DE102021125519B4 - Automated guided vehicle system and method for transporting materials in the energy cell manufacturing industry - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a driverless transport system (30) for transporting materials in the industry producing energy cells, comprising a movable and closable transport chamber (31), the transport chamber (31) having a closable lock opening (32) and for docking to a machine (17) is set up, with the machine (17) docked transport chamber (31) an automatic exchange of material between the machine (17) and the transport chamber (31) is possible through the open lock opening (32).

Description

The present invention relates to a driverless transport system for transporting materials in the energy cell producing industry and a corresponding transport method for transporting materials into and out of a machine in the energy cell producing industry according to the preambles of the independent claims.

The production of large-format energy cells, in particular battery cells, for example for electromobility, is nowadays carried out on production systems with a production rate of over 200 mono cells per minute. However, the increasing demand worldwide and the general economic conditions require further cost reductions and increases in production.

From the DE 10 2018 105 778 B4 For example, a method for delivering goods by means of a delivery vehicle and a mobile distribution device are known.

A transport vehicle with inner container and a method for loading the transport vehicle for package delivery is in DE 10 2017 000 776 B4 disclosed.

Furthermore, the DE 10 2007 021 744 A1 a method and apparatus for transporting items to distribution points.

One of the cost factors is the required production climate. Active materials in electrodes of energy cells are usually sensitive to moisture, so that for the entire production of energy cells or battery cells, for example Li-ion batteries, the air must be very dry. The corresponding air conditioning during production up to the sealing of the energy cell or battery, in order to protect the active materials in particular from moisture, requires great effort and causes high costs and increased energy consumption.

Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a transport system and a transport method which reduce the costs for the production environment.

To solve the problem, a driverless transport system for transporting materials in the energy cell manufacturing industry with the features of claim 1 and a transport method for transporting materials into and out of a machine in the energy cell manufacturing industry with the features of claim 9 are proposed.

A driverless transport system for transporting materials in the industry producing energy cells is proposed, comprising a movable and closable transport chamber, the transport chamber having a closable lock opening and being set up for docking with a machine, with the transport chamber being docked with the machine, an automatic material exchange between the Machine and the transport chamber is possible through the open lock opening.

The closable lock opening enables the closable transport chamber to be docked onto a machine, with a process atmosphere preferably being present in the machine. A process atmosphere can in particular be dry air, for example with a dew point below −20° C., and/or a clean room environment, in particular ISO clean room class 7 or cleaner. The process atmosphere provided in the machine can more preferably have a dew point temperature below -40°C, even more preferably below -50°C, for example a dew point temperature of -55°C. The process atmosphere in the machine also preferably has a temperature of 20°C to 22°C. The relative humidity of the process atmosphere is therefore preferably below 15%, more preferably below 1%. In addition to the air humidity, the particle content in the air in the process atmosphere can also be limited, for example according to clean room class ISO 7. The process atmosphere provided can in particular be a controlled or regulated atmosphere.

The machine preferably also has a lock opening with which a corresponding process atmosphere can be maintained inside the machine. With an opened connection for the automated exchange of material between the docked transport chamber with open lock opening and the machine, a transport climate is created in the transport system via the mixing ratio of the atmospheres of the transport chamber, the machine, in particular the process atmosphere of the machine and possibly the ambient air in the lock area. Here, the conditioned air or the process atmosphere of the machine has the dominant proportion due to the preferred differences in the room volume, so that a transport atmosphere that meets the requirements of the materials or products to be transported can be achieved in the transport system. Another gas exchange with the ambient air is through the ver closable transport chamber and the lock opening prevented.

According to a further development, it is proposed that the transport chamber has an air-conditioning device for air-conditioning the transport chamber.

The air conditioning device makes it possible to create and maintain an atmosphere in the transport chamber which, for example, satisfies the requirements for the process atmosphere of the machine to which it is docked. In this way, higher demands on the transport atmosphere in the transport chamber can be achieved. Mixtures with the ambient air from the area of the lock opening between the transport chamber and the machine to which the transport chamber is docked can be compensated, for example, by the air conditioning device of the transport chamber due to the limited gas volume, so that the transport atmosphere in the transport chamber and also the process atmosphere in the machine are only marginally influenced by the docking for material exchange.

It is also proposed that a lock be provided between the machine and the transport chamber. The quality of the transport atmosphere in the transport chamber and also the process atmosphere in the machine can be further improved by means of a lock. For this purpose, the volume of the lock can be flushed once or several times with the transport atmosphere and/or with the process atmosphere of the machine, for example before the lock opening of the transport chamber is opened after docking with the machine. In advantageous embodiments, the lock can be subjected to negative pressure for this purpose.

According to a further development, it is proposed that the sluice consists of a flexible material. This simplifies the requirements for positioning the driverless transport system when docking with a machine and at the same time creates a sufficiently tight seal from the environment.

In an advantageous embodiment, the sluice comprises bellows surrounding the sluice opening. Adequate separation from the ambient air can be achieved in this way, and any tolerances in the positioning of the driverless transport system can be compensated for by the bellows.

According to a further development, it is proposed that the transport system has a conveying device that is driven, for example electrically, for automatically conveying materials between the machine and the transport chamber.

The driven conveying device enables the automatic exchange of material between the machine and the transport chamber, so that material and/or products, for example one or more elements from the group: electrode sheet, separator sheet, separator-electrode composite unit, monocell, and/or cell stack while maintaining sufficient Atmospheric conditions promoted from a machine or can be introduced into a machine.

In this context, an electrode sheet refers to a conductor foil coated with an electrode material, i.e. anode or cathode material, in a corresponding blank. A separator sheet is, for example, a separator film which has a corresponding cut, for example a cut from a roll. A separator-electrode composite unit can be, for example, a stacked arrangement of an electrode sheet and at least one separator sheet. A mono cell represents the smallest complete unit of an energy cell or battery, whereby the term can refer in particular to a dry mono cell, i.e. the mono cell does not yet have any liquid electrolyte. Accordingly, such a mono cell is not yet ready for operation. However, the term mono cell can also refer to operational cells with a liquid electrolyte. A cell stack refers to a stacked arrangement of monocells.

It is also proposed that the transport chamber can be closed in a gas-tight manner. This prevents the ingress of ambient air. In this way, a transport atmosphere can be maintained in the transport chamber over longer periods of time, for example for storage or buffering.

According to a further development, it is proposed that the transport system has a guide and a drive, in particular an electric drive, for the guided movement of the transport chamber as a whole. The transport chamber can be used in particular as a link between micro-air-conditioned machines and rooms, so that a reduction in operating costs and energy requirements can be achieved by reducing the volume to be air-conditioned overall.

• - Antransportieren und Andocken einer verschlossenen Transportkammer an eine Schleuse der Maschine;
• - Öffnen einer Schleusenöffnung der Transportkammer;
• - automatischer Materialaustausch zwischen der Maschine und der Transportkammer durch die Schleusenöffnung;
• - Verschließen der Schleusenöffnung;
• - Abdocken und Abtransport der Transportkammer.

To achieve the object of the invention, a driverless transport method for Transporting materials into and out of a machine in the energy cell manufacturing industry by means of a movable transport chamber that can be closed in a gas-tight manner, which includes the following steps:

• - Transporting and docking a closed transport chamber to a lock of the machine;
• - Opening a lock opening of the transport chamber;
• - automatic material exchange between the machine and the transport chamber through the sluice opening;
• - Closing the lock opening;
• - Undocking and removal of the transport chamber.

The proposed transport method enables the production of energy cells, in particular battery cells, with micro-climate controlled machines and rooms in a simple manner, in which the transport of materials and/or products between different process steps by means of the transport method through ambient air can be made possible without contamination of materials or products.

• - Bereitstellen einer Prozessatmosphäre in einer Maschine;
• - Einlegen von mindestens einem flächigen Produkt in einen gasdicht verschließbaren Behälter unter der Prozessatmosphäre;
• - gasdichtes Verschließen des Behälters unter der Prozessatmosphäre;
• - Fördern des verschlossenen Behälters in eine nachfolgende Prozessstation.

Furthermore, a method for transporting and/or storing flat products in the industry that produces energy cells is proposed, with the following steps:

• - Providing a process atmosphere in a machine;
• - Insertion of at least one flat product in a gas-tight sealable container under the process atmosphere;
• - Gas-tight sealing of the container under the process atmosphere;
• - Conveyance of the sealed container to a subsequent process station.

Flat products can in particular be products that are still unsealed or unlocked, so that the products still have to be protected, in particular from atmospheric moisture. Accordingly, the flat products can also be viewed as intermediate products, since the flat products are not yet energy cells that can be freely handled, in particular batteries.

The at least one flat product or the flat products are placed in a container within the process atmosphere provided, which is then sealed gas-tight in the process atmosphere of the machine. Accordingly, the process atmosphere is also present in the closed container in which at least one flat product is placed. By closing the container, no exchange of atmosphere between the inside and the outside of the container is possible, so that the process atmosphere is maintained as a kind of microclimate in the container. The gas-tight sealed container can thus be conveyed to a subsequent process station, regardless of the respective atmospheres with which the outside of the container comes into contact.

The process atmosphere in the gas-tight sealed container therefore protects the products placed in it, which means that the demands on the atmosphere outside the container can be significantly lower. Lower demands on the atmosphere of the production environment and/or a correspondingly reduced volume with high demands lead to cost savings in the purchase and in the operating costs of a production plant in the industry producing energy cells. In advantageous embodiments, complete air conditioning of the production environment can be omitted or at least significantly reduced. In addition to reduced acquisition costs and energy costs, there can also be a reduction in the space required and a simplification of logistics processes. The flat products can therefore be transported and/or stored in a simple manner. Furthermore, possible faults in the air conditioning can be locally limited in this way, so that a fault in the entire production environment can be systematically avoided. In addition, the working conditions for personnel can be made easier, for example with regard to protective equipment and the maximum time spent in the production environment.

According to a further development, the step is proposed that before the at least one product is placed in the container, groups of products are accumulated and/or formed and/or separated.

Overall, the insertion process or the insertion of products into the container can be made more efficient as a result. In advantageous embodiments, the flat products are inserted in groups or as a group in one operation. The number of flat products that are also connected as a further unit in the following processes is preferably already selected here.

It is further suggested that before inserting the at least one product into the Container which has at least one flat product placed in an upright position.

The erecting facilitates handling when loading and improves the use of space. Furthermore, in this way it can be avoided that the flat products are arranged one on top of the other, so that any faulty areas in coatings cannot fall onto other products and any production faults cannot continue.

According to a further development, it is proposed that the closed container be discharged from the process atmosphere through a lock of the machine.

The ejection enables a clear demarcation of the process atmosphere of the machine from the wider environment. The ejection allows the container to be handled freely during transport and, if necessary, during storage or interim storage. In particular, buffers can be set up outside of the production machine, for example, in order to improve and/or stabilize the entire production process. By means of the gas-tight container, preferably complete groups of products can be discharged from a process.

It is further proposed that the process atmosphere is dry air, in particular with a dew point below −20° C., and/or a clean room environment, in particular of ISO clean room class 7 or cleaner.

The process atmosphere provided more preferably has a dew point temperature below -40°C, even more preferably below -50°C, for example a dew point temperature of -55°C. Furthermore, the process atmosphere preferably has a temperature of 20.degree. C. to 22.degree. The relative humidity of the process atmosphere is therefore preferably below 15%, more preferably below 1%. In addition to the air humidity, the particle content in the air in the process atmosphere can also be limited, for example according to clean room class ISO 7. The process atmosphere provided can in particular be a controlled or regulated atmosphere.

• - Elektrodenblatt;
• - Separatorblatt;
• - Separator-Elektroden-Verbundeinheit;
• - Monozelle;
• - Zellstapel.

In an advantageous embodiment, the flat product comprises one or more elements from the group:

• - electrode sheet;
• - separator sheet;
• - Separator-electrode composite unit;
• - monocell;
• - cell stack.

• - eine Klimatisierungseinrichtung zum Bereitstellen einer Prozessatmosphäre in der Maschine;
• - eine Einlege- und Verschließvorrichtung zum automatischen Einlegen eines flächigen Produkts in einen gasdicht verschließbaren Behälter und zum gasdichten Verschließen des Behälters unter der Prozessatmosphäre; und
• - Fördervorrichtung zur Förderung des verschlossenen Behälters in eine nachfolgende Prozessstation umfasst.

Furthermore, a machine of the energy cell producing industry is proposed which

• - An air conditioning device for providing a process atmosphere in the machine;
• - An insertion and sealing device for automatically inserting a flat product into a gas-tight sealable container and for gas-tight sealing of the container under the process atmosphere; and
• - Includes conveyor for promoting the sealed container in a subsequent process station.

A corresponding machine enables the advantageous miniaturization or reduction of the air-conditioned production environment, since any logistics processes such as transport and storage to subsequent process stations can be carried out in atmospheres with low requirements, which contributes significantly to reducing production costs.

It is further proposed that the machine comprises at least one processing station for carrying out at least one process step under the process atmosphere on at least one flat product.

Accordingly, at least one process step can be carried out in a process atmosphere, the at least one flat product can then be placed in a gas-tight container and conveyed in the closed container to a subsequent process station.

A container is also proposed for transporting and/or storing flat products in the energy cell manufacturing industry, the container comprising a carrier for carrying products and a hood, the hood being detachably mountable on the carrier, and the hood and /or a seal is provided on the carrier for gas-tight sealing of the container.

The proposed container enables the container to be closed in a very simple, gas-tight manner, so that the closing can be carried out automatically in a machine in a simple manner. The necessary contact pressure on the seal can be achieved, for example, by the gravity of the hood, which improves handling and, in particular, automatic handling. Accordingly, the container automatically becomes gas-tight when the hood is placed on or arranged on the carrier. The flat products in the Containers are accordingly separated from the outside of the container in terms of atmosphere, and the process atmosphere present when the at least one flat product is inserted can be correspondingly preserved inside the gas-tight container.

In an advantageous embodiment, the seal is arranged circumferentially, preferably in one plane, on the carrier and/or on the hood. The hood arranged on the carrier is preferably only in contact with the carrier via the seal in order to achieve the highest possible and most uniform contact pressure.

According to a further development, it is proposed that the carrier has at least one holder for holding at least one product in the container. In this way, any damage during transport that would lead to the product in question being sorted out can be avoided.

It is further proposed that the holder is designed to hold a plurality of products upright and/or parallel. This enables good utilization of the volume inside the container and, in particular due to the parallel holding, a simple insertion of several flat products in one process, which has a positive effect on the process speed.

According to an advantageous further development, it is proposed that the holder has slot-like recesses through which lateral contact tabs of products held in the holder extend laterally outwards.

In this context, outwards to the side also refers to the inner volume of the container; accordingly, the contact tabs of inserted flat products are enclosed by a hood arranged on the carrier. Extending laterally outwards refers here to the fact that the contact tab is freely accessible on both sides when the hood is removed. As a result, the flat products can, for example, be electrically contacted and/or mechanically gripped when they are placed in the holder of the carrier.

It is further proposed that the container, the hood and/or the carrier be stackable. This simplifies the logistics. For example, several gas-tight sealed containers can be stacked one on top of the other, as a result of which several gas-tight sealed containers with inserted flat products can be transported and/or stored as a stack.

According to a further development, it is proposed that the hood is at least partially transparent. In this way, a user and/or a machine can easily identify whether there are products placed in the gas-tight container without having to open the microatmosphere inside the container.

Furthermore, it is proposed that a driverless transport system is used to transport the containers, in which the containers are transported on a corresponding vehicle. The containers can thus be transported automatically between different machines through comparatively humid ambient air. As an alternative or in addition to a driverless transport system, a conveyor belt system can be used to transport the containers.

• 1 ein fahrerloses Transportsystem mit einer Transportkammer beim Einladen von Materialien aus einer Maschine;
• 2 ein fahrerloses Transportsystem mit einer Transportkammer beim Transport;
• 3 ein fahrerloses Transportsystem mit einer Transportkammer beim Ausladen von Materialien in eine Maschine;
• 4 einen Träger eines Behälters mit einer Vielzahl eingelegter Produkte;
• 5 einen mit einer Haube verschlossenen Behälter mit einer Vielzahl auf dem Träger eingelegter Produkte;
• 6 einen Träger eines Behälters in einer Aufsicht;
• 7 eine schematische Darstellung der Maschine zum Transportieren und Lagern von flächigen Produkten;
• 8 mehrere Behälter mit eingelegten Produkten in einer gestapelten Anordnung;
• 9 mehrere Behälter mit eingelegten Produkten auf einem fahrerlosen Transportsystem; und
• 10 einen Pufferspeicher für Behälter.

The invention is explained below on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. while showing

• 1 a driverless transport system with a transport chamber when loading materials from a machine;
• 2 a driverless transport system with a transport chamber during transport;
• 3 a driverless transport system with a transport chamber when unloading materials into a machine;
• 4 a carrier of a container with a plurality of inserted products;
• 5 a hooded container having a plurality of products loaded on the carrier;
• 6 a carrier of a container in a top view;
• 7 a schematic representation of the machine for transporting and storing flat products;
• 8th multiple containers with inserted products in a stacked arrangement;
• 9 several containers with inserted products on a driverless transport system; and
• 10 a buffer storage for containers.

In 1 an exemplary embodiment of a driverless transport system 30 is shown schematically, which has a transport chamber 31 that can be moved and closed by the transport system 30 . The transport chamber 31 has a sluice opening 32 via which material can be exchanged via a sluice 18 with a machine 17 . In the schematic representation of 1 the transport system 30 is docked to the machine 17, with the lock 18 and the lock opening 32 being open in order to invite materials from the energy cell-producing industry. The materials are processed and/or processed in the machine 17 under a process atmosphere and are separated from the ambient air by the lock 18 and the transport chamber 31 in order to avoid contamination of the materials.

The transport system 30 has an electrically driven conveyor 34 which automatically conveys materials or products between the machine 17 and the transport chamber 31, which is symbolically represented by the lower arrow.

The top arrow in the 1 symbolically represents the gas exchange between the machine 17 and the transport chamber 31, which results from the open lock opening 32 of the transport chamber 31. Accordingly, there is an exchange of the process atmosphere in the machine 17 with the transport atmosphere in the transport chamber 31. In this advantageous exemplary embodiment, the transport chamber 31 has an air conditioning device 33 which cleans the transport chamber 31 according to the requirements of the process or transport atmosphere for the materials or products of the industry producing energy cells, for example Li-ion batteries or their precursors, air-conditioned.

The 2 shows schematically the transport system 30 with the loaded transport chamber 31, which transports the materials driverless by means of an electrically driven conveyor 35 to a following process station.

In this advantageous exemplary embodiment, the transport chamber 31 is sealed in a gas-tight manner in order to prevent ambient air from penetrating. The lock opening 32 is closed during transport. The air conditioning device 33 does not prevent the transport chamber 31 from being sealed gas-tight, provided that the air conditioning device 33 lets in appropriately treated, for example filtered and dehumidified, ambient air so that it satisfies the requirements for protecting the materials being transported.

In 3 is shown how the driverless transport system 30 docks with a closed transport chamber 31 to the lock 18 of a machine 17 and transports the materials accordingly. After docking, the lock opening 32 of the transport chamber 31 is opened. There is an automatic material exchange from the transport chamber 31 to the machine 17, which is symbolized by the arrow. The exchange of material is carried out by means of a driven conveying device 34 through the opened sluice opening 32 . If the exchange of material is completed, the lock opening 32 of the transport chamber 31 and in this advantageous exemplary embodiment also the lock 18 are closed again. The transport chamber 31 is then undocked from the machine 17 by the transport system 30 and transported away.

In 4 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a carrier 11 of a container 10 for transporting and/or storing flat products 13, the products 13 in this representation being placed or set upright and parallel in each case in a holder 14 of the carrier 11.

In this exemplary embodiment, the holders 14 each have slot-like recesses 15 through which lateral contact tabs 16 of held products 13 extend laterally outwards. Products 13 of this type can be, for example, an electrode sheet, i.e. a conductor foil coated with an active electrode material, or similar products in further production stages, for example a monocell. Accordingly, the contact tabs 16 are accessible while the products 13 are placed in the carrier 11, so that they can be gripped or electrically contacted.

In the 5 is a carrier 11 of 4 shown with inserted products 13, which was closed with a hood 12 to form a gas-tight container 10. The hood 12 is transparent, so that the contents of the container 10 can be seen at any time or can be detected by a machine. A seal 24 is provided between the hood 12 and the support 11, which seal enables gas-tight closure, so that the microatmosphere enclosed when the container 10 is closed is preserved. Gas exchange with the ambient air and ingress of moisture are avoided in this way.

6 shows a top view of a carrier 11 of the container 10, no flat products being inserted in this illustration. In this view, the slit-like recesses 15 can be seen in particular, which extend on both sides from the elongated holders 14 for the products 13 . The carrier 11, the hood 12 and the corresponding container 10 as a whole have a rectangular basic shape.

7 shows a schematic representation of a machine 17 producing energy cells Industry. The machine 17 has an air conditioning device 19 which provides a process atmosphere in the machine. The process atmosphere can, for example, be 22°C with less than 15% rel. Air humidity and a particle concentration corresponding to the clean room standard ISO 7.

Various process steps, which take place in the machine 17, are shown in the illustration 7 symbolized by arrows. First, in the machine 17, flat products 13, which are conveyed lying flat, see the left side of the machine 17 shown schematically, are erected, so that the flat products can be handled vertically in an upright position.

The erected products 13 are then accumulated and grouped. The group of products 13 can include, for example, 24 products, which are placed in a carrier 11 of a container 10 by an insertion and sealing device 20 . The container 10 with the products 13 is then closed gas-tight with a hood 12 by the insertion and closing device 20 of the machine 17 . The entire process up to the closing of the container takes place under the process atmosphere in the machine 17.

The gas-tight sealed container 10 is conveyed out of the process atmosphere of the machine 17 through a lock 18 of the machine 17 by means of a conveying device 21 . The container 10 with the products 13, which are protected in the container 10 from negative influences of the ambient air, in particular from moisture, can be transported and/or stored accordingly.

In 8th For example, four respective containers 10 are shown in a stacked arrangement, with the carrier 11 of a container 10 being stacked on top of the hood 12 of a container 10 located below.

9 shows an embodiment in which two corresponding stacks of containers 13 are loaded onto a driverless transport system 30 . The driverless transport system 30 can transport the products to a subsequent process station 22, with this transport being able to be carried out simply by ambient air due to the micro-atmosphere in the containers 13, with the products 13 not being contaminated by the ambient air.

A possible subsequent process station 22 is, for example, in 10 shown, in which a larger number of containers 10 can be stored or buffered. However, a subsequent process station 22 can also again be a machine 17 according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG 7 be.

Claims (9)

Driverless transport system (30) for transporting materials in the energy cell-producing industry, comprising a movable and closable transport chamber (31), the transport chamber (31) having a closable lock opening (32) and being set up for docking with a machine (17), wherein when the transport chamber (31) is docked to the machine (17), an automatic exchange of material between the machine (17) and the transport chamber (31) is possible through the open lock opening (32). Automated guided vehicle system (30). claim 1 , characterized in that the transport chamber (31) has an air conditioning device (33) for air conditioning the transport chamber (31). Driverless transport system (30) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a lock (18) is provided between the machine (17) and the transport chamber (31). Automated guided vehicle system (30). claim 3 , characterized in that the lock (18) consists of a flexible material. Automated guided vehicle system (30). claim 3 or 4 , characterized in that the sluice (18) comprises a sluice opening (32) surrounding bellows. Driverless transport system (30) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport system (30) has a, for example electrically driven, conveyor device (34) for automatically conveying materials between the machine (17) and the transport chamber (31). Driverless transport system (30) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport chamber (31) can be closed in a gas-tight manner. Driverless transport system (30) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport system (30) has a guide and a drive (35), in particular an electric drive, for guided movement of the transport chamber (31) as a whole. Driverless transport method for transporting materials into and out of a machine (17) in the energy cell producing industry by means of a movable transport chamber (31) that can be closed in a gas-tight manner, comprising the steps: - transporting and docking a closed transport chamber (31) to a lock (18) the machine (17); - Opening a lock opening (32) of the transport chamber (31); - Automatic material exchange between the machine (17) and the transport chamber (31) through the lock opening (32); - Closing the lock opening (32); - Undocking and removal of the transport chamber (31).

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