Battery Cell Pack Positioning via Vision-Guided Pallet Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large-scale battery manufacturing, positioning battery cell packs with high precision relative to pallets and factory facilities is challenging due to the soft nature of the cell packs, requiring high accuracy and efficiency to avoid deformation and ensure precise cutting of electrode tabs.
Innovation Solution
A workpiece-positioning device with a workpiece holder and up/down mechanism, combined with a free pallet movement mechanism that allows the pallet to move parallel to a reference plane, enabling precise alignment of positioning pins with holes in the battery cell pack without applying excessive force, thus preventing deformation and minimizing cycle time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the battery cell pack is grasped for positioning, then positioning can be achieved, but the soft nature of the cell pack causes deformation and positioning inaccuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical grasping system with a vision-guided positioning system. A camera captures images of the battery cell pack, and image processing algorithms automatically determine the position and orientation of positioning holes, eliminating the need for mechanical contact that causes deformation of the soft cell pack.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary positioning mechanism consisting of positioning pins on the pallet that insert into positioning holes of the battery cell pack. This intermediary system allows precise positioning without direct grasping of the soft cell pack, using the rigid positioning holes as a mediator between the pallet and the cell pack.
2Manufacturing precision
If high positioning accuracy is achieved through precise grasping, then cutting accuracy improves, but cycle time increases due to the complexity of positioning operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary positioning actions by automatically detecting the positions of positioning holes through image capture and processing before the cutting operation. This preliminary action establishes the coordinate system and determines tool paths in advance, enabling high cutting accuracy without requiring time-consuming manual positioning adjustments during the cutting process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces time-consuming mechanical positioning and measurement operations with an automated vision system that rapidly captures images and processes position information computationally. This substitution significantly reduces the time required for positioning while maintaining high precision, thereby improving productivity without sacrificing cutting accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
A workpiece-positioning device includes a workpiece holder of holding a workpiece, a workpiece holder up/down mechanism of moving the workpiece holder up and down, and a free pallet movement mechanism of freely moving a pallet parallel to a reference plane to shift the pallet to a position where the workpiece, held by the workpiece holder is lowered so that a positioning pin of the pallet is inserted into a positioning hole made in the workpiece.