Film coating device and film coating method

Abstract

The present application discloses a film coating device and a film coating method. A magnetic drive conveying device drives a battery cell to move; and during movement of the battery cell, the position of a magnetic levitation mover is determined on the basis of preset positions in a magnetic levitation guide rail, and the position of the magnetic levitation mover is used as the position of the battery cell to be transmitted to an encoder, such that the encoder outputs a pulse signal on the basis of the change in the position of the magnetic levitation mover to trigger an image collection device to perform image collection on the battery cell. Compared with the conventional mode of controlling a line scan camera to perform image collection on a battery cell on the basis of a grating ruler and a grating encoder, the scheme provided by embodiments of the present application has less requirements on installation precision, is easier to implement, and is less affected by the environment, thereby making an imaging result more accurate.

Description

Coating equipment and coating method

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202410200005.2, filed on February 23, 2024, entitled “Encapsulation Equipment and Encapsulation Method,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of battery manufacturing, and in particular to a film coating device and a film coating method. Background Art

[0004] Currently, during the battery film encapsulation process, it is necessary to capture images of the battery cells to determine if there are any defects in the film coating the cell surface. Existing related technologies primarily use a carrier to move the battery cells. During this movement, a grating encoder reader reads the grating scale on the carrier, thereby controlling the machine's line scan camera to capture images of the battery cells and perform defect detection on the film based on the images. However, this method places high demands on the installation of the grating scale and reader, making it difficult to implement. Furthermore, contamination of the grating scale can easily lead to inaccurate images.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a film coating device and method, which reduce the difficulty of collecting battery cell images during the film coating and shelling process and improve the accuracy of battery cell images.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a film coating device, comprising: a magnetic drive conveying device, an encoder, and an image acquisition device;

[0008] The magnetic drive conveying device includes: a magnetic suspension mover, a magnetic suspension guide rail and a position detection module;

[0009] The magnetic levitation mover is used to carry the battery core, and the surface of the battery core is covered with a film layer;

[0010] The magnetic levitation guide rail is used to drive the magnetic levitation mover to transport the battery cells along the conveying direction;

[0011] The magnetic levitation guide rail is provided with a plurality of preset positions along the conveying direction;

[0012] The position detection module is used to determine the position of the magnetic suspension mover based on multiple preset positions during the process of conveying the battery core by the magnetic drive conveyor device, and to send the position of the magnetic suspension mover to the encoder;

[0013] The encoder is used to generate a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic suspension mover and send the pulse signal to the image acquisition device;

[0014] The image acquisition device is used to acquire images of the battery cell based on the pulse signal.

[0015] The technical solution of this embodiment uses a magnetic drive conveyor to move the battery cell. During the movement of the battery cell, the position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on the preset position in the magnetic levitation guide rail. The position of the magnetic levitation mover is transmitted to the encoder as the position of the battery cell, so that the encoder outputs a pulse signal based on the position change of the magnetic levitation mover to trigger the image acquisition device to capture the image of the battery cell. Compared with the traditional method of using a grating scale and grating encoder to control a line scan camera to capture the image of the battery cell, the solution provided by the embodiment of the application has lower installation precision requirements, is easier to implement, and is less affected by the environment, making the output image more accurate.

[0016] In some embodiments, the position detection module includes a controller and a plurality of position sensors sequentially arranged along the magnetic levitation guide rail, wherein the plurality of position sensors correspond one-to-one to a plurality of preset positions of the magnetic levitation guide rail;

[0017] The position sensor is used to send an induction signal to the controller when sensing the magnetic suspension mover;

[0018] The controller is used to use the preset position corresponding to the last received induction signal as the position of the magnetic levitation mover, and send the position of the magnetic levitation mover to the encoder. The preset position corresponding to the induction signal is the preset position corresponding to the position sensor that sends the induction signal.

[0019] In this way, the position of the magnetic suspension mover can be detected.

[0020] In some embodiments, the image acquisition device is disposed on the side of the magnetic drive conveying device, and the optical axis of the image acquisition device is perpendicular to and intersects with the detection surface of the battery cell;

[0021] The plurality of position sensors include a start position sensor and an end position sensor;

[0022] The starting position sensor is installed at a first preset position of the magnetic levitation guide rail, the first preset position being upstream of the image acquisition position and being at a first distance from the image acquisition position. The image acquisition position is a position where a line parallel to the optical axis of the magnetic levitation guide rail and the image acquisition device intersect.

[0023] The end position sensor is installed at a second preset position of the magnetic levitation guide rail, the second preset position is downstream of the image acquisition position, and the distance between the second preset position and the image acquisition position is a second distance, and the second distance is greater than or equal to the length of the detection surface of the battery cell;

[0024] The controller is further configured to send the position of the magnetic suspension mover to the encoder once in each preset time period starting from receiving the sensing signal sent by the starting position sensor until receiving the sensing signal sent by the end position sensor.

[0025] In this way, the encoder can output a pulse signal to the image acquisition device from the time the magnetic levitation mover reaches the first preset position until the magnetic levitation mover reaches the second preset position. That is, the encoder outputs a pulse signal when the magnetic levitation mover passes the image acquisition device, so that the image acquisition device can capture a complete image of the battery cell during the movement of the magnetic levitation mover.

[0026] In some embodiments, the encoder is also used to determine the displacement of the magnetic levitation mover based on the received position of the magnetic levitation mover in each preset time period, and use the ratio of the displacement to the resolution of the encoder as the number of pulses to generate a pulse signal corresponding to the number of pulses.

[0027] In this way, a pulse signal corresponding to the displacement change of the battery cell can be obtained in each preset time period, so that the pulse signal is used to control the image acquisition device to acquire images of the battery cell at a certain frequency.

[0028] In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to calculate the position of the magnetic levitation mover based on a preset verification algorithm to obtain a first verification code, and send the position of the magnetic levitation mover and the first verification code to the encoder;

[0029] The encoder is also used to: calculate the position of the received magnetic levitation mover based on the verification algorithm to obtain a second verification code, compare the second verification code with the received first verification code, and generate a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover when the second verification code is consistent with the first verification code.

[0030] In this way, the accuracy and integrity of the position of the magnetic levitation mover can be improved.

[0031] In some embodiments, the image acquisition device includes a line scan camera;

[0032] The image acquisition device is also used to capture a line of image each time a pulse is received. When the line height of the captured image is equal to the preset line height, the captured images are combined into one image, and the combined image is used as the image of the detection surface of the battery cell.

[0033] In this way, the image acquisition device can output a complete image of the battery cell detection surface when the magnetic levitation mover moves based on the pulse signal output by the encoder and the preset line height. The output is stable and the object detected by the image acquisition device completely corresponds to the actual measurement object, which is conducive to accurate calibration of the data.

[0034] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a coating method, the method comprising:

[0035] The battery core is placed on the magnetic suspension mover, and the surface of the battery core is covered with a film layer;

[0036] The magnetic suspension guide rail drives the magnetic suspension mover to transport the battery cells along the conveying direction;

[0037] During the process of the magnetic levitation mover transporting the battery core, the position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail by the position detection module, and the position of the magnetic levitation mover is sent to the encoder;

[0038] The encoder generates a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic suspension mover and sends the pulse signal to the image acquisition device;

[0039] The image acquisition device acquires images of the battery cell based on the pulse signal.

[0040] The technical solution of this embodiment uses a magnetic drive conveyor to move the battery cell. During the movement of the battery cell, the position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on the preset position in the magnetic levitation guide rail. The position of the magnetic levitation mover is transmitted to the encoder as the position of the battery cell, so that the encoder outputs a pulse signal based on the position change of the magnetic levitation mover to trigger the image acquisition device to capture the image of the battery cell. Compared with the traditional method of using a grating scale and grating encoder to control a line scan camera to capture the image of the battery cell, the solution provided by the embodiment of the application has lower installation precision requirements, is easier to implement, and is less affected by the environment, making the output image more accurate.

[0041] In some embodiments, the position detection module includes a controller and a plurality of position sensors arranged in sequence along the magnetic levitation guide rail, wherein the plurality of position sensors correspond one-to-one to a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail, and the position sensors are configured to emit a sensing signal when sensing the magnetic levitation mover;

[0042] The position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail by a position detection module, including:

[0043] The controller uses the preset position corresponding to the last received induction signal as the position of the magnetic levitation mover. The preset position corresponding to the induction signal is the preset position corresponding to the position sensor that sends the induction signal.

[0044] In this way, the position of the magnetic suspension mover can be detected.

[0045] In some embodiments, the plurality of position sensors include a starting position sensor and an end position sensor, and transmit the position of the magnetic suspension mover to the encoder, including:

[0046] Starting from receiving the induction signal sent by the starting position sensor, the position of the magnetic suspension mover is sent to the encoder once in each preset time period until the induction signal sent by the end position sensor is received.

[0047] In this way, the encoder can output a pulse signal to the image acquisition device from the time the magnetic levitation mover reaches the first preset position until the magnetic levitation mover reaches the second preset position. That is, the encoder outputs a pulse signal when the magnetic levitation mover passes the image acquisition device, so that the image acquisition device can capture a complete image of the battery cell during the movement of the magnetic levitation mover.

[0048] In some embodiments, the encoder generates a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetically suspended mover, including:

[0049] Determining the displacement of the magnetic levitation mover based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover in each preset time period;

[0050] The ratio of displacement to encoder resolution is taken as the number of pulses;

[0051] Generate a pulse signal corresponding to the number of pulses.

[0052] In this way, a pulse signal corresponding to the displacement change of the battery cell can be obtained in each preset time period, so that the pulse signal is used to control the image acquisition device to acquire images of the battery cell at a certain frequency.

[0053] In some embodiments, sending a pulse signal to an image acquisition device includes:

[0054] The pulse signal is sent to the image acquisition device using differential transmission.

[0055] In this way, the anti-interference ability of the pulse signal can be improved.

[0056] In some embodiments, sending the position of the magnetically suspended mover to an encoder includes:

[0057] The position detection module calculates the position of the magnetic suspension mover based on a preset verification algorithm to obtain a first verification code;

[0058] Sending the position of the magnetic suspension mover and a first check code to the encoder;

[0059] The encoder generates pulse signals based on the position of the magnetically suspended mover, including:

[0060] The encoder calculates the position of the received magnetic suspension mover based on the verification algorithm to obtain a second verification code;

[0061] comparing the second check code with the received first check code;

[0062] When the second check code is consistent with the first check code, a pulse signal is generated based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover.

[0063] In this way, the accuracy and integrity of the position of the magnetic levitation mover can be improved.

[0064] In some embodiments, the image acquisition device includes a line scan camera, and the image acquisition device acquires an image of the detection surface of the battery cell based on the pulse signal, including:

[0065] The image acquisition device acquires a line of image each time it receives a pulse;

[0066] When the row height of the collected images is equal to the preset row height, the collected images are combined into one image;

[0067] The composed image is used as the image of the detection surface of the battery cell.

[0068] In this way, the image acquisition device can output a complete image of the battery cell detection surface when the magnetic levitation mover moves based on the pulse signal output by the encoder and the preset line height. The output is stable and the object detected by the image acquisition device completely corresponds to the actual measurement object, which is conducive to accurate calibration of the data.

[0069] In some embodiments, before the image acquisition device acquires the image of the detection surface of the battery cell based on the pulse signal, the method further includes:

[0070] determining a fourth distance between the starting position sensor and the ending position sensor;

[0071] obtaining a scanning error of an image acquisition device;

[0072] A preset row height of the image acquisition device is determined based on the fourth distance, the scanning error, and the resolution of the encoder.

[0073] In this way, the image acquisition device can output a complete and accurate battery cell image. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0075] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a coating device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG2 is a top view of the layout of the coating equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a preset position in a magnetic levitation guide rail provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an electrical control architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of pulse generation provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an electrical control architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG7 is a schematic flow chart of the coating method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain the present application, rather than to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can be implemented without the need for some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely to provide a better understanding of the present application by illustrating the examples of the present application.

[0083] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, the elements defined by the phrase "comprising..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the elements.

[0084] Currently, batteries are mainly used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems, and the market size of batteries is huge. Improving battery production efficiency can effectively increase a company's market share and enhance its competitiveness. During the battery production process, it is necessary to add blue film and Mylar, also known as polyester film, to the battery during the coating and shelling process. The blue film is used to separate the battery cells from each other, blocking the impact of various faults on other battery cells caused by a single battery cell. Mylar is used to prevent direct contact between the bare battery cell and the battery shell, thereby protecting the battery cell and providing insulation. Due to damage to the film layer and metal particles on the surface, the battery pole may be punctured, forming a short circuit and causing the battery to explode and catch fire. Therefore, it is necessary to detect dirty metal particles on the surface of the film layer and the welding effect of Mylar during the battery shelling process.

[0085] In related technologies, the main method for inspecting the cell film layer includes using a line scan camera to capture an image of the cell and determining whether the film layer has defects based on the captured image. Usually, when it is impossible to capture a complete image of the cell, it is directly determined that there is a problem with the cell film layer. Among them, the method for capturing the cell image mainly includes placing the cell on a carrier, which drives the cell to move. During the movement, the grating encoder reader reads the grating scale on the carrier, thereby outputting corresponding differential pulses to the line scan camera, which captures the image of the cell based on the difference.

[0086] The key point of using the above method to collect cell images is that the grating encoder can provide stable and effective pulse signals. Therefore, the installation accuracy requirements for the grating scale and the reader are relatively high. Usually, the flatness of the mounting surface of the reader and the grating scale is required to be no more than ±1°, and the spacing between the reader and the grating scale is required to be 1.95±0.15mm. The production line usually includes multiple carriers. During installation and debugging, it is necessary to ensure that the grating scale on each carrier meets the requirements. This requires a lot of manpower and time and is not easy to achieve. Moreover, during use, because the grating scale is exposed on site, oil or dust in the equipment during subsequent use may cause the grating scale to fail, thereby reducing the number of pulses output by the grating scale, resulting in failure to output the image, making the detection results inaccurate and affecting the yield of the entire line.

[0087] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a film coating device and a film coating method. The following first introduces the film coating device provided in the present invention.

[0088] The coating equipment provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the coating and shelling process in the battery production process.

[0089] Refer to Figure 1, which is a structural diagram of the coating device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the coating device may include: a magnetic drive conveying device, an encoder 120 and an image acquisition device 130.

[0090] The magnetic drive conveying device includes a magnetic levitation mover 111 and a magnetic levitation guide rail 112. The magnetic levitation mover 111 is used to carry the battery cell 100, and the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 is used to drive the magnetic levitation mover 111 to transport the battery cell 100 along the conveying direction. In this way, the magnetic drive conveying device can drive the battery cell 100 to move.

[0091] In this embodiment, the conveying direction can be set according to actual conditions, for example, it can be from left to right, from right to left, from top to bottom, or from bottom to top, etc. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0092] The magnetic levitation guide rail 112 may include a magnetic conveyor track, such as a permanent magnet track or an electromagnetic track. The magnetic levitation mover 111 may include a magnetic carrier, such as a magnetic base or a magnetic vehicle. These magnetic carriers can be driven by the magnetic force on the conveyor track to achieve contactless levitation.

[0093] In this embodiment, the surface of the battery cell 100 is coated with a film layer, which may include but is not limited to a blue film or Mylar. The coating equipment can be used in the battery film and shell process to capture images of the battery cell coated with the blue film before Mylar coating and / or after Mylar coating.

[0094] For example, refer to Figure 2, which is a top view of the layout of the coating equipment. As shown in Figure 2, the coating system includes a magnetic levitation guide rail 112, and a core loading station A, a Mylar hot melt wrapping station B, a gluing station C, a shelling station D and a blanking station E are arranged in sequence around the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 along the conveying direction. When the battery cell 100 moves along the conveying direction on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112, it can pass through the core loading station A, the Mylar hot melt wrapping station B, the gluing station C, the shelling station D and the blanking station E in sequence. In order to realize visual inspection of the battery cells 100 transported on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112, a pre-Mylar wrapping visual inspection station F is further provided between the core loading station A and the Mylar wrapping hot melt station B. The pre-Mylar wrapping visual inspection station F includes two image acquisition devices 130 arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the magnetic levitation guide rail 112. A post-Mylar wrapping visual inspection station G is further provided between the gluing station C and the shelling station D. The post-Mylar wrapping visual inspection station G also includes two image acquisition devices 130 arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the magnetic levitation guide rail 112. Thus, during the film wrapping process, when the battery cell 100 passes through the pre-Mylar wrapping visual inspection station F, two image acquisition devices 130 located there can capture images of both surfaces of the battery cell 100 in a first direction, with the first direction being perpendicular to the conveying direction. This allows for a first surface image of the battery cell 100 before Mylar wrapping. Based on the first surface image, defects can be detected on the blue film surface of the battery cell 100 before Mylar wrapping. When the battery cell 100 passes through the post-Mylar wrapping visual inspection station G, two image acquisition devices 130 located there can capture images of both surfaces of the battery cell 100 in the first direction. This allows for a second surface image of the battery cell 100 after Mylar wrapping. Based on the captured second surface image, defects can be detected on the Mylar-wrapped surface of the battery cell 100.

[0095] Furthermore, the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 is provided with a plurality of preset positions along the conveying direction, and each preset position has a known fixed coordinate.

[0096] In this embodiment, the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 may include multiple magnetic levitation stators arranged sequentially along the conveying direction. When the magnetic drive conveying device is in operation, the magnetic levitation stators can generate an alternating magnetic field on the surface of the magnetic levitation guide rail 112, thereby driving the magnetic levitation mover on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 to move at high speed, thereby achieving the transfer and conveyance of materials on the production line. As shown in Figure 3, taking the conveying direction from right to left as an example, the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 may include multiple magnetic levitation stators O-N arranged sequentially along the conveying direction. A preset position is set at the same position on each magnetic levitation stator. The right edge of the magnetic levitation stator that is ranked first in the conveying direction corresponds to coordinate 0. Assuming that each magnetic levitation stator is 500 mm in size, a preset position is set at a position 20 mm from the right edge of each magnetic levitation stator. The coordinate of the preset position in the first magnetic levitation stator is 20 mm, and the coordinate of the preset position in the second magnetic levitation stator is 500 mm + 20 mm. Similarly, the coordinates corresponding to each preset position can be determined.

[0097] The magnetic levitation conveying device further includes a position detection module 113 , which is used to determine the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 based on a plurality of preset positions on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 during the process of the magnetic levitation conveying device conveying the battery core 100 .

[0098] In this embodiment, the battery cell 100 is placed on the magnetic levitation mover 111 and moves with the movement of the magnetic levitation mover 111. Therefore, the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 can be used as the position of the battery cell 100. The magnetic levitation mover 111 levitates and moves along the conveying direction on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112. During this movement, the change in the position of the vertical projection of the magnetic levitation mover 111 on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 can reflect the change in the conveying direction of the magnetic levitation mover 111. Therefore, the position of the vertical projection of the magnetic levitation mover 111 on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 can be used as the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111. Based on this, multiple preset positions are set along the conveying direction on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112. The position detection module 113 can determine the corresponding position of the vertical projection of the magnetic levitation mover 111 on the magnetic levitation guide rail 112 based on the multiple preset positions, thereby determining the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111.

[0099] The position detection module 113 is further configured to send the position of the magnetic suspension mover 111 to the encoder 120 .

[0100] The encoder 120 is used to generate a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic suspension mover 111 and send the pulse signal to the image acquisition device 130 .

[0101] The image acquisition device 130 is used to acquire an image of the battery cell 100 based on the pulse signal.

[0102] In this embodiment, the image acquisition device 130 may include a high-speed image acquisition device such as a line scan camera. The image acquisition device 130 is used to capture images of the battery cell 100 while the magnetic drive conveying device is moving the battery cell 100. In order to capture a complete image of the battery cell 100 during its movement, the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 is acquired by the position detection module 113 in the magnetic levitation conveying device during the movement of the battery cell 100, and this position is transmitted to the encoder 120 as the position of the battery cell 100. The encoder 120 controls the image acquisition device 130 based on the position of the battery cell 100 to scan the battery cell 100 at a high speed at a certain frequency, thereby capturing a complete image of the battery cell.

[0103] The coating equipment provided in the embodiment of the present application uses a magnetic drive conveying device to move the battery cell 100. During the movement of the battery cell 100, the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 is determined based on the preset position in the magnetic levitation guide rail 112. The position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 is transmitted to the encoder 120 as the position of the battery cell 100, so that the encoder 120 outputs a pulse signal based on the position change of the magnetic levitation mover 111 to trigger the image acquisition device 130 to capture an image of the battery cell 100. Compared to the traditional method of capturing images of battery cells based on a grating ruler and a grating encoder to control a line scan camera, the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application has lower installation precision requirements, is easier to implement, and is less affected by the environment, resulting in more accurate images.

[0104] In some embodiments, the position detection module 113 may include a controller 1131 and multiple position sensors arranged in sequence along the magnetic levitation guide rail. The multiple position sensors correspond one-to-one to multiple preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail 112, that is, one position sensor corresponds to one preset position. The position sensor is configured to send a sensing signal to the controller when sensing the magnetic levitation mover 111. The controller 1131 is configured to use the preset position corresponding to the last received sensing signal as the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111, and to send the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 to the encoder 120. The preset position corresponding to the sensing signal is the preset position corresponding to the position sensor that sent the sensing signal.

[0105] In this embodiment, the controller 1131 can be connected to the encoder 120 for communication, and transmit the position of the magnetic suspension mover 111 to the encoder 120 via the communication interface. As shown in FIG4 , the controller 1131 can be connected to the encoder 120 for communication via the RS485 communication interface.

[0106] In this embodiment, the position sensor can be a proximity position sensor. For each position sensor, when the magnetic levitation mover 111 approaches a set distance from the position sensor, the position sensor can send an "action" signal, that is, an induction signal. In this way, after receiving the induction signal sent by the position sensor, the controller 1131 can determine that the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 is close to the position of the position sensor. Based on this, the controller 1131 can determine the preset position corresponding to the magnetic levitation mover 111 based on the received induction signal, and then determine the position of the magnetic levitation mover.

[0107] By the above method, the position of the magnetic suspension mover can be detected.

[0108] In some embodiments, the image acquisition device 130 is disposed on the side of the magnetic drive conveyor device, and the optical axis of the image acquisition device 130 is perpendicular to and intersects with the detection surface of the battery cell 100. The detection surface of the battery cell 100 refers to the surface of the battery cell 100 where image acquisition is required. The detection surface of the battery cell 100 can be specified based on actual conditions, and a battery cell 100 can include one or more detection surfaces.

[0109] The multiple position sensors of the position detection module 113 include a starting position sensor and an end position sensor. The starting position sensor is installed at a first preset position of the magnetic levitation guide rail, the first preset position is on the upstream side of the image acquisition position, and the distance between the starting position and the image acquisition position is a first distance. The end position sensor is installed at a second preset position of the magnetic levitation guide rail, the second preset position is on the downstream side of the image acquisition position, and the distance between the end position and the image acquisition position is a second distance, which is greater than or equal to the length of the detection surface of the battery cell, wherein the image acquisition position is the position where the magnetic levitation guide rail and the parallel line of the optical axis of the image acquisition device intersect.

[0110] In this embodiment, the specific values ​​of the first distance and the second distance can be set according to actual conditions. For example, the first distance can be 10 mm, and the second distance can be the size of a magnetic levitation mover 111 plus 10 mm, where the size of the magnetic levitation mover 111 is greater than or equal to the length of the detection surface of the battery cell 100. In addition to the above values, the first distance and the second distance can also be other values, which are not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0111] Based on the above settings, the controller 1131 sends the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 to the encoder 120, which may include: starting from receiving the induction signal sent by the starting position sensor, sending the position of the magnetic levitation mover to the encoder once in each preset time period, until receiving the induction signal sent by the end position sensor and stopping sending.

[0112] In this embodiment, the preset time period can be set in the controller 1131 through the controller software according to actual conditions. For example, the preset time period can be set to 1ms or other time lengths, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0113] For example, referring to Figure 5, the coordinate point 0 in Figure 5 is taken as the first preset position, and the position of +16mm is taken as the second preset position. When the magnetic levitation mover 111 moves to the right from the -16mm position, after passing the coordinate point 0, the controller 1131 collects the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 with 1ms as the preset time period, and transmits the position to the encoder 120. The encoder 120 outputs pulses based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111. When the magnetic levitation mover 111 reaches the +16mm position, the controller 1131 no longer collects the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111, and the encoder 120 also stops the pulse output. There can be at most one magnetic levitation mover 111 between the first preset position and the second preset position at any time.

[0114] In this embodiment, the encoder 120 generates a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 sent by the controller 1131. In this way, the encoder 120 can output a pulse signal to the image acquisition device 130 from the time the magnetic levitation mover 111 reaches the first preset position until the magnetic levitation mover 111 reaches the second preset position. That is, the encoder 120 outputs a pulse signal when the magnetic levitation mover 111 passes the image acquisition device 130, so that the image acquisition device 130 can capture a complete image of the battery cell 100 during the movement of the magnetic levitation mover 111.

[0115] In some embodiments, the encoder 120 can determine the displacement of the magnetic levitation mover 111 based on the received position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 in each preset time period, use the ratio of the displacement to the resolution of the encoder as the number of pulses, and generate a pulse signal corresponding to the number of pulses, thereby controlling the image acquisition device 130 to perform image acquisition based on the pulse signal.

[0116] In this embodiment, the displacement of the magnetic levitation mover 111 can be regarded as the displacement of the battery cell 100. In this way, through the above method, a pulse signal corresponding to the displacement change of the battery cell 100 can be obtained in each preset time period, thereby controlling the image acquisition device 130 to capture images of the battery cell 100 at a certain frequency through the pulse signal.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, the encoder 120 may use differential transmission to send a pulse signal to the image acquisition device 130. In this way, the anti-interference capability of the pulse signal may be improved.

[0118] In some embodiments, an acquisition card 140 may be included between the encoder 120 and the image acquisition device 130. As shown in FIG6 , the encoder 120 may convert the pulse signal into differential signals A+ and A-, and then transmit A+ and A- to the acquisition card 140 of the image acquisition device 130. The acquisition card 140 then controls the image acquisition device 130 to perform image acquisition. Providing the acquisition card 140 can improve the transmission quality of the image acquisition device 130 and maximize the transmission speed.

[0119] In some embodiments, when the controller 1131 sends the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 to the encoder 120, it can also first calculate the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 based on a preset verification algorithm to obtain a first verification code, and then send the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 and the first verification code to the encoder 120.

[0120] Accordingly, when the encoder 120 generates a pulse signal based on the received position of the magnetic levitation mover 111, it can first calculate the received position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 based on a preset verification algorithm to obtain a second verification code, and compare the second verification code with the received first verification code. When the second verification code is consistent with the first verification code, a pulse signal is generated based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111.

[0121] The controller 1131 and the encoder 120 use the same verification algorithm, which may include a Modbus RTU CRC algorithm, etc. This embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0122] In this way, the accuracy and integrity of the position of the magnetic levitation mover 111 can be improved.

[0123] In some embodiments, the image acquisition device 130 may include a line scan camera. A line scan camera is characterized by its ability to scan line by line at a high speed and at a predetermined frequency, ultimately forming a complete image. Therefore, when performing image acquisition based on a pulse signal, the image acquisition device 130 may capture a line of image for each pulse received. When the line height of the captured images equals a preset line height, the captured images are combined into a single image, which is used as the image of the inspection surface of the battery cell 100.

[0124] In this embodiment, the preset row height n can be calculated according to the distance between the first preset position and the second preset position, the scanning cycle error, and the resolution of the encoder 120 according to the following formula:

[0125] n=(distance between the first preset position and the second preset position-scanning period error) / resolution of the encoder.

[0126] The scanning period error may be a ratio of the moving speed V1 of the magnetic suspension mover 111 to a preset time period.

[0127] In this way, the image acquisition device 130 can output a complete image of the detection surface of the battery cell 100 when the magnetic levitation mover 111 moves based on the pulse signal output by the encoder 120 and the preset line height. The image output is stable and the object detected by the image acquisition device 130 completely corresponds to the actual measurement object, which is conducive to accurate calibration of the data.

[0128] Data Validation:

[0129] Taking a line scan camera as an example, the image acquisition device uses magnetic drive coordinates to set the position 10 mm upstream of the line scan camera in the magnetic levitation guideway as the first preset position A corresponding to the starting position sensor. The point corresponding to the point where a complete magnetic levitation mover passes the line scan camera is the second preset position B corresponding to the ending position sensor. The distance between positions A and B is 570 mm. The actual accuracy of the differential signal output by the encoder, namely the A+ and A- signals, is 8 μm. Theoretically, the encoder can generate 71,250 pulses when the magnetic levitation mover moves between positions A and B. The actual number of pulses received, detected by the acquisition card software, is 71,248, with an error of less than 0.1%. Testing at the same distance and with different magnetic levitation mover speeds found that the actual pulse count error is within 0.1%, which has no effect on the line scan camera's image output. It can be seen that the pulses output when the magnetic levitation mover passes through the line scan camera, combined with the preset line height set in the line scan camera system, can enable the line scan camera to capture the surface of the battery cell when the mover moves. The image output is stable and the camera detection object completely corresponds to the actual measurement object, which is conducive to accurate data calibration, making it possible to accurately detect defective battery cells based on the images captured by the line scan camera.

[0130] According to some embodiments of the present application, a spot inspection method for coating equipment is provided.

[0131] 7 is a flow chart of a coating method according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method may include the following steps:

[0132] S71. Place the battery cell on the magnetic levitation mover, where the surface of the battery cell is coated with a film layer;

[0133] S72. The magnetic levitation guide rail drives the magnetic levitation mover to transport the battery cell along the transport direction;

[0134] S73. In the process of transporting the core by the magnetic levitation mover, the position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on multiple preset positions in the magnetic levitation rail by the position detection module, and the position of the magnetic levitation mover is sent to the encoder;

[0135] S74. The encoder generates a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover and sends the pulse signal to the image acquisition device;

[0136] S75. The image acquisition device acquires an image of the battery cell based on the pulse signal.

[0137] A magnetic drive conveyor is used to move the battery cell. During the movement of the battery cell, the position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on the preset position in the magnetic levitation guide rail. The position of the magnetic levitation mover is transmitted to the encoder as the position of the battery cell, so that the encoder outputs a pulse signal based on the position change of the magnetic levitation mover to trigger the image acquisition device to capture the image of the battery cell. Compared with the traditional method of using a grating ruler and a grating encoder to control a line scan camera to capture the image of the battery cell, the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application has lower installation precision requirements, is easier to implement, and is less affected by the environment, making the output image more accurate, thereby improving the accuracy of battery cell inspection.

[0138] According to some embodiments of the present application, the position detection module includes a controller and a plurality of position sensors arranged in sequence along the magnetic levitation guide rail, wherein the plurality of position sensors correspond one-to-one to a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail, and the position sensors are configured to emit a sensing signal when sensing the magnetic levitation mover;

[0139] The position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail by a position detection module, including:

[0140] The controller uses the preset position corresponding to the last received induction signal as the position of the magnetic levitation mover. The preset position corresponding to the induction signal is the preset position corresponding to the position sensor that sends the induction signal.

[0141] By the above method, the position of the magnetic suspension mover can be detected.

[0142] According to some embodiments of the present application, the plurality of position sensors include a starting position sensor and an end position sensor, and transmit the position of the magnetic suspension mover to the encoder, including:

[0143] Starting from receiving the induction signal sent by the starting position sensor, the position of the magnetic suspension mover is sent to the encoder once in each preset time period until the induction signal sent by the end position sensor is received.

[0144] In this way, the encoder can output a pulse signal to the image acquisition device from the time the magnetic levitation mover reaches the first preset position until the magnetic levitation mover reaches the second preset position. That is, the encoder outputs a pulse signal when the magnetic levitation mover passes the image acquisition device, so that the image acquisition device can capture a complete image of the battery cell during the movement of the magnetic levitation mover.

[0145] According to some embodiments of the present application, an encoder generates a pulse signal based on the position of a magnetically suspended mover, including:

[0146] Determining the displacement of the magnetic levitation mover based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover in each preset time period;

[0147] The ratio of displacement to encoder resolution is taken as the number of pulses;

[0148] Generate a pulse signal corresponding to the number of pulses.

[0149] In this way, a pulse signal corresponding to the displacement change of the battery cell can be obtained in each preset time period, so that the pulse signal is used to control the image acquisition device to acquire images of the battery cell at a certain frequency.

[0150] According to some embodiments of the present application, sending a pulse signal to an image acquisition device includes:

[0151] The pulse signal is sent to the image acquisition device using differential transmission.

[0152] In this way, the anti-interference ability of the pulse signal can be improved.

[0153] According to some embodiments of the present application, sending the position of the magnetic levitation mover to an encoder includes:

[0154] The position detection module calculates the position of the magnetic suspension mover based on a preset verification algorithm to obtain a first verification code;

[0155] Sending the position of the magnetic suspension mover and a first check code to the encoder;

[0156] The encoder generates pulse signals based on the position of the magnetically suspended mover, including:

[0157] The encoder calculates the position of the received magnetic suspension mover based on the verification algorithm to obtain a second verification code;

[0158] comparing the second check code with the received first check code;

[0159] When the second check code is consistent with the first check code, a pulse signal is generated based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover.

[0160] In this way, the accuracy and integrity of the position of the magnetic levitation mover can be improved.

[0161] According to some embodiments of the present application, the image acquisition device includes a line scan camera, and the image acquisition device acquires an image of the detection surface of the battery cell based on the pulse signal, including:

[0162] The image acquisition device acquires a line of image each time it receives a pulse;

[0163] When the row height of the collected images is equal to the preset row height, the collected images are combined into one image;

[0164] The composed image is used as the image of the detection surface of the battery cell.

[0165] In this way, the pulse signal output by the encoder when the magnetic levitation mover passes through the image acquisition device, combined with the preset line height, enables the image acquisition device 130 to output a complete image of the detection surface of the battery cell 100 when the magnetic levitation mover 111 moves. The image output is stable and the object detected by the image acquisition device 130 completely corresponds to the actual measurement object, which is conducive to accurate calibration of the data.

[0166] According to some embodiments of the present application, before the image acquisition device acquires the image of the detection surface of the battery cell based on the pulse signal, the method further includes:

[0167] determining a fourth distance between the starting position sensor and the ending position sensor;

[0168] obtaining a scanning error of an image acquisition device;

[0169] A preset row height of the image acquisition device is determined based on the fourth distance, the scanning error, and the resolution of the encoder.

[0170] In this way, the image acquisition device can output a complete and accurate battery cell image.

[0171] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the specific configurations and processes described above and illustrated in the figures. For the sake of brevity, a detailed description of known methods is omitted here. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and illustrated as examples. However, the method process of the present application is not limited to the specific steps described and illustrated. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, and additions, or change the order of the steps after understanding the spirit of the present application.

[0172] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in this application describe some methods or systems based on a series of steps or devices. However, this application is not limited to the order of the above steps. In other words, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in a different order, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.

[0173] Aspects of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each box in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of each box in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine so that these instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device enable the implementation of the function / action specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram. Such a processor can be, but is not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a special application processor or a field programmable logic circuit. It is also understood that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart can also be implemented by dedicated hardware that performs the specified function or action, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0174] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present application. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, modules and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A film coating device comprising: Magnetic drive conveying device, encoder and image acquisition device; The magnetic drive conveying device includes: a magnetic suspension mover, a magnetic suspension guide rail and a position detection module; The magnetic levitation mover is used to carry the battery core, and the surface of the battery core is covered with a film layer; The magnetic levitation guide rail is used to drive the magnetic levitation mover to transport the battery core along a transport direction; The magnetic suspension guide rail is provided with a plurality of preset positions along the conveying direction; The position detection module is used to determine the position of the magnetic levitation mover based on the multiple preset positions during the process of the magnetic drive conveying device conveying the battery core, and to send the position of the magnetic levitation mover to the encoder; The encoder is used to generate a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic suspension mover, and send the pulse signal to the image acquisition device; The image acquisition device is used to acquire an image of the battery cell based on the pulse signal.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein The position detection module includes a controller and a plurality of position sensors sequentially arranged along the magnetic levitation guide rail, wherein the plurality of position sensors correspond one to one with a plurality of preset positions of the magnetic levitation guide rail; The position sensor is used to send a sensing signal to the controller when sensing the magnetic suspension mover; The controller is used to use the preset position corresponding to the last received induction signal as the position of the magnetic levitation mover, and send the position of the magnetic levitation mover to the encoder. The preset position corresponding to the induction signal is the preset position corresponding to the position sensor that sent the induction signal.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein The image acquisition device is arranged on the side of the magnetic drive conveying device, and the optical axis of the image acquisition device is perpendicular to and intersects with the detection surface of the battery cell; The plurality of position sensors include a starting position sensor and an end position sensor; The starting position sensor is installed at a first preset position of the magnetic levitation guide rail, the first preset position being upstream of an image acquisition position and being at a first distance from the image acquisition position, the image acquisition position being a position where a line parallel to the optical axis of the magnetic levitation guide rail intersects the image acquisition device; The end position sensor is installed at a second preset position of the magnetic levitation guide rail, the second preset position is downstream of the image acquisition position, and the distance between the second preset position and the image acquisition position is a second distance, and the second distance is greater than or equal to the length of the detection surface of the battery cell; The controller is further configured to send the position of the magnetic suspension mover to the encoder once in each preset time period starting from receiving the sensing signal sent by the starting position sensor until receiving the sensing signal sent by the end position sensor.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein The encoder is further configured to determine the displacement of the magnetic levitation mover based on the received position of the magnetic levitation mover during each preset time period, and to use the ratio of the displacement to the resolution of the encoder as the number of pulses to generate a pulse signal corresponding to the number of pulses.

5. The device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The controller is further configured to calculate the position of the magnetic levitation mover based on a preset verification algorithm to obtain a first verification code, and send the position of the magnetic levitation mover and the first verification code to an encoder; The encoder is also used to: calculate the received position of the magnetic levitation mover based on the verification algorithm to obtain a second verification code, compare the second verification code with the received first verification code, and generate a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover when the second verification code is consistent with the first verification code.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The image acquisition device includes a line scan camera; The image acquisition device is further configured to acquire a line of image each time a pulse is received, and when the line height of the acquired image is equal to a preset line height, the acquired images are combined into one image. The composed image is used as the image of the detection surface of the battery cell.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The equipment comprises a core loading station, a Mylar hot-melt wrapping station, a glue sticking station, a shell inserting station and a material unloading station which are sequentially arranged around the magnetic levitation guide rail along the conveying direction.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein A pre-Mylar wrapping visual inspection station is provided between the core-wrapping loading station and the Mylar wrapping hot-melt station; The Mylar pre-packaging visual inspection station includes two image acquisition devices arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the magnetic levitation guide rail.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein A post-Mylar packaging visual inspection station is provided between the gluing station and the shell inserting station; The post-Mylar packaging visual inspection station includes two image acquisition devices arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the magnetic levitation guide rail.

10. The device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The controller and the encoder are connected for communication using a communication interface RS485.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The encoder sends a pulse signal to the image acquisition device in a differential transmission manner.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein The device also includes an acquisition card arranged between the encoder and the image acquisition device. After the encoder converts the pulse signal into a differential signal, the differential signal is transmitted to the acquisition card, and the image acquisition device is controlled by the acquisition card to perform image acquisition.

13. A coating method, comprising: Placing a battery core on a magnetic levitation mover, wherein the surface of the battery core is coated with a film layer; The magnetic suspension mover is driven by a magnetic suspension guide rail to transport the battery cell along a transport direction; During the process of the magnetic levitation mover transporting the battery core, the position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail by a position detection module, and the position of the magnetic levitation mover is determined based on a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail. The device sends the position of the magnetic suspension mover; The encoder generates a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic suspension mover, and sends the pulse signal to an image acquisition device; The image acquisition device acquires an image of the battery cell based on the pulse signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The position detection module includes a controller and a plurality of position sensors arranged in sequence along the magnetic levitation guide rail, wherein the plurality of position sensors correspond one-to-one to a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail, and the position sensors are configured to emit an induction signal when sensing the magnetic levitation mover; The determining the position of the magnetic levitation mover based on a plurality of preset positions in the magnetic levitation guide rail by a position detection module includes: The controller uses the preset position corresponding to the last received induction signal as the position of the magnetic levitation mover, and the preset position corresponding to the induction signal is the preset position corresponding to the position sensor that sent the induction signal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The plurality of position sensors include a starting position sensor and an end position sensor, and the step of sending the position of the magnetic suspension mover to the encoder includes: Starting from receiving the sensing signal sent by the starting position sensor, the position of the magnetic suspension mover is sent to the encoder once in each preset time period until the sensing signal sent by the end position sensor is received.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The encoder generates a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic suspension mover, including: Determining the displacement of the magnetic levitation mover based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover in each of the preset time periods; Taking the ratio of the displacement to the resolution of the encoder as the number of pulses; A pulse signal corresponding to the number of pulses is generated.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: The step of sending the pulse signal to an image acquisition device comprises: The pulse signal is sent to the image acquisition device in a differential transmission manner.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein: The sending the position of the magnetic suspension mover to an encoder includes: The position detection module calculates the position of the magnetic suspension mover based on a preset verification algorithm to obtain a first verification code; sending the position of the magnetic levitation mover and the first check code to an encoder; The encoder generates a pulse signal based on the position of the magnetic suspension mover, including: The encoder calculates the received position of the magnetic suspension mover based on the verification algorithm to obtain a second verification code; comparing the second verification code with the received first verification code; When the second check code is consistent with the first check code, a pulse signal is generated based on the position of the magnetic levitation mover.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein: The image acquisition device includes a line scan camera, and the image acquisition device acquires an image of the detection surface of the battery cell based on the pulse signal, including: The image acquisition device acquires a line of image each time it receives a pulse; When the row height of the collected images is equal to the preset row height, the collected images are combined into one image; The composed image is used as the image of the detection surface of the battery cell.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein: Before the image acquisition device acquires the image of the detection surface of the battery cell based on the pulse signal, the method further includes: determining a fourth distance between the starting position sensor and the ending position sensor; obtaining a scanning error of the image acquisition device; A preset row height of the image acquisition device is determined based on the fourth distance, the scanning error, and a resolution of the encoder.

Images