JPH0542785B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an automatic stacking method and an automatic stacking device for electrode groups for storage batteries.

Prior Art and its Problems A conventional automatic stacking device of this type is one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 133774/1983. However, since this device uses a conveyor belt conveyor and an intermittent feed belt conveyor connected,
This method requires a large device space and has the drawbacks of not having a mechanism for automatically inserting the pole group into the pole group holder.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks and provides a method and apparatus for automatically stacking electrode groups for storage batteries.

Structure of the Invention The method of the present invention involves simultaneously separating each battery element one by one from each of the battery elements housed in a plurality of hoppers arranged in parallel and placing them sequentially on an intermittent conveyor belt. As shown in Figure 8, each unit electrode group consisting of a cathode plate, a separator, an anode plate, and a separator is stacked in this order on a conveyor to form a unit electrode group. Place the cathode plate and the partition plate in sequence on the top of the electrode group, transport the unit electrode group to a predetermined position, align it with the electrode group alignment jig, insert it into the electrode group holder with the push jig, and then Repeatedly lowering the pole group holder by the thickness of the unit pole group,
The present invention is characterized in that the electrode group for one storage battery is stacked in the electrode group holder, with each cell separated by the partition plate.

Next, the present invention is placed on an electrode plate separation device, a separator separation device, a partition plate separation device, an intermittent feeding belt conveyor, a pole group alignment jig, a pole group pushing jig, and a pole group holder. It is characterized by comprising a slat bear that lowers the pole group holder by the thickness of the pole group each time the pole group is inserted, and a pole group holder pushing jig.

Examples Examples of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In FIG. 1 showing the front view of the device of the present invention, area A surrounded by imaginary lines is the electrode plate, separator, and partition plate separation mechanism, and area B is the electrode group transport mechanism, electrode group alignment, pushing mechanism, and the like. Area C is the pole group holder transport mechanism.

First, the electrode plate, separator, and partition plate separation mechanism in area A will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, which show the front and side views of the main parts of the mechanism. 1, 2, 3, and 2' are a cathode plate separation device, a separator separation device, an anode plate separation device, and a separator separation device, respectively, which simultaneously separate the electrode plates or separators (each battery element) loaded in the hopper one by one. Then, it is sent to the 21 intermittent feed belt conveyor.

The mechanism is such that each battery element 5 housed in the hopper 4 is pushed out and separated one by one by a claw rod 7 provided on a sliding guide plate 6 at the bottom of the hopper, and then pushed onto an intermittent feed belt conveyor 21. Each battery element 5' is once received by the receiving plate 8 attached to the guide plate 6, and then when the receiving plate 8 is pulled back, it is received by a return prevention stopper 9 and a spring plate 10 attached to the front of the hopper. Each battery element 5' is dropped onto an intermittent conveyor belt 21 from a plate. Here, the guide plate 6 slides back and forth by the swing lever 11, which is controlled by the drive unit 1.
This is because the swinging lever 11 swings around the shaft 14 by the crank 13 through the rotational movement of the second rotation. Further, 15 is a side plate separation device. Normally, there are more cathode plates than anode plates per cell in storage battery electrode groups, so it is necessary to supply additional cathode plates every few times depending on the composition of the electrode groups that make up one cell. There is. The cathode plate is called a side plate, and it is necessary to provide a side plate separation device 15. 16 is a partition plate separation device. When stacking pole groups in a pole group holder, it is meaningless to simply stack them, and each cell must be separated within the pole group holder. Therefore, it is necessary to supply the partition plate once every few times depending on the configuration of the electrode group that composes one cell.
6 will be provided. The structures of the side plate separating device 15 and the partition plate separating device 16 are the same as the separating devices 1, 2, 3, and 2'. However, the side plate separation device 15
and swing lever 1 in partition plate separation device 16
The operation of 7 and 18 requires the shaft 14 and the swing lever to swing once every time the swing lever 11 in the separation device 1, 2, 3, and 2' swings several times. Clutch mechanisms 19 and 20 are provided between 17 and 18 to perform operations suited to their respective purposes.

Next, the pole group conveying mechanism and the pole group alignment and pushing mechanism in area B in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, which show the front and side views of essential parts of the mechanism. 21
is an intermittent feed belt conveyor, and both ends are stretched between drive rollers 22 and rollers 23. This belt conveyor 21 is moved at a distance of X shown in FIG. Intermittent feeding is performed in which each battery element moves a distance such that it falls in one go. The driving method is such that when the rotational motion of the drive section 24 is transmitted to the drive roller 22 by the chain 25, the driven section rotates 1/2 for each rotation of the drive section 24, and stops for the remaining 1/2 rotation. By providing such a cam 26, intermittent feeding is achieved. 27 is a pole group alignment jig, and air cylinders 2 are installed at both ends of the belt conveyor 21.
8, and pushes the pole groups conveyed by the belt conveyor 21 from both sides. Reference numeral 29 denotes a pole group pushing jig, which pushes the pole group into the pole group holder, and is attached to an air cylinder 30, which is slidably moved by a slide bearing 31. There is. The air cylinder 30 reciprocates by the swinging motion of the swinging lever 32. The swing lever 32 controls the rotational movement of the drive unit 33 by the crank 3.
4, the shaft 35 swings around the shaft 35 as an axis. In addition, the electrode plate and separator separation device 1,
2, 3, 2' drive unit 12 (Figures 2 and 3), the drive unit 24 of the belt conveyor 21, and the drive unit 33 of the pole group pushing device are all driven by a motor 361, and the series of operations thereof is as follows: When the swinging lever 11 (Figs. 2 and 3) moves forward, that is, when each battery element is separated and pushed out, the swinging lever 32 also moves forward, that is, to push the stacked pole group into the pole group holder. The driving roller 22 of the belt conveyor 21 is in a driving state. Furthermore, when the swinging lever 11 (FIGS. 2 and 3) moves back, that is, when each separated battery element falls from the receiving plate onto the belt conveyor 21, the swinging lever 32 also moves back, causing the belt conveyor 21 to move back. The drive roller 22 is in a stopped state.

Next, the pole group holder conveyance mechanism in area C will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 showing the front and side views of the main parts of the mechanism. Reference numeral 36 denotes a slat conveyor for transporting the pole group holders, and claws 37 are attached at equal intervals, and the pole group holders 38 are installed on these claws. The slat conveyor 36 repeatedly moves and stops in the direction in which the pole group holder descends. The driving method is to keep the motor 39 constantly rotating, and indirectly and accurately detect the position of the pole group retainer 38 with a rotary encoder 41 attached to a roller 40, and connect the clutch brake 42 based on the detected position. The slat conveyor 36 is driven or stopped by cutting. 43 is a jig for pushing out the pole group retainer, which is attached to the air cylinder 44;
The pole group holder 38 conveyed by the slat conveyor 36 is pushed out to the pole group holder holder 45.

Next, a series of operations of the apparatus of the present invention will be explained. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the swing levers 11 of each of the battery element separation devices 1, 2, 3, and 2' begin to move forward.
At the same time as the claw rod 7 begins to separate each battery element 5, the belt conveyor 21 starts to drive, and the swing lever 1
When the belt conveyor 1 reaches the forefront, the belt conveyor 21 has moved the distance X, and the drive stops there.
At this time, each battery element 5' separated one by one is on the receiving plate 8 and has not fallen onto the belt conveyor 21. Next, the swing lever 11 is moved back, and the receiving plate 8 is also pulled down accordingly, so that each battery element 5' on the receiving plate 8 falls onto the belt conveyor 21. During this time, the belt conveyor 21 is in a stopped state. The swinging lever 11 in each of the battery element separation devices 1, 2, 3, and 2' begins to move again, and at the same time, the belt conveyor 21 also begins to move, and the battery elements that have been conveyed are separated and sent out from the next separation device. Each of the battery elements that have been removed is repeatedly dropped and assembled into a device in sequence, creating a unit electrode group consisting of a cathode plate, a separator, an anode plate, and a separator.

For example, if the electrode group constituting one cell of a storage battery is a collection of three unit electrode groups, plus one cathode plate, the 15 side plate separation devices in FIG. 3, 2' separation device is 3
The 16 partition plate separation devices are operated so that the partition plate is placed on the side plate.

Through this series of operations, a pole group as shown in FIG. 8 is formed on the belt conveyor 21. In FIG. 8 and FIG. 2, 46 is the cathode plate separated and sent out from the cathode plate separation device 1, 47 is the separator separated and sent out from the separator separation device 2, and 48 is the anode separated and sent out from the anode plate separation device 3. The board 47' is a separator separated and sent out from the separator separation device 2', 49 is a side plate separated and sent out from the side plate separation device 15, and 50 is a partition plate separated and sent out from the partition plate separation device 16. The D area surrounded by the line will come together to create a pole group for one cell.

The pole group formed as described above is intermittently fed by the belt conveyor 21 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and when it comes to a stop in front of the pole group alignment jig 27, the alignment jig operates to push out the air cylinder 28. Push the pole group together so that it can be easily inserted into the cage.

After the alignment is completed, the pushing jig 29 is lowered behind the pole group aligned by the alignment jig 27 by the pushing operation of the air cylinder 30, as shown in FIG. At this time, the alignment jig 27 is being pulled back by the air cylinder 28. Next, at the same time as the belt conveyor 21 starts to move, the swinging lever 32 operates in the forward direction while the pushing jig 29 remains down, moving the pole group into the pole group holder 38, as shown in FIG. Push it in. At that time, the pole group holder 38
The bottom of the conveyor belt 21 is positioned at the same height as the top surface of the belt conveyor 21. The pole group is the pole group holder 38
When pushed in, the pushing jig 29 is immediately pulled up by the pulling back operation of the air cylinder 30, as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the swing lever 32 is operated in the backward direction to return to its original state. The pole group alignment mechanism and the pushing mechanism repeat these operations. When a pole group is inserted into the pole group holder 38, the slat conveyor 36 on which the pole group holder 38 is installed moves the rotary encoder 41 by the thickness of the inserted pole group, as shown in FIG. (FIGS. 6 and 7), the pole group holder 38 is accurately moved in the downward direction. That is, when the next pole group is inserted, it is placed directly above the previously inserted pole group. In this way, the pole group is loaded onto the pole group holder 38, and finally a mold as shown in FIG. 13 is completed.

When the predetermined pole group is stacked on one pole group holder 38 in this way, the sixth,
The extrusion jig 4 is transported by the slat conveyor 36 in FIG.
3, the pole group holder holder 45 is pushed out from the slat conveyor 36. Also, the next claw 37
The empty pole group holder 38 installed in the predetermined position,
That is, the empty pole group holder 38 is conveyed to a position where the bottom is at the same height as the intermittent feed belt conveyor 21. Note that the above operations are performed automatically and continuously.

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the present invention, the process from separating each battery element to inserting it into the pole group holder can be carried out consistently, and various operations are performed by driving one motor, so timing can be improved. There is no need. Also,
Since the pole groups stacked on the belt conveyor are neatly aligned using the pole group alignment jig and then inserted into the pole group holder, the stacking of the pole groups into the pole group holder is smooth, and the pole group holders are further stacked. By lowering the poles by the thickness of the pole group, it is possible to provide a device with an extremely simple mechanism. Furthermore, the device space is smaller than that of the conventional device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a front view of the device of the present invention, Figures 2 and 3 are a front view and side view of the main part of area A in Figure 1, respectively, and Figures 4 and 5 are respectively the same as in Figure 1. A front view and a side view of the main part of area B, Figures 6 and 7 are respectively a front view and a side view of the main part of area C in Figure 1, and Figure 8 shows the formation of a unit pole group. A front view of the process, FIGS. 9 to 12 are front views of the process of inserting the unit pole group into the pole group holder, and FIG. 13 is an external perspective view of the state in which the pole group is inserted into the pole group holder. . 1, 3, 15: Plate separation device, 2, 2': Separator separation device, 16: Partition plate separation device, 21:
Intermittent belt conveyor, 27: Pole group alignment jig, 2
9: Pole group pushing jig, 36: Slat conveyor, 38: Pole group holder, 43: Pole group holder pushing jig, 46, 47, 49: Plate, 47, 4
7': Separator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Each battery element housed in a plurality of hoppers arranged in parallel is simultaneously separated one by one and sequentially placed on an intermittent feed belt conveyor 21, and the intermittent feed belt is Cathode plate 4 on conveyor 21
6, separator 47, anode plate 48, separator 4
7' is repeated to form a unit electrode group, and each time a unit electrode group corresponding to one cell is formed, a cathode plate 49 and a partition plate 50 are sequentially placed on the top of a predetermined unit electrode group. After placing the unit electrode group to a predetermined position and aligning it with the pole group alignment jig 27 and inserting it into the pole group holder 38 with the pushing jig 29, the electrode is removed by the thickness of the unit electrode group. Group retainer 38
Repeatedly lowering the pole group holder 38
A method for automatically stacking electrode groups for a storage battery, characterized in that electrode groups for one storage battery are separated and stacked cell by cell by the partition plate 50. 2 electrode plate separation devices 1, 3, 15, separator separation devices 2, 2', partition plate separation device 16, intermittent belt conveyor 21, electrode group alignment jig 27, electrode group pushing jig 29, Slut conveyor 36,
An automatic electrode group stacking device for a storage battery having a group electrode holder extrusion jig 43, wherein the electrode plate separation devices 1, 3, 15 have electrode plates 46,
The separator separation devices 2 and 2' separate the separators 47 and 47' one by one, and the partition plate separation device 16 separates the partition plates 50 and 48 and 49 one by one. The intermittent belt conveyor 21 separates the plates one by one, and the intermittent belt conveyor 21 includes the electrode plate separating devices 1, 3, and 15, the separator separating device 2,
Pole plates 46, 48, 49 and separators 47, 4 separated by 2' and the partition plate separating device 50
7′ and the partition plate 50 are stacked to form a unit pole group,
The pole group is conveyed to a pole group alignment jig 27, the pole group alignment jig 27 is for aligning the sides of the pole group, and the pole group pushing jig 29 is for aligning the pole group The pole group in the jig 27 is pushed into a pole group holder 38 placed on a slat conveyor 36, and the slat conveyor 36 pushes the pole group into the pole group holder 38 each time. The pole group holder 38 is lowered by the thickness of the pole group, and the pole group holder pushing jig 43 moves the pole group holder 38 into which the pole group is inserted onto the slat conveyor. An automatic stacking device for storage battery electrode groups characterized by extrusion from above.