JPH08287965A - Battery sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To perform after-processing work safely and efficiently by automatically sorting used batteries according to their kinds, and recovering them. CONSTITUTION: Inserting a used battery into the position where the identification information on the surface can be read will make a reading means 61 read the identification information on the surface of the battery, and make a judging means 62 judge the kind of the inserted battery, based on the identification information. And, a thermocompressor (lapping means) 30 laps the battery, and then a sorting and storing means 63 separate the batteries according to their kinds, in accordance with the judgment result by the judging means 62, and stores them within the storage container partitioned into plural chambers. Accordingly, even if there are a large amount of used batteries, they can be classified easily.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery sorting device for sorting used batteries by type and collecting them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various batteries are used in home appliances, office automation equipment, and various portable equipment, and these batteries are normally disposed of when they reach the end of their lives. However, some of these batteries contain substances that are harmful to the human body, such as nickel-cadmium batteries, so in recent years, battery recovery has become active in terms of global environmental protection. is there. Moreover, in each prefecture, there is a tendency to promote the collection and reuse of batteries more than ever by legalizing the recycling of batteries.

[0003] Such various batteries cannot be used when the capacity is less than the capacity capable of driving the device, and therefore they are usually discarded at that stage. However, even at that stage, the battery unit still has residual electric energy. ing. Until now, the waste of these used batteries has generally been collected and temporarily stored in a battery collection box consisting of a ball box, a metal can, a plastic container, etc. prepared by each local government and the battery industry. However, the waste has been disposed of by storing it for a predetermined period of time and then handing it over to a specialized company.

[0004]

However, in the conventional method of disposing of used batteries as described above,
Before the disposal by a dedicated company, the discarded batteries that have electrical energy still remain are temporarily stored in a battery collection box, etc., so when a large number of batteries are accumulated there, the battery terminals will contact each other. And short-circuiting causes heat generation,
There is a problem that it may cause a fire or may cause a worker to get burned.

Further, in the case of a lithium battery, when the battery corrodes due to the influence of moisture in the atmosphere, the liquid leaks from the corroded inside of the battery to cause a chemical reaction with the moisture in the atmosphere, which easily causes ignition. In addition, the collected batteries are
Since various batteries such as nickel-cadmium batteries, lithium batteries, manganese batteries, and alkaline batteries are mixed, a nickel-containing battery containing substances that may be harmful to the human body by a specialized vendor. Even if a cadmium battery or a lithium battery which is easily ignited by a chemical reaction is sorted and then treated, it is difficult as an actual problem because it requires a great deal of labor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the used battery can be sorted and collected automatically according to the type, so that the subsequent processing can be performed safely and efficiently. The purpose is to do so.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a reading means for reading identification information on the surface of an inserted battery, and a battery inserted based on the identification information read by the reading means. Discriminating means for discriminating the type of
There is provided a battery sorting device including a wrapping means for wrapping the battery, and a sorting storing means for sorting and storing the battery lapped by the wrapping means according to a discrimination result by the discriminating means.

Further, the reading means may be means for reading identification information by the color of the surface of the battery, and the judging means may be means for judging the type of the battery based on the color read by the reading means. Further, it is preferable that the lapping material of the lapping means has conductivity on the inner surface side in contact with the battery. Further, it is preferable that the separate storing means is a means for storing at least a lithium battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, and other batteries separately.

[0009]

According to the battery sorting apparatus thus constructed, when the used battery is inserted into the surface where the identification information can be read, the reading means reads the identification information from the surface of the battery, and the identification information is read. The discriminating means discriminates the type of the inserted battery based on the above, the battery is lapped by the wrapping means, and then the classification storing means automatically sorts the batteries according to the discrimination result by the discriminating means. , Even a large amount of used batteries can be easily separated.

If the reading means is a means for reading the identification information based on the color of the surface of the battery and the judging means is a means for judging the kind of the battery based on the color read by the reading means, the kind of the battery is determined. Even if they are classified according to the color of the surface, they can be surely discriminated and easily classified according to the determined type.

Further, if the inner surface of the wrapping material of the wrapping means contacting the battery is made to have conductivity, each battery stored in the wrapping state classified according to type is stored in the wrapping material. Since the terminals of both poles are brought into contact with the inner surface having electrical conductivity, discharge is performed and almost no electrical energy is lost.
Even if the wrapping material is broken and the battery inside pops out when it is discarded, it is safe even if the terminals come into contact with other batteries exposed to the outside as well.

Further, if the separate storing means is a means for separately storing at least a lithium battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, and other batteries, nickel-cadmium containing a substance harmful to a human body. A battery,
Separation of lithium batteries that easily ignite due to a chemical reaction and batteries that do not contain other particularly harmful substances,
Since they can be stored separately, subsequent processing work becomes easy.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of a battery sorting apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. The outer side of this battery sorting device is covered with a main body case 1, and the main body case 1 has a cylindrical shape in which both the upper surface and the lower surface are closed. A lid 2 that can be opened and closed in the direction of the arrow A is attached to the upper surface of the lid 2. When the lid 2 is opened, a step portion is formed in the lid 2 for driving the battery sorting device. A switch 3 is provided.

The inside of the main body case 1 is divided into three layers. The uppermost first layer 11 discriminates the type of the used battery 5, and the second layer 12 thereunder has an insulating property such as polyethylene. The entire battery 5 is wrapped in a bag shape with the manufactured sheets 9 and 10. Further, in the third layer 13 on the lower side thereof, the lapped battery 5 is sorted according to the type of the battery discriminated in the first layer 11, for example, the first storage portion 6a having the inside divided into three, 2 storage part 6b, 3rd storage part 6c (Fig. 3
6c is invisible), the storage container 6 is rotated to selectively store the container.

A battery insertion hole 14 for inserting a used battery 5 is formed in a portion of the uppermost first layer 11 which is exposed when the lid 2 is opened, and the battery insertion hole 14 is formed below the battery insertion hole 14. Is provided with a color sensor 8 that serves as a sensor unit of a reading unit that reads the identification information of the battery from the identification display 7 by color coding provided on the surface of the battery 5 inserted into the battery insertion hole 14.

Below the battery insertion hole 14, a battery mounting plate 15 formed in a belt shape with a width slightly wider than the outer diameter of the battery 5 is inserted around the shaft 16 by rotating about a shaft 16. The battery mounting plate 15 is provided so as to be retractable from the hole 14, and one end of the battery mounting plate 15 is fixed to the shaft 16. Its axis 16
Is rotatably supported by bearings 17 and 18, and a thrust ball 19 made of a steel ball is provided at the lower shaft end, so that it smoothly rotates even if a load is applied in the thrust direction. It is like this.

A gear 20 is fixed to the shaft 16, and a drive gear 22 fixed to the rotation shaft of a motor 21 meshes with the gear 20. Therefore, the motor 21
When the gear is rotated, the gear 20 is rotated by the drive gear 22, whereby the shaft 16 rotates integrally with the battery mounting plate 15, and the battery mounting plate 15 retracts from the position where the battery 5 shown in FIG. 3 can be mounted. Or vice versa.

In the second layer 12, similarly, a motor 23, a drive gear 24, a gear 26 fixed to a shaft 25 rotatably supported by bearings 41 and 42, and a lower end portion of the shaft 25 are fixed. The lap battery mounting plate 27 and the like are provided with a rotating device.
A battery pedestal 28 formed to have a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the battery is fixed to the upper surface on the tip side of the.

When the motor 23 is rotated, the drive gear 24 rotates the gear 26, which causes the shaft 2 to rotate.
5 rotates integrally with the battery mounting plate 27 for wrapping, and the battery mounting plate 27 for wrapping the battery 5 shown in FIG.
8 is retracted from a position where it can be placed on the tray 8, or conversely, the retracted position is moved to the illustrated position. Although not shown, the shaft 25 of the second layer 12 is also configured so that its lower end surface rotates while contacting the thrust ball, so that even if a load is applied in the thrust direction to the shaft 25, the shaft 25 can rotate smoothly. Rotate to.

The second layer 12 is provided with a thermocompression bonding machine 30 which is a lapping means for wrapping the whole battery 5 between the sheets 9 and 10 from both sides and heat-sealing them to form a bag shape. The thermocompression bonding machine 30 is guided by four guide pins 31, 32, 33 and 34 as shown in FIG.
Escape holes 35a and 36a having a size capable of receiving the battery 5 are formed on the opposing surfaces of the molds 35 and 36, respectively.

The molds 35 and 36 are heated by a heater (not shown) to a temperature at which the sheets 9 and 10 are partially melted, and in this state, they are moved toward and away from each other by a moving mechanism using a hydraulic device or a motor (not shown). The mold 3
Between sheets 5 and 36, sheets 9 and 10 that are wound around roll-out rollers 37 and 38, respectively, are drawn out with a space provided therebetween so that the battery 5 can be inserted. The tip portion is held by the first gripper 55 and the second gripper 56.

The first and second grippers 55, 56 both have a pair of grip hands that can approach and separate from each other, and they are moved by a drive source (not shown).
The first gripper 55 only has the pair of grip hands approaching and separating from each other, while the second gripper 56 has a pair of grip hands approaching and separating from each other, and is shown by a virtual line in FIG. It also moves to the position and the position indicated by the solid line.

A cutter 57 is pushed out by a solenoid or the like between the first gripper 55 and the second gripper 56, and the sheets 9 and 10 held by the first gripper 55 and the second gripper 56 are predetermined. It is designed to be cut to the length of. A storage pocket 10a is continuously formed at a predetermined interval on the seat 10,
When the storage pocket 10a is conveyed between the molds 35 and 36, the used battery 5 is inserted into the storage pocket 10a, and the sheet 9 is placed thereon to heat-weld the portion corresponding to the periphery of the battery 5. And it is wrapped in a bag. In this embodiment, the storage pocket 10a is provided only on the one seat 10 side.
However, the storage pocket may also be formed on the seat 9 side.

The sheets 9 and 10 in the state of being held by the second gripper 56 are moved to the next position each time the second gripper 56 moves from the position shown by the phantom line in FIG. 4 to the position shown by the solid line. The storage pocket 10a is pulled out to a position corresponding to the escape holes 35a, 36a of the molds 35, 36 and stopped. This thermocompression bonding machine 30 sets the battery 5 between the sheets 9 and 10 as shown in FIG.
Are moved in a heated state until they come into contact with each other, the dies 35 and 36 are pressed against each other with the sheets 9 and 10 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the portions of the sheets 9 and 10 located around the battery 5 are melted by heat and welded, so that the battery 5 is wrapped by the sheets 9 and 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, the third layer 13 is provided with a storage container 6 whose interior is divided into three storage portions, a first storage portion 6a, a second storage portion 6b and a third storage portion 6c. The storage container 6 includes a support table 4 having a large number of bearings 44 rotatably arranged in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG.
It is rotatably mounted on the table 5. The storage container 6 is
A plurality of rollers 46 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction are rotated by coming into contact with the outer circumference, and among the plurality of rollers 46, the one for driving is the shaft 4.
7 is fixed. A gear 48 is fixed to the tip of the shaft 47, and the gear 48 meshes with a gear 51 fixed to the rotating shaft of a motor 49.

Therefore, when the motor 49 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the gear 51, the gear 48, the shaft 47, and the roller 46 to rotate the storage container 6. In addition, this storage container 6
Can be taken out of the main body case 1. When taking out the main body case 1, the clamper 52 is rotated to release the clamped state, and the opening / closing door 50 attached to the lower part of the main body case 1 is supported. It suffices to open it in the direction of arrow B around 53 and pull it out.

Next, the function related to the process of sorting and storing according to the type of the battery of this battery sorting device will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. This battery sorting device is a reading unit 6 that reads identification information from the identification display on the surface of the inserted battery.
1, a discriminating means 62 for discriminating the type of the inserted battery based on the identification information read by the reading means 61, and a discriminating means 6 for the battery 5 lapped by the thermocompression bonding machine 30.
1st to 3rd according to the classification result according to 2
It is provided with a sorting storage means 63 for storing in any of the storage portions 6a to 6c (FIG. 5).

In this embodiment, the microcomputer 80 shown in FIG. 2 has the respective functions of the reading means 61, the discriminating means 62 and the classification storing means 63. The microcomputer 80 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 81 having various judgment and processing functions, a ROM 82 storing each processing program and fixed data, a RAM 83 which is a data memory storing processing data, and an input / output circuit ( I / O)
And 84.

The microcomputer 80 inputs a start signal pressed by the switch 3 at the time of starting operation, and a color sensor 8 which receives a different signal depending on the color of the identification display 7 on the battery surface. Then, a signal for rotating the battery mounting plate 15 with respect to the motor 21 is sent to the thermocompression bonding machine 3
0, a signal for operating it to wrap the battery is sent to the motor 23 by the lap battery mounting plate 27.
A signal for rotating the is output at a predetermined timing.

Further, with respect to the motor 49, the first to third accommodating portions 6a to 6 are provided in accordance with the type of used battery.
A signal for rotating the storage container 6 by a predetermined amount in order to store it in either c is output at a predetermined timing. Further, a first gripper drive system 71 for driving the first gripper 55 and a second gripper 56 for driving the second gripper 56.
Signals for driving the gripper drive system 72 are output at predetermined timings.

When using this battery sorting apparatus, the lid 2 is opened as shown in FIG. 3, the used battery 5 is placed in the battery insertion hole 14 as shown, and the identification mark 7 is on the lower side. To put one. At this time, since the battery mounting plate 15 is at the illustrated rotation position, the inserted battery 5 is not
Positioned on top. In this state, the portion of the identification display 7 based on the color of the battery surface is the detection position of the color sensor 8.

When the start button of the switch 3 is pressed, the battery 5 inserted based on the identification information detected by the color sensor 8 is, for example, a lithium battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, or another battery. It is determined whether there is. Next, since the battery mounting plate 15 rotates about the shaft 16 by rotating the motor 21 by a predetermined amount,
The battery 5 of which the type has been determined falls on the battery receiving base 28 fixed to the battery mounting plate 27 for wrapping which is stopped at the position of the second layer 12 shown in FIG.

Here, the thermocompression bonding machine 30 is driven and moved until the pair of molds 35 and 36 come into contact with each other with the sheets 9 and 10 sandwiched therebetween, and the battery 5 is lapped as described with reference to FIG. At that time, as shown in FIG. 6, when the lower edges 35b and 36b of the escape holes 35a and 36a of the molds 35 and 36 receive the lower end 5a of the battery from both sides, the motor 23 of FIG. 3 is driven. As a result, the battery mounting plate 27 for wrap rotates around the shaft 25 together with the battery receiving base 28 and retracts from the portion where the battery 5 is present. Therefore, the molds 35 and 36 are pressed against each other with the sheets 9 and 10 sandwiched therebetween without interfering with the battery pedestal 28. This state is shown in a plan view in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the molds 35 and 36 are separated from each other, and the second gripper 56, which holds the sheets 9 and 10, is moved to the position shown in the drawing.
The wrapped battery 5 is pulled out from between the molds 35 and 36, and the next storage pocket 10a of the seat 10 is positioned between the molds 35 and 36. After that, as shown in FIG. 9, the pair of grip hands of the first gripper 55 are brought into pressure contact with each other, and the sheets 9 and 10 are held. Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the cutter 57 is moved to move the sheets 9 and 10 to the first position.
The gap between the gripper 55 and the wrapped battery 5 is cut.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the pair of gripping hands of the second gripper 56 are separated from each other to drop the battery 5 after lapping, which has been held, and then the second gripper 56
The gripper 56 is returned to the first gripper 55 side in the separated state, and at the returning position, the grip hands of the pair are pressed against each other as shown in the drawing to hold the ends of the sheets 9 and 10. After that, returning to FIG. 7, the first gripper 55 is separated, the molds 35 and 36 are pressed against each other, the next battery 5 is lapped again, and thereafter, the operation described in FIG. 8 and subsequent figures is repeated.

In this way, the used batteries 5 inserted into the battery insertion holes 14 are lapped and cut one after another, but each time the battery is discriminated by the discriminating means 62 described in FIG. Any of the first to third storage parts 6a to 6c that have been sorted into, for example, a lithium battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, and a battery other than that, and moved to a battery drop position according to the type of the battery. The crab is stored in sequence.

In this case, when switching the first to third storages 6a to 6c for storing the batteries, for example, the motor 49 is a stepping motor, and the number of steps from the reference position of the motor and the first to third storages 6a. This can be easily performed by previously associating each rotation position of ~ 6c with each other and controlling the number of steps according to the type of the battery. As described above, in the battery sorting apparatus according to this embodiment, by simply inserting the used battery 5 into the battery insertion hole 14 and pressing the switch 3, the batteries are automatically sorted according to type and stored in the storage container 6. So even if you have a lot of used batteries,
It can be easily separated.

Therefore, a nickel-cadmium battery containing a substance that is harmful to the human body, a lithium battery that easily ignites due to a chemical reaction, and a battery that does not contain other particularly harmful substances are used. Since they can be sorted and stored separately, subsequent processing operations can be facilitated.

In the above embodiment, in consideration of safety, the used battery 5 is inserted into the battery insertion hole 14 and then the switch 3 is pressed to operate the apparatus. The device may be automatically started only by inserting it into the device 14. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the identification mark 7 provided on the surface of the battery is a colored mark is described. However, the identification mark 7 may be a bar code or other marks other than that. However, the present invention can be similarly applied.

Further, the sheets 9 and 10 described with reference to FIG.
It is preferable that the inner surface side of the battery contacting the battery 5 has conductivity. That is, inside the sheets 9 and 10,
For example, if a vapor-deposited film of metal oxide is formed to have conductivity, or if a conductive paint is applied to make it conductive, the sheets 9 and 10 are lapped to separate the types. Each of the batteries thus discharged was discharged because the terminals of both electrodes were brought into contact with the conductive inner surfaces of the sheets 9 and 10, respectively, and almost no electric energy was consumed. Therefore, the batteries were discarded. In this case, it is safe even if one of the sheets 9 and 10 pops out due to breakage, which may cause the terminals to come into contact with another battery that is also exposed to the outside. The battery may be directly stored in the storage container 6 without depending on the type of the battery.

[0041]

As described above, according to the battery sorting apparatus of the present invention, used batteries can be automatically sorted by type and collected, so that the subsequent processing is safe and efficient. Can be done

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a function related to a process of sorting and storing according to a type of a battery of a battery sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a microcomputer 80 having the same function and its related configuration.

FIG. 3 is also an overall configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of the battery sorting apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a thermocompression bonding machine 30 also provided in the battery sorting apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a storage container partitioned into three storage units provided in the battery sorting apparatus.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lower edge of the mold of the thermocompression bonding machine 30 of FIG. 4 receives a part of the lower end of the battery.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which the pair of molds are pressed together with a sheet interposed therebetween.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state where the lapped battery is pulled out from between the molds by moving the second gripper while separating the molds from each other after the operation of FIG. 7;

9 is a plan view showing a state in which the first gripper is brought into pressure contact with the sheet and the sheet is held after the operation of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state where the cutter 57 is moved to cut the sheet after the operation of FIG.

11 is a plan view showing a state where the second gripper is returned to the first gripper side in a separated state after the operation of FIG. 10 and a pair of grip hands are pressed against each other at that position to sandwich the sheet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5: Battery 6: Storage container 7: Identification display 8: Color sensor 9, 10: Sheet 30: Thermocompression bonding machine (lapping means) 61: Reading means 62: Discrimination means 63: Sorted storage means

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inoue Naohisa Enkazaka 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inoue Noyuki 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Within Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Kyotaka Goto 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co. Ltd. (72) Shinichiro Koshiishi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ricoh Co., Ltd. Within

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A reading unit that reads identification information on the surface of an inserted battery, a determination unit that determines the type of the inserted battery based on the identification information read by the reading unit, and a wrapping that wraps the battery. A battery sorting apparatus comprising: a storing unit and a storing unit that stores a battery lapped by the wrapping unit according to a determination result of the determining unit. 2. The reading means is means for reading identification information by the color of the surface of the battery, and the judging means is means for judging the type of the battery based on the color read by the reading means. The battery sorting apparatus according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 3. The battery sorting device according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface side of the lapping material of the lapping means that is in contact with the battery has conductivity. 4. The separation storing means is means for storing at least a lithium battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, and other batteries separately and stored. Battery sorting equipment.