Battery Plate Enveloping Transfer With Rotary Gripper Buffering

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing enveloping machines for electric storage batteries face inefficiencies in high-speed production, leading to plate damage due to abrupt handling and multiple manipulation steps, which hinder reliable and continuous operation.

Innovation Solution

The enveloping machine incorporates a manipulation station with a gripping device featuring movable trolleys and rotary heads, allowing for precise and gentle handling of plates, along with a brushing station to prevent damage, enabling efficient and continuous operation by minimizing plate impact and reducing manipulation steps.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple gripping elements act in succession to pick up and release plates quickly, then production speed is improved, but plate damage risk increases due to abrupt handling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction speedVSAvoidplate integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple gripping elements are combined into a single gripper that can hold multiple plates simultaneously. This merging approach maintains high production speed by processing multiple plates in parallel while eliminating the abrupt release problem associated with sequential handling of individual plates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

A buffer zone is introduced as an intermediary space between the gripping station and the enveloping station. Plates are temporarily held in this buffer zone, allowing for controlled transfer and reducing impact during the release phase, thereby protecting plate integrity while maintaining production flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If plates are released abruptly on the conveyor belt to increase speed, then production efficiency is improved, but plate damage occurs due to impact against abutment elements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoidimpact damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The buffer zone serves as a cushioning space where plates are temporarily held before being transferred to the enveloping station. This beforehand cushioning allows plates to be released without abrupt impact, protecting them from damage while maintaining production efficiency through continuous flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The system maintains continuous operation by having multiple gripping elements work in parallel and using a buffer zone to ensure uninterrupted plate flow. Plates are continuously picked up, held in buffer, and transferred without stopping, eliminating idle time while avoiding impact damage through controlled transfer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Manufacturing precision

If plates undergo multiple manipulation steps to achieve proper positioning and enveloping, then enveloping accuracy is improved, but handling time increases reducing production speed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenveloping accuracyVSAvoidhandling time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple manipulation functions are merged into a single integrated gripper system that performs picking, holding, and transferring operations in one coordinated action. This reduces the number of separate manipulation steps while maintaining positioning accuracy, thereby reducing handling time and increasing production speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Plates are pre-positioned in the buffer zone in the correct orientation and location before enveloping begins. This preliminary action ensures that when plates are transferred to the enveloping station, they are already in the optimal position for enveloping, eliminating the need for additional positioning adjustments and reducing overall handling time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11799135B2Enveloping machine for enveloping plates for electric storage batteries and method for manipulating plates for electric storage batteries in said enveloping machine

Publication Date: 2023.10.24 SOVEMA

AI summary

Enveloping machine for enveloping plates for electric storage batteries, comprising a storage for storing plates for electric storage batteries, and a manipulation station for manipulating the plates, which comprises a gripping device for separately picking up the plates from the storage and for depositing them at an enveloping station, which also receives a separator strip in order to enclose the plates with the separator strip itself. In addition, the gripping device comprises a movable trolley actuated to translate between the storage and the enveloping station, and a rotary head mounted on the movable trolley and actuated to rotate between a grip position, in which it picks up the plates placed vertically in the storage, and a release position, in which it deposits the plates horizontally on the enveloping station.