cup. In this way, the pressure of the bottom wall of the cylindrical support cup on the cylindrical battery cell can be reduced, thereby reducing damage to the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell and reducing the wear and scratches caused by the relative movement between the cylindrical battery cell and the support cup during subsequent rotation.

[0017] In some embodiments, the rotary lifting mechanism includes an elastic reset member and a lifting member, the lifting member is used to abut against the cylindrical battery core, and the elastic reset member cooperates with the lifting member so that the lifting member can be extended and retracted along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core under the action of elastic force.

[0018] Here, by providing an elastic reset member in conjunction with the lifting member, on the one hand, the lifting member can be extended and retracted along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell under the elastic force of the elastic reset member. This allows for compatibility with cylindrical battery cells of varying heights and improves the applicability of the detection system. On the other hand, the rotating lifting mechanism can be clamped to the end of the cylindrical battery cell along the height direction under the action of the elastic force. In other words, there is no hard contact between the rotating lifting mechanism and the cylindrical battery cell, further reducing damage to the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0019] In some embodiments, the rotary lifting mechanism further includes a first driving member, a second driving member, and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion and the lifting member are slidably connected along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core, and the elastic return member is disposed between the connecting portion and the lifting member;

[0020] The first driving member drives the connecting portion to rotate and drives the lifting member to rotate; the second driving member drives the connecting portion to move along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core and drives the lifting member to lift the cylindrical battery core.

[0021] The rotary lifting mechanism is provided with a first driving member, a second driving member and a connecting part, and an elastic reset member is provided between the connecting part and the lifting member. The first driving member drives the connecting part to rotate to drive the lifting member to rotate, and the second driving member drives the connecting part to drive the lifting member to lift the cylindrical battery cell, thereby enabling the rotary lifting mechanism to rotate and lift the cylindrical battery cell. The structure of the rotary lifting mechanism is simple and compact.

[0022] In some embodiments, the lifting member includes a lifting portion, a first rotating shaft connected to the lifting portion, and a first stopper protruding along the circumference of the first rotating shaft; the connecting portion includes a connecting shaft connected to the first driving member, a second rotating shaft connected to the connecting shaft, and a second stopper protruding along the circumference of the second rotating shaft; the elastic return member is disposed between the first stopper and the second stopper;

[0023] In which, the first rotating shaft is sleeved on the second rotating shaft, or the second rotating shaft is sleeved on the first rotating shaft; one of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft is provided with a slide groove extending along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core, and the other is provided with a slide column slidingly matched with the slide groove, and the connecting part can cooperate with the slide groove through the slide column to drive the lifting part to rotate.

[0024] The rotary lifting mechanism of the disclosed embodiment is adapted for various types of cylindrical battery cells by providing a first stopper and a second stopper, each of which abuts against the ends of the elastic return member. The first rotating shaft is sleeved onto the second rotating shaft to improve the connection stability between the lifting member and the connecting portion. A slide groove is provided on the second rotating shaft, and a slide column is provided on the first rotating shaft. The slide column slides within the slide groove to achieve telescopic movement between the lifting member and the connecting portion. The groove wall cooperates with the slide column to enable the connecting portion to drive the lifting member to rotate.

[0025] In some embodiments, the junction between the bottom wall and the side wall of the accommodating groove is recessed to form a groove.

[0026] By forming a groove at the junction of the bottom wall and the side wall of the accommodating groove, it can be used to accommodate impurities such as dust, thereby improving the situation where dust and other impurities accumulated at the bottom of the support cup contaminate the battery cell or the battery cell is stuck in the support cup.

[0027] In some embodiments, the pressing mechanism includes a third driving member and a pressing portion, and the detection system further includes an encoder provided on the pressing portion. The third driving member is used to drive the pressing portion to press down the cylindrical battery cell. The cylindrical battery cell rotates to drive the pressing portion and the encoder to rotate, and the cylindrical battery cell, the pressing portion, and the encoder have the same rotation axis.

[0028] When the encoder follows the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, it outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at every preset rotation angle, so as to control the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0029] In the above embodiment, since the encoder on the lower pressure part is driven to rotate by the cylindrical battery cell, and the encoder has the same rotation axis as the cylindrical battery cell, the rotation angle of the cylindrical battery cell can be sensed by the encoder, and the encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at each preset rotation angle in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, which can simply and accurately control the detection mechanism to detect the closing gap of multiple areas on the side of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0030] In some embodiments, the detection system further includes a rotatable turntable, the support cup is disposed on the turntable, and the detection mechanism is disposed on the outer side of the turntable.

[0031] In the above embodiment, by placing the cylindrical battery cell into the supporting cup and rotating the supporting cup by the turntable to realize the movement of the battery cell, on the one hand, the cylindrical battery cell can be stably transported to the gap detection station, and on the other hand, the supporting cup can play a straightening role on the cylindrical battery cell, making it convenient to keep the cylindrical battery cell coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism, thereby improving the smoothness of the rotation process of the cylindrical battery cell, improving the reliability of the cover gap detection, and reducing the problem of battery cell scratches.

[0032] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a method for detecting the gap between the covers of cylindrical cells, which is applied to a detection system for the gap between the covers of cylindrical cells. The detection system includes a control device, a support cup, a detection mechanism, a rotary lifting mechanism, and a pressing mechanism. The detection method includes:

[0033] The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell in the support cup by a first preset distance, so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell is separated from the bottom wall of the support cup;

[0034] The control device controls the pressing mechanism to press down the cylindrical battery core so that the pressing mechanism and the rotating lifting mechanism clamp the two ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction;

[0035] The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell to a detection position;

[0036] The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery core to rotate, and controls the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery core during the rotation of the cylindrical battery core relative to the detection mechanism.

[0037] In the method for detecting the cover gap of a cylindrical battery cell according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, on the one hand, the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, and controls the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell during the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell relative to the detection mechanism, so that the detection mechanism can detect the cover gap in different areas of the side of the cylindrical battery cell, thereby improving the reliability of the cover gap detection; on the other hand, before the rotary lifting mechanism drives the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, the pressing mechanism is controlled to press down the cylindrical battery cell, so that the pressing mechanism and the rotary lifting mechanism can be clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell in the height direction. Thereby, the cylindrical battery cell can be clamped in the height direction during the rotation process, reducing the jumping and slipping problems of the cylindrical battery cell, further improving the reliability of the cover gap detection, and reducing the problem of battery cell scratches; on the other hand, before the pressing mechanism presses down the cylindrical battery cell, the rotating lifting mechanism is controlled to lift the cylindrical battery cell located in the support cup by a first preset distance, so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell is separated from the bottom wall of the support cup. In this way, the pressure of the bottom wall of the cylindrical support cup on the cylindrical battery cell can be reduced, thereby reducing damage to the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell and reducing the wear and scratches caused by the relative movement between the cylindrical battery cell and the support cup during subsequent rotation.

[0038] In some embodiments, the pressing mechanism includes a third driving member and a pressing portion, and the detection system also includes an encoder provided on the pressing portion; the control device controls the pressing mechanism to press down the cylindrical battery core so that the pressing mechanism and the rotating lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction, including: the control device controls the third driving member to drive the pressing portion to press down the cylindrical battery core so that the pressing portion and the rotating lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction; the control device controls the rotating lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery core to rotate, and During the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell relative to the detection mechanism, the detection mechanism is controlled to detect the closing gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell, including: the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, and the cylindrical battery cell drives the downward pressure part and the encoder to rotate through the rotation, and the rotation axes of the cylindrical battery cell, the downward pressure part and the encoder are the same; in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, the encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at every preset rotation angle interval to control the detection mechanism to detect the closing gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0039] In this way, since the encoder on the lower pressure part is driven to rotate by the cylindrical battery cell, and the encoder has the same rotation axis as the cylindrical battery cell, the rotation angle of the cylindrical battery cell can be sensed by the encoder, and the encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at each preset rotation angle in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, which can simply and accurately control the detection mechanism to detect the closing gap of multiple areas on the side of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0040] In some embodiments, the detection mechanism includes an image acquisition module and an image processing module; when the encoder follows the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, the encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at each preset rotation angle interval to control the detection mechanism to detect the closing gap of the cylindrical battery cell, including: when the encoder follows the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, the encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the image acquisition module at each preset rotation angle interval to control the image acquisition module to capture images of the side of the cylindrical battery cell at intervals of the preset rotation angle to obtain multiple closing gap images of the cylindrical battery cell; the image processing module detects the closing gap of the side of the cylindrical battery cell based on the multiple closing gap images to obtain a detection result.

[0041] In this way, by outputting a detection trigger signal to the image acquisition module at every preset rotation angle by the encoder, the image acquisition module can be controlled to capture images of the closing gap in different areas on the side of the cylindrical battery cell at intervals of the preset rotation angle. The image processing module can detect the closing gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell more quickly and accurately based on the closing gap images of multiple areas captured.

[0042] In some embodiments, the image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell based on multiple cover gap images to obtain a detection result, including: the image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell for each cover gap image to obtain a detection result corresponding to the cover gap image; when the detection result corresponding to each cover gap image indicates that the cover gap meets the preset process requirements, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0043] In this way, each cover gap image can be used to perform cover gap detection respectively, and the detection results corresponding to each cover gap image can be obtained. When the detection results corresponding to each cover gap image indicate that the cover gap meets the preset process requirements, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell, thereby performing a more comprehensive detection of the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell, improving the accuracy of the overall cover gap detection results, so that the produced battery cell products can better meet the process requirements.

[0044] In some embodiments, the detection system also includes a rotatable turntable, the support cup is arranged on the turntable, and the detection mechanism is arranged on the outside of the turntable; before the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell located in the support cup by a first preset distance, the detection method also includes: the control device controls the turntable to rotate so as to transport the cylindrical battery cell to the gap detection station through the support cup, and make the cylindrical battery cell coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism.

[0045] In this way, by placing the cylindrical battery cell into the support cup and rotating the support cup through the turntable to move the battery cell, on the one hand, the cylindrical battery cell can be stably transported to the gap detection station, and on the other hand, the support cup can play a straightening role on the cylindrical battery cell, making it easier to keep the cylindrical battery cell coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotating jacking mechanism, thereby improving the smoothness of the rotation process of the cylindrical battery cell, improving the reliability of the cover gap detection, and reducing the problem of battery cell scratches. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG2 is a partial schematic diagram of a detection system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure at a gap detection station, wherein the rotary lifting mechanism is in a state before lifting a cylindrical battery cell;

[0048] FIG3 is a partial schematic diagram of a detection system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure at a gap detection station, wherein the rotary lifting mechanism is in a state after lifting a cylindrical battery cell;

[0049] FIG4 is an enlarged view of FIG3 at point A;

[0050] FIG5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a rotary jacking mechanism provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] FIG6 is a cross-sectional view of a support cup provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a first implementation flow of a method for detecting a gap between closed covers of cylindrical battery cells according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] FIG8 is a second schematic diagram of a flow chart of a method for detecting a gap between closed covers of cylindrical battery cells according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0054] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the communication flow between the PLC and the CCD visual detection system in a method for detecting the gap between the cover of a cylindrical battery cell provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Explanation of the accompanying symbols 1. Gap detection station; 2. Support cup; 2a. Receiving groove; 2b. Through hole; 2c. Groove; 3. Detection mechanism; 4. Rotary lifting mechanism; 41. Elastic reset member; 42. Lifting member; 421. Lifting part; 422. First rotating shaft; 422a. Slide column; 423. First stop member; 43. First driving member; 44. Connecting part; 441. Connecting shaft; 442. Second rotating shaft; 442a. Slide groove; 443. Second stop member; 5. Pressing mechanism; 51. Pressing part; 6. Encoder; 7. Turntable; 8. Covering station; 9. Welding station; 10. Detection system; 20. Cylindrical battery cell; 20a. Covering gap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] It should be noted that, unless there is a conflict, the embodiments and technical features in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined with each other, and the detailed description in the specific implementation methods should be understood as an explanation of the purpose of the present disclosure and should not be regarded as an improper limitation on the present disclosure.

[0057] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this disclosure; the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in this disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0058] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, technical terms such as "first," "second," and "third" are used solely to distinguish different objects and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or to implicitly specify the quantity, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the technical features indicated. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, "plurality" means more than two, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0059] References herein to "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0060] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0061] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientations or positional relationships indicated by technical terms such as "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "circumferential", "height direction", "first direction", and "second direction" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, operated or used in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0062] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, technical terms such as "installed," "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and can refer to internal connectivity between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure based on specific circumstances.

[0063] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the technical term "contact" should be understood in a broad sense, and can be direct contact, contact through an intermediate medium layer, contact with essentially no interaction force between the two contacting parties, or contact with interaction force between the two contacting parties.

[0064] With the development of clean energy, more and more devices use electricity as a driving force. Consequently, power batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, that can store large amounts of electricity and undergo multiple charge and discharge cycles are experiencing rapid development. These batteries are not only used in energy storage systems such as hydropower, thermal power, wind power, and solar power plants, but are also widely used in electric vehicles such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, and electric vehicles, as well as in aerospace and other fields. As the application areas of power batteries continue to expand, market demand is also growing.

[0065] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery cell may be a battery cell. A battery cell refers to a basic unit that can realize the mutual conversion between chemical energy and electrical energy, and can be used to make a battery module or battery pack, thereby being used to supply power to an electrical device. A battery cell may be a primary battery or a secondary battery. A secondary battery refers to a battery cell that can continue to be used by activating the active material by charging after the battery cell is discharged. The battery cell may be a lithium-ion battery, a sodium-ion battery, a sodium-lithium-ion battery, a lithium metal battery, a sodium metal battery, a lithium-sulfur battery, a magnesium-ion battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, or a lead-acid battery, etc., and the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this. The battery cell may be cylindrical, rectangular, or in other shapes. It will be understood that the cylindrical battery cell in the embodiment of the present disclosure refers to a cylindrical battery cell.

[0066] A battery cell includes an electrode assembly and an electrolyte. The electrode assembly consists of a positive electrode sheet, a negative electrode sheet, and a separator. A battery cell primarily operates by the movement of metal ions between the positive and negative electrode sheets. The positive electrode sheet includes a positive current collector and a positive active material layer. The positive active material layer is coated on the surface of the positive electrode collector. The uncoated positive electrode collector protrudes from the coated positive electrode collector, and the uncoated positive electrode collector serves as the positive electrode tab. For lithium-ion batteries, for example, the positive electrode current collector can be made of aluminum, and the positive electrode active material can be lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium, or lithium manganese oxide. The negative electrode sheet includes a negative current collector and a negative active material layer. The negative active material layer is coated on the surface of the negative electrode collector. The uncoated negative electrode collector protrudes from the coated negative electrode collector, and the uncoated negative electrode collector serves as the negative electrode tab. The negative electrode current collector can be made of copper, and the negative electrode active material can be carbon or silicon. To ensure high current flow without melting, multiple positive electrode tabs are stacked together, and multiple negative electrode tabs are stacked together. The separator can be made of materials such as PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene).

[0067] The battery cell also includes a packaging film and a casing. The packaging film is applied to the outside of the electrode assembly, and the casing encapsulates the electrode assembly (i.e., the bare cell) covered with the packaging film to form a battery cell. For example, the packaging film can be Mylar film, and the casing can be aluminum or steel. After the electrode assembly is wound, the Mylar film and casing are encapsulated through the Mylar wrapping process and the casing insertion process. The Mylar film seals and protects the electrode assembly, and the Mylar film can effectively insulate the electrode assembly and casing from each other, preventing internal short circuits in the battery cell. The casing also provides protection.

[0068] In the production process of cylindrical batteries, a bare battery cell is placed into a cylindrical casing and the rear cover is closed to produce a cylindrical battery cell with a casing. After the bare battery cell is placed into the casing, casing-cover welding is required to weld the cylindrical casing to the rear cover. To ensure the quality of the casing-cover welding, the gap between the rear cover and the cylindrical casing can be inspected after the rear cover and cylindrical casing are closed and before the casing is welded to ensure that the gap is within the process range.

[0069] In the related art, visual inspection can be used to capture images of the gap between the rear cover and the cylindrical outer shell of a cylindrical battery cell. The captured images are then processed and analyzed to determine whether the gap meets process requirements. However, this method of detecting the gap in cylindrical battery cells in the related art is not highly reliable and may cause damage such as wear and scratches on the surface of the cylindrical battery cell, affecting product quality.

[0070] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a detection system 10 for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells. As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the detection system 10 for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells includes one or more gap detection stations 1, a support cup 2, a detection mechanism 3, a rotary lifting mechanism 4 and a pressing mechanism 5. The support cup 2 is arranged at the gap detection station 1, and the support cup 2 is provided with a receiving groove 2a for accommodating the cylindrical battery cell 20 and a through hole 2b passing through the bottom wall of the receiving groove 2a. The detection mechanism 3 is arranged at the gap detection station 1, and is used to detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20. The rotary lifting mechanism 4 is arranged below the support cup 2, and is used to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 located in the receiving groove 2a. The pressing mechanism 5 is arranged above the support cup 2, and is used to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20, so that the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction, and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 can drive the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate.

[0071] The detection system 10 includes one or more gap detection stations 1, that is, the detection system 10 can have only one gap detection station 1 or multiple gap detection stations 1. In the case where there are multiple gap detection stations 1, multiple gap detection stations 1 can simultaneously detect the gap 20a of the cylindrical battery cell 20, thereby improving the detection efficiency.

[0072] It should be noted that the multiple mentioned in the embodiments of the present disclosure refers to a number of two or more.

[0073] The support cup 2 is provided at the gap detection station 1 for accommodating the cylindrical battery cell 20 , which is beneficial for transferring and detecting the cylindrical battery cell 20 .

[0074] The cup 2 is provided with a receiving groove 2a and a through hole 2b extending through the bottom wall of the receiving groove 2a. The cylindrical battery cell 20 is disposed within the receiving groove 2a, facilitating positioning of the cylindrical battery cell 20. For example, the groove wall of the receiving groove 2a can cooperate with the peripheral side wall of the cylindrical battery cell 20 to straighten the cylindrical battery cell 20. The rotary lifting mechanism 4 can lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 located in the receiving groove 2a through the through hole 2b.

[0075] Here, the rotary lifting mechanism 4 can both drive the cylindrical battery core 20 to rotate and lift the cylindrical battery core 20 .

[0076] Exemplarily, the detection system 10 includes a control device (not shown) for controlling the operation of the detection mechanism 3, the rotary lifting mechanism 4, and / or the pressing mechanism 5. The control device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of an industrial computer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a host computer. The host computer may be, for example, a server, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or a smartphone. In some embodiments, the control device includes the PLC of the gap detection station 1.

[0077] The pressing mechanism 5 is used to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20 so that the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotating lifting mechanism 4 are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell 20 along the height direction. At this time, there is a certain clamping force between the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotating lifting mechanism 4, so that the rotating lifting mechanism 4 can drive the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate.

[0078] In some embodiments, the control device may control the pressing mechanism 5 to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20 until the clamping force of the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotating lifting mechanism 4 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 along the height direction reaches a preset clamping force.

[0079] In some embodiments, during the process of the rotary lifting mechanism 4 lifting the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the detection position, the clamping force of the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction remains substantially unchanged. It is understandable that during the process of the rotary lifting mechanism 4 lifting the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the detection position, the pressing mechanism 5 moves upward synchronously with the movement of the cylindrical battery cell 20, thereby maintaining the clamping force of the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction substantially unchanged.

[0080] Of course, in other embodiments, during the process of the rotary lifting mechanism 4 lifting the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the detection position, the clamping force of the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 along the height direction may also change according to the movement situation.

[0081] The specific type of the detection mechanism 3 is not limited here, and it can be, for example, a CCD visual detection system.

[0082] Here, the CCD visual inspection system may include a CCD camera, a light source, and an image processing module. In response to detecting that the cylindrical battery cell 20 has arrived at the gap detection station 1, the PLC may send a control instruction to the CCD camera and the light source to control the CCD camera to be ready and the light source to light up. In addition, after detecting that the cylindrical battery cell 20 has arrived at the gap detection station 1, the PLC controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 located in the support cup 2 by a first preset distance so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is separated from the bottom wall of the support cup 2, and controls the pressing mechanism 5 to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20 so that the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction, and controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the inspection position.

[0083] The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to drive the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, and during the process of the cylindrical battery cell 20 rotating relative to the detection mechanism 3, the light source is used to provide fill light for the cylindrical battery cell 20 to be inspected, so that the features of the area to be inspected in the cover gap image captured by the CCD camera can be better presented.

[0084] In some embodiments, there may be multiple gap detection stations 1 , and each gap detection station 1 may include a CCD visual detection system.

[0085] In some embodiments, multiple sets of CCD visual inspection systems can independently perform cover gap inspection for the cylindrical battery cells 20 in multiple gap inspection stations 1 .

[0086] In some embodiments, multiple sets of CCD visual inspection systems can perform cover gap inspection for cylindrical cells 20 in multiple gap inspection stations 1 in parallel and in a coordinated manner. For example, the gap inspection station 1 includes a first station and a second station, and the cylindrical cells 20 in the first station and the second station are in place at the same time; in response to detecting that the turntable 7 transports the first cylindrical cell to the first station and transports the second cylindrical cell to the second station, the PLC can send a first trigger signal to the CCD visual inspection system in the first station and the CCD visual inspection system in the second station, thereby using the CCD visual inspection system in the first station to detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the first cylindrical cell in parallel to obtain the inspection result of the first cylindrical cell, and using the CCD visual inspection system in the second station to detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the second cylindrical cell to obtain the inspection result of the second cylindrical cell.

[0087] In the detection system 10 for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells of the disclosed embodiment, on the one hand, the rotary lifting mechanism 4 drives the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, and during the process of the cylindrical battery cell 20 rotating relative to the detection mechanism 3, the detection mechanism 3 detects the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20, so that the detection mechanism 3 can detect the cover gap 20a in different areas of the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20, thereby improving the reliability of the cover gap detection. On the other hand, before the rotary lifting mechanism 4 drives the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, the pressing mechanism 5 can press down the cylindrical battery cell 20, so that the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 can be clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction, so that the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be in a clamped state in the height direction during the rotation process, reducing the jumping and slipping problems of the cylindrical battery cell 20, so as to further improve the reliability of the cover gap detection and reduce the problem of battery cell scratches. On the other hand, before the pressing mechanism 5 presses down the cylindrical battery cell 20, the rotating lifting mechanism 4 can first lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 located in the supporting cup 2 by a first preset distance so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is separated from the bottom wall of the supporting cup 2. In this way, the pressure of the bottom wall of the cylindrical supporting cup 2 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be reduced, thereby reducing damage to the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20 and reducing the wear and scratches caused by the relative movement between the cylindrical battery cell 20 and the supporting cup 2 during the subsequent rotation process.

[0088] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, the rotary lifting mechanism 4 includes an elastic return member 41 and a lifting member 42. The lifting member 42 is used to abut against the cylindrical battery cell 20. The elastic return member 41 cooperates with the lifting member 42 so that the lifting member 42 can be extended and retracted along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 under the action of elastic force.

[0089] The specific type of the elastic return member 41 is not limited here, and it can be, for example, a compression spring, a tension spring, or a torsion spring.

[0090] Here, by providing an elastic return member 41 in conjunction with the lifting member 42, on the one hand, the lifting member 42 can be extended and retracted along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 under the elastic force of the elastic return member 41. In this way, it can be adapted to cylindrical battery cells 20 of different heights and sizes, improving the applicability of the detection system 10. On the other hand, the rotating lifting mechanism 4 can be clamped at the end of the cylindrical battery cell 20 along the height direction under the action of the elastic force. In other words, there is no hard contact between the rotating lifting mechanism 4 and the cylindrical battery cell 20, further reducing damage to the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20.

[0091] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, the rotary lifting mechanism 4 further includes a first driving member 43, a second driving member, and a connecting portion 44. The connecting portion 44 is slidably connected to the lifting member 42 along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20. The elastic return member 41 is disposed between the connecting portion 44 and the lifting member 42. The first driving member 43 rotates by driving the connecting portion 44, thereby driving the lifting member 42 to rotate. The second driving member moves along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 by driving the connecting portion 44, thereby driving the lifting member 42 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20.

[0092] Taking the elastic return member 41 as a compression spring as an example, the elastic return member 41 is arranged between the connecting part 44 and the lifting member 42. The elastic return member 41 can be connected to the connecting part 44, or connected to the lifting member 42, or the two ends of the elastic return member 41 can be connected to the connecting part 44 and the lifting member 42 respectively.

[0093] The connecting portion 44 and the lifting member 42 are slidably connected along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20. In this way, the connecting portion 44 and the lifting member 42 can be relatively displaced along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 under the elastic force of the elastic return member 41, so that the lifting member 42 can be extended and retracted along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 under the action of the elastic force.

[0094] The specific type of the first driving member 43 is not limited here, and can be, for example, a motor.

[0095] The specific type of the second driving member (not shown) is not limited here, for example, it can be a linear module.

[0096] The second driving member moves along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 by driving the connecting portion 44 and drives the lifting member 42 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 . Here, the second driving member may drive the first driving member 43 to move along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 .

[0097] The rotary lifting mechanism 4 is provided with a first driving member 43, a second driving member and a connecting part 44, and the elastic reset member 41 is provided between the connecting part 44 and the lifting member 42. The first driving member 43 drives the connecting part 44 to rotate to drive the lifting member 42 to rotate, and the second driving member drives the connecting part 44 to drive the lifting member 42 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20, so that the rotary lifting mechanism 4 can realize the rotation and lifting of the cylindrical battery cell 20. The structure of the rotary lifting mechanism 4 is simple and compact.

[0098] It should be noted that the specific matching structure between the connecting portion 44 and the lifting member 42 is not limited here.

[0099] In some embodiments, referring to Figures 3 and 5 , the lifting member 42 includes a lifting portion 421, a first rotating shaft 422 connected to the lifting portion 421, and a first stopper 423 protruding from the circumference of the first rotating shaft 422. The connecting portion 44 includes a connecting shaft 441 connected to the first driving member 43, a second rotating shaft 442 connected to the connecting shaft 441, and a second stopper 443 protruding from the circumference of the second rotating shaft 442. The elastic return member 41 is disposed between the first stopper 423 and the second stopper 443. The first rotating shaft 422 is sleeved onto the second rotating shaft 442, or the second rotating shaft 442 is sleeved onto the first rotating shaft 422. One of the first rotating shaft 422 and the second rotating shaft 442 is provided with a slide groove 442a extending along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20, and the other is provided with a slide column 422a that slides with the slide groove 442a, and the connecting part 44 can cooperate with the slide groove 442a through the slide column 422a to drive the lifting member 42 to rotate.

[0100] The specific shape of the first stopper 423 is not limited here, and it can be, for example, a circular or square plate-shaped structure, or other special-shaped structures.

[0101] The specific shape of the second stopper 443 is not limited here. For example, it can be a circular or square plate structure, and of course it can also be other special-shaped structures.

[0102] The elastic return member 41 is disposed between the first stop member 423 and the second stop member 443 to achieve elastic fit between the connecting portion 44 and the lifting member 42. For example, when the lifting member 42 abuts the cylindrical battery cell 20, the lifting member 42 compresses the elastic return member 41 through the first stop member 423. At this time, the elastic return member 41 is in a compressed state. When the lifting member 42 loses contact with the cylindrical battery cell 20, the elastic return member 41 recovers its elastic deformation.

[0103] The specific matching relationship between the first rotating shaft 422 and the second rotating shaft 442 is not limited here. The first rotating shaft 422 can be sleeved on the second rotating shaft 442, or the second rotating shaft 442 can be sleeved on the first rotating shaft 422. The embodiment of the present disclosure is described by taking the example of the first rotating shaft 422 being sleeved on the second rotating shaft 442. In this way, the interior of the second rotating shaft 442 is a hollow structure, and the first rotating shaft 422 is slidably disposed inside the second rotating shaft 442.

[0104] One of the first rotating shaft 422 and the second rotating shaft 442 is provided with a slide groove 442a extending along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20, and the other is provided with a slide column 422a that slides with the slide groove 442a. It means that the first rotating shaft 422 can be provided with the slide groove 442a and the second rotating shaft 442 is provided with the slide column 422a, or the second rotating shaft 442 is provided with the slide groove 442a and the first rotating shaft 422 is provided with the slide column 422a. The embodiment of the present disclosure is described by taking the second rotating shaft 442 being provided with the slide groove 442a and the first rotating shaft 422 being provided with the slide column 422a as an example.

[0105] The rotary lifting mechanism 4 of the disclosed embodiment is adapted for different types of cylindrical battery cells 20 by providing a first stopper 423 and a second stopper 443 that abut against the ends of the elastic return member 41, respectively. The first rotating shaft 422 is sleeved on the second rotating shaft 442 to improve the connection stability between the lifting member 42 and the connecting portion 44. Furthermore, a slide groove 442a is provided on the second rotating shaft 442, and a slide post 422a is provided on the first rotating shaft 422. The slide post 422a slides within the slide groove 442a to achieve telescopic movement between the lifting member 42 and the connecting portion 44. Furthermore, the groove wall of the slide groove 442a cooperates with the slide post 422a to enable the connecting portion 44 to drive the lifting member 42 to rotate.

[0106] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 , the junction between the bottom wall and the side wall of the receiving groove 2 a is recessed to form a groove 2 c .

[0107] Here, the groove 2c can be formed on the bottom wall of the accommodating groove 2a, or on the side wall of the accommodating groove 2a. The bottom wall and side wall of the accommodating groove 2a can jointly form the groove 2c, or the bottom wall and side wall of the accommodating groove 2a can both form the groove 2c.

[0108] It is understandable that after the cup 2 has been used for a long time, some dust and other impurities will inevitably accumulate at the inner root of the cup 2 (i.e., the junction of the bottom wall and the side wall of the accommodating groove 2a). By forming a groove 2c at the junction of the bottom wall and the side wall of the accommodating groove 2a, it can be used to accommodate dust and other impurities, thereby improving the situation where dust and other impurities accumulated at the bottom of the cup 2 contaminate the battery cells or the battery cells are stuck in the cup 2.

[0109] In some embodiments, the pressing mechanism 5 includes a third driving member (not shown) and a pressing portion 51. The detection system 10 also includes an encoder 6 provided on the pressing portion 51. The third driving member is used to drive the pressing portion 51 to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20. The cylindrical battery cell 20 rotates to drive the pressing portion 51 and the encoder 6 to rotate. The cylindrical battery cell 20, the pressing portion 51 and the encoder 6 have the same rotation axis. In the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3 at every preset rotation angle to control the detection mechanism 3 to detect the closing gap 20a of the cylindrical battery cell 20.

[0110] The control device controls the third driving member to drive the pressing portion 51 to press down the cylindrical battery core 20 , so that the pressing portion 51 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core 20 in the height direction.

[0111] Here, the preset rotation angle may be predetermined according to actual detection requirements, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0112] In some embodiments, a plurality of detection points evenly distributed along the circumference can be selected in advance on the circle where the closing gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is located, with the point closest to the detection mechanism 3 before the cylindrical battery cell 20 rotates as the starting detection point, and the angle of the central angle of the arc corresponding to the arc between two adjacent detection points is used as the preset rotation angle, that is, one detection point is selected at each preset rotation angle interval. It can be understood that since the preset rotation angle is the angle of the central angle of the arc corresponding to the arc between two adjacent detection points, and the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3 at each preset rotation angle interval in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, each time the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3, the point closest to the detection mechanism 3 on the circle where the closing gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is located is the detection point, so that the detection mechanism 3 can detect the closing gap 20a of the side area where the detection point is located in response to receiving the detection trigger signal.

[0113] It is understandable that the detection points can be evenly distributed on a 360° circle (the circle where the cylindrical battery cell 20 covers the gap 20a) according to actual detection requirements. The number of detection points is not limited here, for example, it is greater than or equal to three points. For example, when the number of detection points is three, a detection point is selected every 120°; when the number of detection points is four, a detection point is selected every 90°; when the number of detection points is five, a detection point is selected every 72°; when the number of detection points is six, a detection point is selected every 60°.

[0114] In the above embodiment, since the encoder 6 on the lower pressing portion 51 is driven to rotate by the cylindrical battery cell 20, and the encoder 6 has the same rotation axis as the cylindrical battery cell 20, the rotation angle of the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be sensed by the encoder 6, and the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3 at every preset rotation angle in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, so that the detection mechanism 3 can be simply and accurately controlled to detect the covering gap 20a of multiple areas on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20.

[0115] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 1 , the detection system 10 further includes a rotatable turntable 7 , the support cup 2 is disposed on the turntable 7 , and the detection mechanism 3 is disposed on the outer side of the turntable 7 .

[0116] The control device controls the turntable 7 to rotate, so as to transport the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the gap detection station 1 through the supporting cup 2 and make the cylindrical battery cell 20 coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism 4 .

[0117] In some embodiments, the turntable 7 can transport the cylindrical battery cell 20 from the lid closing station 8 to the gap detection station 1 via the supporting cup 2 .

[0118] In the above embodiment, the cylindrical battery cell 20 is placed in the support cup 2 and the battery cell is moved by rotating the support cup 2 through the turntable 7. On the one hand, the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be stably transported to the gap detection station 1. On the other hand, the support cup 2 can play a straightening role on the cylindrical battery cell 20, so as to facilitate keeping the cylindrical battery cell 20 coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism 4, thereby improving the smoothness of the rotation process of the cylindrical battery cell 20, improving the reliability of the cover gap detection, and reducing the problem of battery cell scratches.

[0119] For example, referring to FIG1 , the inspection system 10 further includes a capping station 8 for capping the rear cover of the cylindrical battery cell 20 with the steel casing. Along the rotational direction of the turntable 7 , the capping station 8 is located upstream of the gap inspection station 1 . That is, the rear cover and steel casing of the cylindrical battery cell 20 are first capped at the capping station 8 . After this, the cylindrical battery cell 20 is transferred to the gap inspection station 1 for inspection of the capping gap 20a.

[0120] For example, referring to FIG1 , the detection system 10 further includes a welding station 9. Along the flow direction of the turntable 7, the welding station 9 is located downstream of the gap detection station 1. That is, after the closing gap of the cylindrical battery cell 20 passes the cover gap detection, it is transferred to the welding station 9, where the rear cover of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is welded to the steel shell to achieve packaging.

[0121] The present disclosure provides a method for detecting the gap between the caps of cylindrical cells, which is applied to a detection system 10 for detecting the gap between the caps of cylindrical cells. As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the detection system 10 includes a control device, a support cup 2, a detection mechanism 3, a rotary lifting mechanism 4, and a pressing mechanism 5.

[0122] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a first implementation flow of a method for detecting a gap between cylindrical battery cells provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG7 , the method for detecting a gap between cylindrical battery cells includes the following steps S701 to S704:

[0123] In step S701 , the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell in the support cup by a first preset distance, so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell is separated from the bottom wall of the support cup.

[0124] Here, the control device is used to control the operation of the detection mechanism 3, the rotary lifting mechanism 4, and / or the pressing mechanism 5. The control device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of an industrial computer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a host computer. The host computer may be, for example, a server, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or a smartphone. In some embodiments, the control device includes the PLC of the gap detection station 1.

[0125] It is understood that after the rotary lifting mechanism 4 lifts the cylindrical battery cell 20 by the first preset distance, the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be separated from the bottom wall of the support cup 2. During implementation, those skilled in the art can set an appropriate first preset distance according to actual conditions, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0126] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 6 , the support cup 2 is provided with a receiving groove 2a for receiving the cylindrical battery cell 20 and a through hole 2b passing through the bottom wall of the receiving groove 2a. The rotary lifting mechanism 4 can lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 located in the receiving groove 2a through the through hole 2b.

[0127] In step S702 , the control device controls the pressing mechanism to press down the cylindrical battery cell, so that the pressing mechanism and the rotating lifting mechanism clamp the two ends of the cylindrical battery cell in the height direction.

[0128] Here, when the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotating lifting mechanism 4 are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core 20 in the height direction, there is a certain clamping force between the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotating lifting mechanism 4 .

[0129] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the control device may control the pressing mechanism 5 to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20 until the clamping force of the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotating lifting mechanism 4 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 along the height direction reaches a preset clamping force.

[0130] In step S703 , the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell to a detection position.

[0131] After the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotating lifting mechanism 4 clamp the two ends of the cylindrical battery core 20 in the height direction, the control device can control the rotating lifting mechanism 4 to lift the cylindrical battery core 20 upward until it reaches the detection position.

[0132] In some embodiments, during the process of the rotary lifting mechanism 4 lifting the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the detection position, the clamping force of the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction remains substantially unchanged. It is understandable that during the process of the rotary lifting mechanism 4 lifting the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the detection position, the pressing mechanism 5 moves upward synchronously with the movement of the cylindrical battery cell 20, thereby maintaining the clamping force of the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction substantially unchanged.

[0133] In step S704 , the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, and controls the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell during the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell relative to the detection mechanism.

[0134] It is understood that the detection position is within the detection range of the detection mechanism 3. After the rotating lifting mechanism 4 lifts the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the detection position, the detection mechanism 3 can detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 that has reached the detection position. In practice, the detection position can be pre-determined based on the location of the detection mechanism 3, and this is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0135] In some embodiments, the control device can control the detection mechanism 3 to detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 during the process of the cylindrical battery cell 20 rotating relative to the detection mechanism 3 by directly sending a detection control instruction to the detection mechanism 3. For example, the rotation angle of the cylindrical battery cell 20 at a certain moment can be determined based on the rotation speed at which the rotary lifting mechanism 4 drives the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, and when the cylindrical battery cell 20 reaches a specific rotation angle, a detection control instruction is sent to the detection mechanism 3 so that the detection mechanism 3 detects the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 when the cylindrical battery cell 20 is at the rotation angle. Here, the specific rotation angle can be determined according to actual detection needs, and the number of specific rotation angles can be multiple, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, multiple detection points can be selected on the circle where the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is located, and each detection point can correspond to a specific rotation angle; during the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, when the cylindrical battery cell 20 reaches a certain specific rotation angle, the detection point corresponding to the rotation angle is facing the detection mechanism 3 and is within the detection range of the detection mechanism 3.

[0136] In some embodiments, referring to Figures 2 and 3, an encoder 6 that can rotate coaxially with the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be provided on the pressing mechanism 5 or the rotating lifting mechanism 4. The encoder 6 is configured to output a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3 when a specific rotation angle is reached while following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, so as to control the detection mechanism 3 to detect the covering gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20.

[0137] In some embodiments, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the detection mechanism 3 can be set obliquely above the support cup 2, and the detection mechanism 3 can include an image acquisition device. When the cylindrical battery cell 20 reaches the detection position, the camera of the image acquisition device is directed toward the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 to capture an image of the cover gap 20a of the side area of ​​the cylindrical battery cell 20 within the field of view of the image acquisition device, and detect the cover gap 20a of the side area based on the captured image.

[0138] In some embodiments, referring to Figures 2 to 5, the rotary lifting mechanism 4 further includes a first driving member 43, a second driving member, and a connecting portion 44. The connecting portion 44 is slidably connected to the lifting member 42 along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20, and the elastic return member 41 is disposed between the connecting portion 44 and the lifting member 42. The control device can control the first driving member 43 to rotate by driving the connecting portion 44, thereby driving the lifting member 42 to rotate. The control device can control the second driving member to move along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 20 by driving the connecting portion 44, thereby driving the lifting member 42 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20.

[0139] In some embodiments, when the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to drive the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, the rotation speed of the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be increased to the target rotation speed by a flexible acceleration method. During implementation, any suitable flexible acceleration method can be used, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. In this way, the situation of sudden acceleration during the rotation of the battery cell can be reduced, thereby reducing the situation in which the end face of the battery cell is scratched due to the relative movement between the contact surface between the battery cell and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 and the contact surface of the pressing mechanism 5 during the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20. For example, the rotation speed of the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be increased to the target speed by a first acceleration, wherein the first acceleration is greater than 0 and less than a preset first acceleration threshold.

[0140] In some embodiments, the control device can also control the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to stop driving the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate after completing the detection of the closing gap 20a of the cylindrical battery cell 20, and when the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to stop driving the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, a flexible deceleration method can be used to reduce the rotation speed of the cylindrical battery cell 20 from the target speed to 0. During implementation, any suitable flexible deceleration method can be used, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. In this way, the situation of sudden deceleration in the process of stopping the rotation of the battery cell can be reduced, thereby reducing the situation where the contact surface of the battery cell and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 and the contact surface of the pressing mechanism 5 during the process of stopping the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20 causes scratches on the end face of the battery cell. For example, the second acceleration can be used to reduce the rotation speed of the cylindrical battery cell 20 from the target speed to 0, wherein the second acceleration is less than 0 and greater than a preset second acceleration threshold.

[0141] In the method for detecting the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells in the embodiment of the present disclosure, on the one hand, the rotary lifting mechanism 4 is controlled by the control device to drive the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, and the detection mechanism 3 is controlled to detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 during the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20 relative to the detection mechanism 3, so that the detection mechanism 3 can detect the cover gap 20a in different areas of the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20, thereby improving the reliability of the cover gap detection; on the other hand, before the rotary lifting mechanism 4 drives the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate, the pressing mechanism 5 is controlled to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20, so that the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 can be clamped on the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction. Both ends, so that the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be in a clamped state in the height direction during the rotation process, reducing the jumping and slipping problems of the cylindrical battery cell 20, so as to further improve the reliability of the cover gap detection and reduce the problem of battery cell scratches; on the other hand, before the pressing mechanism 5 presses down the cylindrical battery cell 20, the rotating lifting mechanism 4 is controlled to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 located in the support cup 2 by a first preset distance, so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is separated from the bottom wall of the support cup 2. In this way, the pressure of the bottom wall of the cylindrical support cup 2 on the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be reduced, thereby reducing damage to the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20, and reducing the wear and scratches caused by the relative movement between the cylindrical battery cell 20 and the support cup 2 during the subsequent rotation.

[0142] In some embodiments, the detection method may further include: the control device sending a result request signal of the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the detection mechanism 3; and the detection mechanism 3 sending the detection result to the control device in response to the result request signal.

[0143] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the pressing mechanism 5 includes a third driving member and a pressing portion 51 , and the detection system 10 further includes an encoder 6 disposed on the pressing portion 51 .

[0144] The above step S702 may include the following step S711:

[0145] In step S711 , the control device controls the third driving member to drive the pressing portion to press down the cylindrical battery cell, so that the pressing portion and the rotary lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell in a height direction.

[0146] The above step S704 may include the following steps S712 to S713:

[0147] In step S712, the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, and the cylindrical battery cell drives the pressing part and the encoder to rotate through the rotation, and the cylindrical battery cell, the pressing part and the encoder have the same rotation axis.

[0148] In step S713 , the encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at intervals of a preset rotation angle while following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, so as to control the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0149] Here, the preset rotation angle may be predetermined according to actual detection requirements, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0150] In some embodiments, a plurality of detection points evenly distributed along the circumference can be selected in advance on the circle where the closing gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is located, with the point closest to the detection mechanism 3 before the cylindrical battery cell 20 rotates as the starting detection point, and the angle of the central angle of the arc corresponding to the arc between two adjacent detection points is used as the preset rotation angle, that is, one detection point is selected at each preset rotation angle interval. It can be understood that since the preset rotation angle is the angle of the central angle of the arc corresponding to the arc between two adjacent detection points, and the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3 at each preset rotation angle interval in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, each time the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3, the point closest to the detection mechanism 3 on the circle where the closing gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is located is the detection point, so that the detection mechanism 3 can detect the closing gap 20a of the side area where the detection point is located in response to receiving the detection trigger signal.

[0151] In the above embodiment, since the encoder 6 on the lower pressing portion 51 is driven to rotate by the cylindrical battery cell 20, and the encoder 6 has the same rotation axis as the cylindrical battery cell 20, the rotation angle of the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be sensed by the encoder 6, and the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism 3 at every preset rotation angle in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, so that the detection mechanism 3 can be simply and accurately controlled to detect the covering gap 20a of multiple areas on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20.

[0152] In some embodiments, the detection mechanism 3 includes an image acquisition module and an image processing module.

[0153] The above step S713 may include the following steps S721 to S722:

[0154] In step S721, the encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the image acquisition module at intervals of a preset rotation angle while following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, so as to control the image acquisition module to capture images of the side of the cylindrical battery cell at intervals of the preset rotation angle, thereby obtaining multiple images of the closing gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0155] In step S722 , the image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell based on the multiple cover gap images to obtain a detection result.

[0156] Here, each cover gap image is obtained by capturing an image of a certain area on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 by an image capture device, and includes the cover gap 20a in the area.

[0157] The image acquisition module may include but is not limited to at least one of a two-dimensional camera, a three-dimensional camera, a depth camera, a line scan camera, an area scan camera, etc. For example, the image acquisition module may include a two-dimensional line scan charge coupled device (CCD) camera.

[0158] The image processing module may be an electronic computing device with logical operation capabilities, including but not limited to a server or industrial computer. The image processing module may establish a communication connection with the image acquisition module via a wired or wireless method, thereby receiving the lid gap image acquired by the image acquisition module.

[0159] During implementation, the image processing module can perform cover gap detection based on each cover gap image respectively, or the image processing module can also splice multiple cover gap images into one cover gap image and perform cover gap detection based on the spliced ​​cover gap image. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0160] In some embodiments, the image acquisition module includes a depth camera, and each cover gap image may include a depth map and a two-dimensional image. The image processing module may use a deep learning + point cloud detection algorithm to inspect the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 based on the cover gap image to obtain a detection result. For example, the image processing module may spatially align the depth image and the two-dimensional image included in each cover gap image, convert the depth image into point cloud data, and then use the deep learning + point cloud detection algorithm to perform cover gap detection based on the aligned two-dimensional image and point cloud data. During the cover gap detection process, the deep learning + point cloud detection algorithm may first be used to determine a region of interest in the aligned two-dimensional image and / or point cloud data, and then cover gap detection may be performed based on the determined region of interest. The detection result is obtained and output to a display device, which may display the detection result on a display interface. Here, the region of interest may be the area to be detected located by the algorithm, for example, the region of interest may include the area where the cover gap 20a is located.

[0161] In the above embodiment, the encoder 6 outputs a detection trigger signal to the image acquisition module at intervals of a preset rotation angle, and the image acquisition module can be controlled to capture images of the covering gap 20a in different areas on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 at intervals of the preset rotation angle. The image processing module can detect the covering gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 more quickly and accurately based on the collected covering gap images of multiple areas.

[0162] In some embodiments, the above step S722 may include the following steps S731 to S732:

[0163] In step S731 , the image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell for each cover gap image, and obtains a detection result corresponding to the cover gap image.

[0164] Step S732 : When the detection result corresponding to each of the cover gap images indicates that the cover gap meets the preset process requirements, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

[0165] Here, any suitable image recognition algorithm can be used to identify the width of the closing gap 20a in the closing gap image, obtain the width of the portion of the closing gap 20a corresponding to the closing gap image, and then determine whether the width of the portion of the closing gap 20a meets the preset process requirements. The preset process requirements can be pre-set by those skilled in the art based on actual application scenarios, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0166] In the above embodiment, each cover gap image can be used to perform cover gap detection to obtain the detection results corresponding to each cover gap image. When the detection results corresponding to each cover gap image indicate that the cover gap 20a meets the preset process requirements, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the cover gap 20a of the cylindrical battery cell 20, thereby performing a more comprehensive detection of the cover gap 20a of the cylindrical battery cell 20, improving the accuracy of the overall detection result of the cover gap 20a, and enabling the produced battery cell products to better meet the process requirements.

[0167] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 1 , the detection system 10 further includes a rotatable turntable 7 , the support cup 2 is disposed on the turntable 7 , and the detection mechanism 3 is disposed on the outer side of the turntable 7 .

[0168] Before the above step S701, the detection method may further include the following step S741:

[0169] In step S741 , the control device controls the turntable to rotate, so as to transport the cylindrical battery cell to the gap detection station through the supporting cup, and to make the cylindrical battery cell coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism.

[0170] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 1 , the turntable 7 can transport the cylindrical battery cells 20 from the lid closing station 8 to the gap detection station 1 via the support cup 2 .

[0171] In the above embodiment, the cylindrical battery cell 20 is placed in the support cup 2 and the battery cell is moved by rotating the support cup 2 through the turntable 7. On the one hand, the cylindrical battery cell 20 can be stably transported to the gap detection station 1. On the other hand, the support cup 2 can play a straightening role on the cylindrical battery cell 20, so as to facilitate keeping the cylindrical battery cell 20 coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism 4, thereby improving the smoothness of the rotation process of the cylindrical battery cell 20, improving the reliability of the cover gap detection, and reducing the problem of battery cell scratches.

[0172] The following takes the control device as a PLC and the detection mechanism 3 as a CCD visual detection system as an example to illustrate the detection method of the cylindrical battery cell cover gap provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0173] FIG8 is a second schematic diagram of a method for detecting a gap between closed covers of cylindrical battery cells according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG8 , the detection method includes the following steps S801 to S808:

[0174] Step S801: The PLC controls the rotation of the turntable to transport the cylindrical battery cell to the gap detection station through the support cup, and to make the cylindrical battery cell coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism;

[0175] Step S802, PLC controls the CCD camera to be ready;

[0176] Step S803, the PLC controls the light source to light up;

[0177] Here, the CCD visual inspection system may include a CCD camera, a light source, and an image processing module. In response to detecting that the cylindrical battery cell 20 has arrived at the gap detection station 1, the PLC may send control instructions to the CCD camera and the light source to control the CCD camera to be ready and control the light source to light up. In addition, after detecting that the cylindrical battery cell 20 has arrived at the gap detection station 1, the PLC controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 located in the cup 2 by a first preset distance so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell 20 is separated from the bottom wall of the cup 2, and controls the pressing mechanism 5 to press down the cylindrical battery cell 20 so that the pressing mechanism 5 and the rotary lifting mechanism 4 are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell 20 in the height direction, and controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to lift the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the inspection position; thereafter, the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism 4 to drive the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate. Among them, the light source is used to fill in the light of the cylindrical battery cell 20 to be inspected, so that the features of the area to be inspected in the cover gap image captured by the CCD camera can be better presented.

[0178] In some embodiments, the light source may be a coaxial light source, and / or a line-scanning light source, etc.

[0179] Step S804: During the rotation of the cylindrical cell, the CCD camera captures images of the side surface of the cylindrical cell at intervals of a preset rotation angle to obtain multiple images of the closed cover gap of the cylindrical cell.

[0180] Step S805 : The image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell based on the multiple cover gap images, obtains and outputs the detection result to the PLC.

[0181] In some embodiments, the image processing module may run visual inspection software for detecting the cover gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 based on a plurality of cover gap images using a preset inspection algorithm.

[0182] In step S806, the PLC determines whether the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell is abnormal based on the detection result; if so, proceed to step S807; if not, proceed to step S808.

[0183] Step S807, the PLC marks the state of the cylindrical battery cell as abnormal;

[0184] In step S808, the PLC controls the turntable to rotate to transport the cylindrical battery cells to the next station.

[0185] In some embodiments, the control device may further include a host computer, and the image processing module may send the detection results to the PLC and the host computer according to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the host computer may then feed the detection results back to the Manufacturing Execution System (MES).

[0186] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the communication process between the PLC and the CCD visual inspection system in a method for detecting the gap between the cover of a cylindrical battery cell provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, based on the communication process, the detection method includes the following steps S901 to S907:

[0187] Step S901: In response to detecting that the turntable transporting the cylindrical battery cell arrives at the gap detection station, the PLC sends a first trigger signal to the CCD visual inspection system;

[0188] Here, the first trigger signal can be used as a control instruction sent by the PLC to the CCD camera and light source in the CCD vision detection system, and is used to control the CCD camera to be ready and control the light source to light up.

[0189] After the PLC sends the first trigger signal to the CCD visual inspection system, it waits for the reset signal returned by the CCD visual inspection system when it is ready. If the PLC times out while waiting for the reset signal, it proceeds to step S902. If the PLC successfully receives the reset signal before the timeout, it proceeds to step S903.

[0190] In addition, when the PLC detects that the turntable 7 transports the cylindrical battery cell 20 to the gap detection station 1, the PLC can also obtain the battery cell code information of the cylindrical battery cell 20 and send the battery cell code information to the CCD visual detection system.

[0191] Step S902: PLC alarms and enters the exception handling process;

[0192] Step S903: The PLC sends a second trigger signal to the CCD visual inspection system and determines whether the CCD camera successfully captures the image.

[0193] Here, the PLC can drive the cylindrical battery cell 20 to rotate by controlling the rotary lifting mechanism 4, and the cylindrical battery cell 20 drives the pressing part 51 and the encoder 6 to rotate by the rotation, and the rotation axis of the cylindrical battery cell 20, the pressing part 51 and the encoder 6 are the same; thereby, the encoder 6 outputs a second trigger signal (corresponding to the detection trigger signal in the aforementioned embodiment) to the CCD visual detection system at each preset rotation angle in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell 20, so as to control the CCD camera in the CCD visual detection system to capture images of the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 at intervals of the preset rotation angle, and obtain multiple covering gap images of the cylindrical battery cell 20. The image processing module in the CCD visual detection system detects the covering gap 20a on the side of the cylindrical battery cell 20 based on the multiple covering gap images to obtain a detection result.

[0194] Among them, after the PLC sends the second trigger signal to the CCD visual detection system, it will determine whether the CCD camera successfully captures the image. If the CCD camera fails to capture the image, it goes to step S904; if the CCD camera successfully captures the image, it goes to step S905.

[0195] Step S904: The PLC re-sends a second trigger signal to the CCD visual inspection system, or enters an exception handling process;

[0196] Step S905: The PLC sends a result request signal to the CCD vision inspection system and determines whether the result request signal is reset;

[0197] Here, after the CCD visual inspection system receives the result request signal, it will reset the result request signal. After the PLC sends the result request signal to the CCD visual inspection system, it will determine whether the CCD visual inspection system has received the result request signal by determining whether the result request signal is reset.

[0198] If the PLC times out while waiting for the result request signal to be reset, the process proceeds to step S906 ; if the PLC determines that the result request signal is reset successfully, the process proceeds to step S907 .

[0199] Step S906: PLC alarms and enters the exception handling process.

[0200] Step S907: The CCD visual inspection system sends the inspection results to the PLC.

[0201] In some embodiments, there may be multiple gap detection stations 1 , and each gap detection station 1 may include a CCD visual detection system.

[0202] In some embodiments, multiple sets of CCD visual inspection systems can independently perform cover gap inspection for the cylindrical battery cells 20 in multiple gap inspection stations 1 .

[0203] In some embodiments, multiple sets of CCD visual inspection systems can perform cover gap inspection for cylindrical cells 20 in multiple gap inspection stations 1 in parallel and in a coordinated manner. For example, the gap inspection station 1 includes a first station and a second station, and the cylindrical cells 20 in the first station and the second station are in place at the same time; in response to detecting that the turntable 7 transports the first cylindrical cell to the first station and transports the second cylindrical cell to the second station, the PLC can send a first trigger signal to the CCD visual inspection system in the first station and the CCD visual inspection system in the second station, thereby using the CCD visual inspection system in the first station to detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the first cylindrical cell in parallel to obtain the inspection result of the first cylindrical cell, and using the CCD visual inspection system in the second station to detect the cover gap 20a on the side of the second cylindrical cell to obtain the inspection result of the second cylindrical cell.

[0204] In the description of the present disclosure, the descriptions with reference to the terms "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", "in yet other embodiments", or "exemplary" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine different embodiments or examples described in the present disclosure and features of different embodiments or examples, unless they are mutually inconsistent.

[0205] The foregoing is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Industrial Applicability

[0206] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a detection system and method for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells. The detection system for the cover gap of cylindrical battery cells includes a support cup, a detection mechanism, a rotary lifting mechanism, a pressing mechanism, and one or more gap detection stations. The support cup is arranged at the gap detection station, and the support cup is provided with a receiving groove for accommodating the cylindrical battery cell and a through hole penetrating the bottom wall of the receiving groove. The detection mechanism is arranged at the gap detection station, and is used to detect the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell. The rotary lifting mechanism is arranged below the support cup, and is used to lift the cylindrical battery cell located in the receiving groove. The pressing mechanism is arranged above the support cup, and is used to press down the cylindrical battery cell so that the pressing mechanism and the rotary lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery cell in the height direction, and the rotary lifting mechanism can drive the cylindrical battery cell to rotate. The pressing mechanism includes a third driving member and a pressing part, and the detection system also includes an encoder arranged on the pressing part. The reliability of the cover gap detection can be improved.

Claims

1. A system for detecting the gap between the cover of a cylindrical battery cell, comprising: One or more gap detection stations; A support cup is provided at the gap detection station, wherein the support cup is provided with a receiving groove for receiving the cylindrical battery cell and a through hole penetrating the bottom wall of the receiving groove; A detection mechanism provided at the gap detection station, for detecting the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell; A rotary lifting mechanism provided below the support cup, for lifting the cylindrical battery cell located in the receiving groove; A pressing mechanism provided above the support cup is used to press down the cylindrical battery core, so that the pressing mechanism and the rotating lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction, and the rotating lifting mechanism can drive the cylindrical battery core to rotate; The pressing mechanism includes a third driving member and a pressing portion, and the detection system further includes an encoder provided on the pressing portion. The third driving member is used to drive the pressing portion to press down the cylindrical battery cell. The cylindrical battery cell drives the pressing portion and the encoder to rotate by rotating, and the cylindrical battery cell, the pressing portion, and the encoder have the same rotation axis. When the encoder follows the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, it outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at every preset rotation angle, so as to control the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

2. The cylindrical battery cell cover gap detection system according to claim 1, wherein: The rotary lifting mechanism includes an elastic reset member and a lifting member. The lifting member is used to abut against the cylindrical battery core. The elastic reset member cooperates with the lifting member so that the lifting member can be extended and retracted along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core under the action of elastic force.

3. The cylindrical battery cell cover gap detection system according to claim 2, wherein: The rotary lifting mechanism further includes a first driving member, a second driving member, and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion and the lifting member are slidably connected along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core, and the elastic return member is arranged between the connecting portion and the lifting member; The first driving member drives the connecting portion to rotate and drives the lifting member to rotate; the second driving member drives the connecting portion to move along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core and drives the lifting member to lift the cylindrical battery core.

4. The cylindrical battery cell cover gap detection system according to claim 3, wherein: The lifting member includes a lifting portion, a first rotating shaft connected to the lifting portion, and a first stopper protruding along the circumference of the first rotating shaft; the connecting portion includes a connecting shaft connected to the first driving member, a second rotating shaft connected to the connecting shaft, and a second stopper protruding along the circumference of the second rotating shaft; the elastic return member is arranged between the first stopper and the second stopper; In which, the first rotating shaft is sleeved on the second rotating shaft, or the second rotating shaft is sleeved on the first rotating shaft; one of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft is provided with a slide groove extending along the height direction of the cylindrical battery core, and the other is provided with a slide column slidingly matched with the slide groove, and the connecting part can cooperate with the slide groove through the slide column to drive the lifting part to rotate.

5. The cylindrical battery cell cover gap detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The junction between the bottom wall and the side wall of the accommodating groove is recessed to form a groove.

6. The cylindrical battery cell cover gap detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The detection system further comprises a rotatable turntable, the support cup is arranged on the turntable, and the detection mechanism is arranged on the outer side of the turntable.

7. A method for detecting the gap between the lids of cylindrical cells, applied to a detection system for the gap between the lids of cylindrical cells, the detection system comprising a control device, a support cup, a detection mechanism, a rotary lifting mechanism, and a pressing mechanism, the detection method comprising: The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell in the support cup by a first preset distance, so that the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell is separated from the bottom wall of the support cup; The control device controls the pressing mechanism to press down the cylindrical battery core so that the pressing mechanism and the rotating lifting mechanism clamp the two ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction; The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell to a detection position; The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery core to rotate, and controls the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery core during the rotation of the cylindrical battery core relative to the detection mechanism; Wherein, the pressing mechanism includes a third driving member and a pressing portion, and the detection system further includes an encoder provided on the pressing portion; The control device controls the pressing mechanism to press down the cylindrical battery core so that the pressing mechanism and the rotating lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction, including: The control device controls the third driving member to drive the pressing portion to press down the cylindrical battery core, so that the pressing portion and the rotary lifting mechanism are clamped at both ends of the cylindrical battery core in the height direction; The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery cell to rotate, and controls the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell during the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell relative to the detection mechanism, including: The control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to drive the cylindrical battery core to rotate, and the cylindrical battery core drives the pressing part and the encoder to rotate through the rotation, and the cylindrical battery core, the pressing part and the encoder have the same rotation axis; When the encoder follows the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, it outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at every preset rotation angle, so as to control the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

8. The method for detecting the gap between the cylindrical battery cells according to claim 7, wherein: The detection mechanism includes an image acquisition module and an image processing module; The encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the detection mechanism at every preset rotation angle in the process of following the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, so as to control the detection mechanism to detect the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell, including: The encoder outputs a detection trigger signal to the image acquisition module at intervals of a preset rotation angle as it follows the rotation of the cylindrical battery cell, thereby controlling the image acquisition module to acquire images of the side surface of the cylindrical battery cell at intervals of the preset rotation angle, thereby obtaining multiple images of the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell. The image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell based on the multiple cover gap images to obtain a detection result.

9. The method for detecting the gap between the cylindrical battery cells according to claim 8, wherein: The image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell based on the plurality of cover gap images to obtain a detection result, including: The image processing module detects the cover gap on the side of the cylindrical battery cell for each cover gap image, and obtains a detection result corresponding to the cover gap image; When the detection results corresponding to each of the cover gap images indicate that the cover gap meets the preset process requirements, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the cover gap of the cylindrical battery cell.

10. The method for detecting the gap between the cylindrical battery cells according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein: The detection system further comprises a rotatable turntable, the support cup is arranged on the turntable, and the detection mechanism is arranged on the outer side of the turntable; Before the control device controls the rotary lifting mechanism to lift the cylindrical battery cell located in the support cup by a first preset distance, the detection method further includes: The control device controls the rotation of the turntable to transport the cylindrical battery core to the gap detection station through the supporting cup and make the cylindrical battery core coaxial with the rotation axis of the rotary lifting mechanism.

Images