JPH10321250A - Sorting device of article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sorting device capable of sorting articles according to their attributes and quickly complying with the diversification of shipping form by providing a printing equipment for article and a tubing equipment between a receiving means of an article such as secondary battery and a sorting equipment. SOLUTION: A 5-staged container group 80 is divided every stage in the receiving port of a container 40 containing a number of battery bodies, the cell bodies are taken out in one line unit, and carried to the battery input device 138 of a printing equipment 124. All the battery bodies are transferred to a printer 140 to print serial numbers on the basis of the container ID, lot number and rank information. The printed battery bodies are putted into a tubing equipment 126 to measure the opencircuit voltage by a OCV measuring device 148, and then putted into a tubing device 150 to cover a tube them. The tubed battery bodies are transferred to a sorting equipment 128, sorted by a battery sorting device 156, and loaded on a container by a container loading device 158.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article sorting apparatus for sorting workpieces discharged through a number of production lines in accordance with their attributes. Here, the work refers to parts constituting the article (meaning the final product), intermediate articles produced in the previous process, and the final product itself.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an article manufacturing system, a number of manufacturing lines are functionally integrated. Then, a large amount of workpieces are put into each production line, and finally an article (final product) having a predetermined function is manufactured.

[0003] In each production line, a work is transferred for each unit and assembled in accordance with a preset manufacturing procedure to produce an intermediate article, and inspection for confirming the performance of the produced intermediate article is performed. After the operation, the intermediate article is put into a subsequent production line.

In such a manufacturing process, a completed product is inspected to divide it into a non-defective product and a defective product.
Only good products are shipped.

[0005]

Incidentally, depending on the product, there may be a case where a good product is further divided into a plurality of products in addition to a good product and a defective product. For example, when a secondary battery or the like is used as a DC power supply for an electronic device, it is common to use a plurality of secondary batteries connected in series or in parallel. Therefore, if at least one of the plurality of connected secondary batteries has a low current capacity, the performance and life as a DC power supply are limited by the low current capacity battery.

[0006] Therefore, if the secondary batteries evaluated as non-defective products are further classified based on the current capacity value or the like, a plurality of batteries having similar current capacity values can be aligned and packed (packed). The performance and life when used as a power source can be improved.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and can sort articles such as secondary batteries according to their attributes, thereby promptly responding to diversification of shipping forms. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for sorting articles that can be used.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for sorting articles according to the present invention, comprising a work receiving means for receiving a large number of works, and a work for selecting a large number of works received by the work receiving means on the basis of the characteristics thereof. Sorting means,
Between the work receiving means and the work sorting means,
An intermediate processing means for performing predetermined intermediate processing on the work is provided. In this case, between the work receiving means and the work selecting means, a work transfer means for transferring the received large number of works in the direction of the work selecting means may be provided.

Thus, a large number of works are received through the work receiving means, and are conveyed to the subsequent work sorting means. At this time, a large number of works are subjected to various intermediate processes by intermediate processing means on the way, and are conveyed to the work selecting means.

As described above, in the article sorting apparatus according to the present invention, articles such as secondary batteries can be sorted in accordance with their attributes, and it is possible to quickly respond to diversification of shipping forms. .

When the work is a secondary battery, the intermediate processing means is a printing means for printing on the secondary battery and a tubing processing means for tubing on the secondary battery. Is preferred.

Next, an article sorting apparatus according to the present invention comprises a battery receiving means for receiving a large number of secondary batteries, and a printing means for printing on the large number of secondary batteries received by the battery receiving means. And tubing processing means for performing tubing on the secondary battery, and battery selecting means for selecting the secondary battery based on its characteristics.

That is, in the present invention, the printing means, the tubing processing means and the battery selection means are located at the same position.

When each means is divided into individual facilities,
Equipment for taking in and out a large number of secondary batteries between each equipment is required.However, in the present invention, the printing means, the tubing processing means and the battery selection means can be connected as a consistent automated line. It is possible to efficiently reduce the time required for manufacturing the secondary battery, the number of workers, the cost, and the like.

In the above invention, the processing in each means is controlled by a programmable controller and / or a plurality of computers installed for each function, that is, the processing in each means is controlled by a programmable controller. , Or by controlling with a plurality of computers installed according to functions, or by controlling the combination of them, it is possible to realize the full automation of the apparatus for sorting articles, and to improve the productivity of articles such as secondary batteries. Improvement can be achieved.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an article sorting apparatus according to the present invention is applied to, for example, a system for manufacturing a cylindrical secondary battery (hereinafter simply referred to as a battery) (hereinafter simply referred to as an embodiment). Such a manufacturing system will be described with reference to FIGS.

The manufacturing system according to the present embodiment performs an aging process, a charge / discharge test, and the like on the battery body manufactured in the assembling process, which is a preceding process, and prints and tubs (made of vinyl) on the battery body. (A process of coating with a tube) and a sorting process.

Here, the configuration of the battery main body 10 to be put into the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

The battery main body 10 includes a battery can 12 having a cylindrical shape with a bottom, an electrode group 16 and a sealing member 18 sealed in the battery can 12 together with a non-aqueous electrolyte 14 containing a lithium salt. .

The electrode group 16 includes a positive electrode plate 20 having a layer mainly composed of a lithium-containing metal oxide, a mixture layer mainly composed of a negative electrode material, and a metal material mainly composed of lithium superposed on the mixture layer. The formed negative electrode plate 22 is wound around a separator 24, and a positive electrode lead 26 is provided at an end of the positive electrode plate 20, and a negative electrode lead 28 is provided at an end of the negative electrode plate 22. .

The positive electrode lead 26 extends from the winding center side of the electrode plate group 16 to the opening 12a side of the battery can 12, and
It is welded to the sealing body 18. The sealing body 18 is fixed to an end of the battery can 12 on the side of the opening 12 a via a gasket 30. The negative electrode lead 28 extends from the outer peripheral side of the electrode plate group 16 toward the inner bottom portion 12b of the battery can 12, and is welded to the inner bottom portion 12b.

An annular groove 32 is formed in the battery can 12 near the opening 12a. In the battery can 12, a lower insulating plate 34 and an upper insulating plate 36 are provided for the electrode group 16.

The battery bodies 10 are arranged in a large number and housed in one container 40 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the container 40 has a box-like boxed body 44 with a bottom and a substantially square shape (for example, about 560 mm on a side) and four side walls (for example, about 100 mm in height) 42A to 42D. The bottom portion 46 of the box body 44 has 16 pieces in the vertical direction and 16 pieces in the horizontal direction.
Six through holes 48 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) are arranged in a matrix.

A holder 50 for holding the battery body 10 is formed integrally with each of the through holes 48.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the holder 50 has a corresponding through hole 48 having a bottom opening (for example, a circular opening having a diameter of about 15 mm) and an upper opening (for example, having a diameter of about 21 mm).
(For example, a height of about 28)
mm) 54, and the cylindrical portion 54 has
A plurality of (six in the illustrated example) rib portions 56 extending in the height direction and having a small width d (for example, about 3 mm) and projecting in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 54 are integrally formed on the inner wall thereof. Is formed.

Each of the ribs 56 is formed at its upper end with a tapered surface 58 inclined downward in the axial direction. Further, each rib portion 56 has a step formed at an arbitrary position in the height direction. For example, in the example of FIG. 3B, a position approximately 1 mm above the bottom portion 46 of the box body 44 and approximately 10 mm from the bottom portion 46 are provided. Steps (hereinafter referred to as a lower step 60a and an upper step 60b for convenience) are formed at upper positions, respectively.
The protrusion width d3 of the overhang portion (upper overhang portion 56a) on the upper step 60b in the rib portion 56 is, for example, about 1.4 mm from the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 54, and the overhang portion (central overhang portion 56b) below the upper step 60b. Has a projection width d2 of, for example, about 2.25 mm from the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 54 (the upper protrusion 5).
6a from the end face = approximately 0.85 mm), and the protrusion width d of the overhang portion (lower overhang portion 56c) below the lower step 60a.
1 is, for example, about 4.5 mm from the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 54 (the width of the protrusion from the end face of the central overhang portion 56b = about 2.25 mm).

Thus, a circular opening having a diameter of 12 mm is formed by connecting the end surfaces of the lower overhang portion 56c, and a circular opening having a diameter of 16.5 mm is formed by connecting the end surfaces of the central overhang portion 56b. By connecting the end faces of the upper overhang portion 56a, the diameter is 18.
A 2 mm circular opening will be formed.

Therefore, the lower step 60a has an outer diameter of 12
A cylindrical battery having a diameter greater than 16.5 mm and less than 18.2 mm can be placed on the upper step 60b.
That is, the holder 50 can hold, for example, two types of battery bodies 10 having different outer diameters.

On the other hand, the housing body 44 is integrally formed with a flange portion 62 at an upper portion thereof. Of the corner portions C1 to C4 of the flange portion 62, three corner portions C1, C
3 and C4 are formed in a curved shape having the same curvature,
The remaining corner portion C2 is chamfered in an oblique direction, and the tapered surface 6 orthogonal to the diagonal line of the bottom portion 46 of the box body 44
4 is formed.

The flange portion 62 has a rectangular annular step 66 formed inside, and the shape defined by the step 66 is substantially the same as or slightly larger than the bottom outer shape of the housing 44. . Therefore, when placing another container 40 on one container 40, the container 40
Is inserted into the step 66 of the flange portion 62 of the container 40 located below, so that a plurality of containers 40 can be stably stacked.

Further, a plurality of openings 68 are formed in each of the side walls 42A to 42D of the box body 44. In particular, of the outer surfaces of the side walls 42C constituting the side contacting the corner portion C4,
A card storage unit 70 in which a data storage card (data card) DC can be detachably attached is formed in a portion close to the corner C4.

In a storage unit (IC chip or magnetic recording surface) built in the data card DC, a result of an inspection process, for example, a charge / discharge process for 250 batteries is stored in, for example, coordinate information and bit information (0/1). = GO / NG).

The container 40 is integrally formed of a self-extinguishing and self-flame-retardant material.
For example, ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer) and PBT (polybutylene terephthalate)
A material obtained by mixing glass fibers with a synthetic resin obtained by mixing the above-mentioned materials can be formed by integral molding, for example, by injection molding. As a commercially available product, for example, Novalloy-B (a trade name of Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd., and Novalloy is a registered trademark of Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.) can be used.

The container 40 accommodates a large number of battery bodies 10. In this case, the bottom 4 of the box body 44
This is performed by individually charging the holders 50 arranged in a large number through the openings 52. The loading and unloading of the battery body 10 with respect to the container 40 is performed by an automated transport mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 4, the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment includes a low-temperature aging treatment facility 100 for performing low-temperature aging treatment on the battery body 10,
A first normal-temperature aging treatment facility 104 installed adjacent to the low-temperature aging chamber 102 in the low-temperature aging treatment facility 100 and performing a normal-temperature aging treatment on the battery body 10 after the low-temperature aging treatment;
A high-temperature aging treatment facility 106 for performing aging treatment at a high temperature with respect to 0; an activation treatment facility 108 for performing partial charging and activation treatment on the battery main body 10; A second normal-temperature aging treatment facility 110 for performing normal-temperature aging treatment;
Based on the inspection values obtained by the capacity inspection equipment 112, the buffer processing equipment 114 for adjusting the timing of charging the battery body 10 to the next process, and the like, and the like. Sorting / shipping facility 116 for printing, tubing, sorting, and shipping the battery body 10
Is configured.

The low-temperature aging treatment equipment 100 performs a low-temperature aging treatment at, for example, a temperature of 10 ° C. for about 2 hours on the battery body 10 manufactured in an assembly process which is a preceding process of the manufacturing system. The processing is performed for the purpose of dissolving lithium while suppressing heat generation of the battery body 10.

The first room temperature aging treatment equipment 104 comprises:
For the purpose of dissolving the lithium in the battery body 10, the battery body 10 that has been subjected to the low-temperature aging treatment is subjected to a normal temperature aging treatment, for example, at a temperature of 20 ° C. for about 8 hours.

The high-temperature aging treatment facility 106 is a battery main body 10 that has been partially charged in the activation treatment facility 108.
For example, a high-temperature aging process at a temperature of 50 ° C. for about 12 days is performed. This process aims to eliminate potential unevenness after partial charging in the battery body 10 and to dissolve lithium in the battery body 10. Done in

The activation processing equipment 108 performs two types of processing. One is to dissolve lithium in the battery body 10 after the first room temperature aging treatment, and to perform a partial charging process for 2 hours, for example, for the purpose of eliminating potential unevenness of the battery body 10, First, for the purpose of electrochemically activating the battery main body 10, a full charge of, for example, 4.5 hours is performed.

The second room temperature aging treatment equipment 110
For the purpose of detecting a micro short circuit of the battery main body 10 after the activation processing in the activation processing equipment 108, the battery main body 10 is subjected to room temperature aging treatment at a temperature of 23 ° C. for about 28 days.

The capacity inspection equipment 112 is a device for inspecting the capacity at the time of charging and discharging for the purpose of ranking the capacity of the battery body 10. After the capacity inspection, the battery body 10 is partially charged. Keep it.

Of the above-mentioned devices, the activation processing equipment 10
8. The internal resistance (IR) and the open circuit voltage (O) of the battery body 10 are provided to the capacity inspection equipment 112 and the buffer processing equipment 114.
IR / OCV measuring devices 118 and 120 for measuring CV)
And 122 are installed, and an OCV measuring device 148 (see FIG. 5) for measuring the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery body 10 is installed in the sorting / shipping facility 116.

The measurement by the IR / OCV measuring device 118 in the activation processing equipment 108 is performed by checking whether the electrode group 16 and the sealing member 18 of the battery body 10 are short before the partial charging process. It is performed for the purpose of inspecting whether there is no welding or the like, and further, for the purpose of inspecting whether there is a micro short circuit in the battery body 10 and whether there is any welding or the like before the activation process. Done in

The IR / OCV measurement by the IR / OCV measurement device 120 in the capacity inspection equipment 112 is performed for the purpose of inspecting whether or not the battery main body 10 has a micro short circuit, and whether or not there is any welding dislocation. .

IR / OCV in buffer processing facility 114
The IR / OCV measurement by the measurement device 122 is performed twice in total after the activation process and after the capacity inspection. The first measurement after the activation process is performed for the purpose of inspecting for abnormalities at the time of activation, collecting data for comparison with the measurement before the capacity inspection, and inspecting for any welding dislocation. The second measurement after the capacity inspection is performed for the purpose of inspecting whether or not the potential is at a predetermined level and whether or not the welding has come off.

The OCV measurement by the OCV measuring device 148 in the sorting / shipping facility 116 is performed for the purpose of checking whether the electric potential of the battery body 10 is within a specified value.

The manufacturing system according to the present embodiment includes a printing processing facility 124 and a tubing treatment facility 12.
6 and the sorting equipment 128 are continuous and fully automatic integrated lines.

More specifically, the sorting / shipping facility 116 will be described with reference to FIG. Sorting / shipping equipment 11
5, as shown in FIG. 5, the five-tiered container group 80 conveyed to the receiving port of the container 40 is divided into one-stage or five-tiered
Container processing apparatus 130 to be a stacked container group 80
And a data writing / reading device 132 for accessing data to the data card DC in units of one container
Having.

The printing processing equipment 124 is a transporting device 1 for transporting one container unit into the sorting / shipping equipment 116.
34, and a battery loading device 13 for taking out the battery main bodies 10 from one container 40 transported by the transport device 134, for example, in units of one row, and loading them into the first transport device 136.
8 The first transfer device 136 includes a transfer device body in which a plurality of, for example, rectangular carriers on which one battery body 10 is mounted are arranged, and a plurality of carriers are driven by driving the transfer device body. It has a drive control device that controls transport in one direction or the other direction.

In addition to the above-mentioned various devices, the printing processing equipment 124 includes a printing device 140 that prints on all the battery bodies 10, transmission of print data to the printing device 140, A print control device 142 that controls the first transfer device 136 and a print result management device 146 that transfers print information (such as a serial number) to the data server 144.

The tubing processing equipment 126 includes an OCV measuring device 148 for measuring the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery body 10 after the printing process, and a separate system after covering the battery body 10 with a vinyl tube. A tubing device 150 for setting the insulating ring supplied from the battery main body 10 to the battery body 10, and a tubing control device 152 for controlling the OCV measuring device 148 and the tubing device 150 according to respective predetermined algorithms.

The sorting device 128 is provided with a second transfer device 154 for transferring the battery body 10 after the tubing process.
And a battery sorting device 156 that sorts the battery body 10 that has completed the tubing process based on the rank of the battery body 10 registered in the cell information table, and puts the battery body 10 into a sorting container (not shown) arranged for each rank.
A container loading device 158 that loads a predetermined number of containers for sorting and performs a shipping process;
54, battery sorting device 156 and container loading device 15
8 has a sorting control device 160 for performing the control.

The print control unit 142, the tubing control unit 152, and the selection control unit 160 transmit and receive the DC data from the data writing / reading unit 132 and the transport data used for transporting the battery main unit 10 to the battery main unit 10. It is performed along with the transport.

The printing result management device 146 and the data server 144 are both constituted by personal computers, and furthermore, data is transmitted and received through, for example, a LAN 162 of a bus connection system.

The manufacturing system according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, a method of manufacturing a battery using the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. It will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in the low-temperature aging treatment step S 1, low-temperature aging treatment is performed on a large number of battery bodies 10 at a temperature of, for example, 10 ° C. for about 2 hours using the low-temperature aging treatment equipment 100.

Specifically, first, a cleaning process is performed on a number of battery bodies 10. After that, many battery bodies 1
0 is accommodated in the battery accommodation space of the container 40 in the transport process. Then, when a predetermined number (for example, 250) of battery bodies 10 are stored in the container 40, the 250 battery bodies 10 are transported together with the container 40 to the low-temperature aging chamber 102 (see FIG. 4).

The low-temperature aging chamber 102 is maintained at a temperature of 10 ° C. by air-conditioning control, and a large number of battery bodies 10 in the container 40 carried into the low-temperature aging chamber 102 Lithium dissolves slowly while its own heat generation is suppressed.

After the low temperature aging process S1 is completed, a number of battery bodies 10 are put together with the container 40 into the next first normal temperature aging process S2. In the first room temperature aging treatment step S2, room temperature aging is performed on the battery body 10 at a temperature of, for example, 20 ° C. for about 8 hours using the first room temperature aging processing equipment 104. By this first room temperature aging treatment, lithium dissolution in the battery body 10 is further promoted.

After the first normal temperature aging treatment step S2, a number of battery bodies 10 are put together with the container 40 into the next partial charging step S3. This partial charging step S3 includes:
Using the activation processing equipment 108, IR / OCV measurement and partial charging processing are performed on the battery body 10 that has been subjected to the room temperature aging processing.

Specifically, first, the activation treatment equipment 108
The internal resistance (IR) and the open circuit voltage (OCV) of a number of battery bodies 10 are measured through an IR / OCV measurement device 118 in the inside, and thereafter, the number of battery bodies 10 are measured through a charge / discharge processing device 168 (see FIG. 4). On the other hand, for example, a partial charging process for 2 hours is performed. These measurement and charging / discharging processes are performed in a state where many battery bodies 10 are accommodated in the container 40. When the partial charging process is completed, cell information (IR / OCV measurement results, partial charging results, and the like) regarding a large number of battery bodies 10 is written to the data card DC of the container 40 in which the large number of battery bodies 10 are accommodated.
By this partial charging process, the dissolution of lithium in the battery body 10 is efficiently promoted, and the uneven potential of the battery body 10 is suppressed.

After the partial charging step S3, a number of battery bodies 10 are put together with the container 40 into the next high-temperature aging step S4. This high temperature aging treatment step S4
Performs high-temperature aging on the battery body 10 at, for example, a temperature of 50 ° C. for about 12 days using the high-temperature aging processing equipment 106.

After the high-temperature aging step S4, a number of the battery bodies 10 are put together with the container 40 into the next activation step S5. In the activation processing step S5, using the activation processing equipment 108, an IR / OCV measurement and a full charge of, for example, 4.5 hours are performed on the battery body 10 after the high-temperature aging processing.

Specifically, first, the activation treatment equipment 108
The internal resistance (IR) and the open circuit voltage (OCV) of many battery bodies 10 are measured through the IR / OCV measurement device 118 in the inside. A 5-hour full charge process is performed. These measurements and charge / discharge processing are performed in the container 40
This is performed in a state in which a large number of battery bodies 10 are accommodated.

In the charging (discharging) process, so-called constant current charging (CC charging) is performed in the first predetermined period of the charging period, in which a constant current is supplied to the battery body 10 to perform charging. The so-called constant voltage charging (CV charging) in which a constant voltage is applied to both ends of the battery body 10 to perform charging is performed. In the constant current charging in the first predetermined period, since a constant current flows through the battery, the voltage across the battery body 10 gradually increases with time,
In the subsequent constant voltage charging, the constant voltage is
Since the voltage is applied to both ends of 0, the current flowing through the battery body 10 gradually decreases with time.

When the charging (discharging) process is completed, the cell information (IR / OCV measurement result, full charge result, etc.) regarding the large number of battery bodies 10 is stored in the data of the container 40 in which the large number of battery bodies 10 are stored. Written to the card DC. By the activation process, the dissolution of lithium in the battery body 10 is efficiently promoted, and the potential unevenness of the battery body 10 is suppressed.

After the activation processing step S5, a large number of battery bodies 10 are put together with the container 40 into the next first buffer processing step S6. This first buffer processing step S
6 uses the buffer processing equipment 114 to
Then, a standing treatment and IR / OCV measurement are performed.

After the completion of the first buffer processing step S6, a number of battery bodies 10 are put together with the container 40 into the next second room temperature aging processing step S7. In the second room temperature aging step S7, the room temperature aging process is performed on the battery body 10 at, for example, a temperature of 23 ° C. for about 28 days using the second room temperature aging processing equipment 110.

After the second normal temperature aging step S7, a number of battery bodies 10 are put into the next capacity inspection step S8 together with the container 40. This capacity inspection step S8
Uses the capacity inspection equipment 112 to inspect IR / OCV measurement and current capacity during charging and discharging.

Specifically, first, the internal resistance (IR) and the open circuit voltage (OCV) of many battery bodies 10 are measured through the IR / OCV measuring device 120 in the capacity inspection equipment 112, and thereafter, the capacity measuring device The current capacity value during charging and discharging of many battery bodies 10 is measured through 170 (see FIG. 4). These measurements are performed with a large number of battery bodies 10 housed in the container 40.

When the capacity inspection process is completed, the cell information (IR / OCV measurement result, full charge result, etc.) concerning the large number of battery bodies 10 is stored in the data card DC of the container 40 containing the large number of battery bodies 10. Written.

After the completion of the capacity inspection step S8, the large number of battery bodies 10 are put into the next second buffer processing step S9 together with the container 40. In the second buffer processing step S9, the battery body 1
For 0, a leaving process for a predetermined period and a necessary IR / OCV measurement process are performed.

The leaving process and the IR / OCV measurement are performed in a state where a large number of battery bodies 10 are accommodated in the container 40. When the IR / OCV measurement is completed, the cell information (IR / OCV measurement results and the like) regarding the large number of battery bodies 10 is written to the data card DC of the container 40 in which the large number of battery bodies 10 are accommodated.

After the completion of the second buffer processing step S9, a large number of battery bodies 10 are sorted together with the container 40 in the next sorting / processing step.
Entered in the shipping step S10. This sorting / shipping process S1
0 is a cell information recorded on the data card DC after the battery main body 10 is subjected to, for example, printing and tubing processing using the sorting / shipping facility 116 to produce products (rechargeable batteries). Is performed on the basis of, and a process of shipping in rank units is performed.

Specifically, first, the buffer processing equipment 11
The container group 80 taken out from 4 is transported to the container receiving port of the sorting / shipping facility 116 by a self-propelled transport vehicle. When the container group 80 is inserted into the container receiving port, the container group 80 is divided into stages by the container processing device 130, and the content (DC data) of the data card DC attached to one container 40 is the data. The data is read through the writing / reading device 132. The read DC data is transmitted to the print control device 142.

On the other hand, the transfer device 134
When the reading of the DC data through the reading device 132 is completed, one container 40 is sorted and shipped.
, And transports one container 40 to the battery charging device 1
Hand over to 38. The battery insertion device 138 is a
The battery main bodies 10 are taken out one row at a time from one container 40 transported by the
To

At the stage of the initial operation, the first transfer device 136 performs origin search, and the carrier declared as the leading carrier (hereinafter referred to as the leading carrier) is positioned at the base end (starting end). You. Then, the first transfer device 136 is transported and controlled through the print control device 142 in synchronization with the timing of charging the battery main body 10 of the battery charging device 138, and the first main body 136 is sequentially controlled from the leading carrier.
0 is placed upright.

In the carrier transport process, the presence / absence of the battery body 10 is detected through an optical sensor (not shown), and at least information on a carrier in which the battery body 10 does not exist (for example, a sequencer shifted in synchronization with carrier transport). (The data content of the data memory in the programmable controller) is updated in the print control device 142, and the shift of the transport data is detected. This shift is
Occurs when a sensor detects that a battery is present in a carrier having dataless information.

A large number of battery bodies 10 that are sequentially conveyed in a single row by the first transfer device 136 are first loaded into the printing device 140. The printing device 140 prints on the surface of the battery body 10 transported by the movement of the carrier. This printing process is performed on the data card D of the container 40.
The serial number for each battery body created by the print control device 142 based on the container ID, lot number, and rank information of the container 40 read from the container information written in C is supplied to the printing device 140. It is done by doing. The printed serial number is sent to the data server 144 by the printing result management device 146 in container units.

After the printing process, the battery main body 10 is put into the tubing processing equipment 126 by the first transfer device 136, and the OCV measuring device 148 first measures the open circuit voltage (OCV). This measurement result is registered in the cell information table of the database 164 on a container basis through the tubing control device 152. After the OCV measurement, a large number of battery bodies 10 are put into a tubing device 150 at the subsequent stage.

The tubing device 150 covers the battery body 10 with a tube (vinyl bag) supplied from another system, and sets, for example, a paper insulating ring supplied from another system on the battery body 10 and thermally shrinks it. I do. In the tubing process by the tubing device 150, a tubing error (a tube is not covered well, etc.) may be generated. Battery body 1 with tubing error
0 is newly excluded as an NG product.

The printing device 140 and the tubing device 1
50 and the battery sorting device 156 each have battery information (such as information indicating the presence or absence of a battery) in the data memory of the sequencer which is shifted in synchronization with the pitch conveyance clock of the carrier, and the data memory corresponding to each processing position. If there is battery-less information (no data) in the channel No., it is determined that the battery main body 10 does not exist on the carrier, and an operation of not performing each process on the carrier is performed.

In each device, the transfer pitch position of each device is collated so that no deviation occurs when the battery body 10 is transferred between the devices. For example, a disk capable of detecting the position is attached to the transport belt shaft of each device, and it is always monitored whether the disk is at the same position. In addition, a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a battery is provided in a main part between the devices so that a difference between the delivery of the battery body 10 and the delivery of the battery information can be detected, and the data is compared with data.

Battery body 10 after tubing processing
(The battery body 10 after the tubing process is simply referred to as a battery 10 in the following description.)
By 54, it is put into the battery sorting device 156.

In the battery sorting device 156, at each position (rank sorting position) corresponding to a rank, for example, five kinds of sorting containers (not shown) which are recognized as non-defective products and one kind of NG sorting container are installed. ing. Each sorting container can accommodate, for example, 100 battery bodies 10.

The battery distribution device 156 writes the transport data passed from the data memory of the tubing control device 152 to the data memory of the sequencer, and shifts the transport data in synchronization with the pitch transport clock. Then, at the timing when the data of the corresponding rank has been shifted to the data memory channel corresponding to each rank distribution position, a processing operation of putting the battery body 10 into the sorting container is performed. As a result, each battery body 10 is put into the sorting container corresponding to the rank.

The sorting containers accommodating 100 batteries 10 are stacked in rank units by the container loading device 158, and are transported as a package to the shipping center. At the shipping center, first, the package is loaded on a pallet by an automatic palletizing device, and then the pallet is bound by an automatic binding device to perform a shipping process.
The secondary batteries that have been subjected to the shipping processing are then assembled in several units or several tens of units in a separate process and stored in, for example, a battery pack. That is, a pack process is performed. On the other hand, regarding the battery 10 placed in the NG container,
Disposal is performed.

Generally, when a secondary battery is used as a DC power supply for an electronic device, a plurality of batteries are connected in series or in parallel. For this reason, if at least one of the plurality of connected batteries has a low current capacity, the performance and life as a DC power supply are limited by the low current capacity battery.

However, in the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment, since the battery main bodies 10 are sorted and sorted based on the cell information (current capacity value, IR / OCV, etc.), the current capacity is mutually different. A plurality of batteries having similar values can be packed (packed) together, and the performance and life when used as a power source can be improved.

As described above, in the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment, since a large number of battery bodies 10 that are successively and continuously conveyed can be sorted according to their attributes, for example, the current capacity of the non-defective battery body 10 Can be easily classified.

In particular, in the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment, a large number of battery bodies 10 sequentially and continuously transported through the first and second transfer devices 136 and 154 are used.
First, it is input to the printing device 140 to perform a printing process according to the attribute data, and then is input to the OCV measuring device 148 to measure the open circuit voltage (OCV) of each battery main body 10, and further input to the tubing device 150. And the battery body 10
Is covered with a vinyl tube.

That is, in this sorting / shipping facility 116,
The printing processing equipment 124, the tubing processing equipment 126, and the sorting processing equipment 128 are each in the same position.

If the facilities are not continuous lines but separated from each other, facilities for putting the container 40 (or the container group 80) in and out between the facilities are required. In the present embodiment, Since the printing processing equipment 124, the tubing processing equipment 126, and the sorting processing equipment 128 can be connected as an integrated automation line, the time required for manufacturing the secondary battery, the number of workers, and the cost can be reduced efficiently. Can be realized.

Also, the sorting / shipping facility 11 for the battery body 10
6, various shipping preparation processes can be performed from the charging to the battery 6 to the sorting process by the battery sorting device 156.
It is possible to quickly respond to diversification of shipping modes.

In the manufacturing system according to this embodiment, a large number of battery bodies 10 housed in container 40
Is classified based on each attribute data, and is allocated according to the rank. However, the present invention can be applied to a general system that allocates a large number of works based on the attribute data.

Note that the apparatus for sorting articles according to the present invention comprises:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can adopt various configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0097]

As described above, according to the apparatus for sorting articles according to the present invention, a work receiving means for receiving a large number of works, and a large number of works received by the work receiving means are classified based on their characteristics. A work selecting means for selecting the work; and an intermediate processing means for performing a predetermined intermediate process on the work between the work receiving means and the work selecting means.

[0098] For this reason, articles such as secondary batteries can be selected according to their attributes, and the effect of quickly responding to diversification of shipping forms can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a battery main body to be put into a manufacturing system according to the present embodiment from a pre-assembly process.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a container capable of accommodating a large number of battery bodies.

FIG. 3A is a plan view showing the configuration of a holder provided on the bottom of the container, and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view of the holder.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a manufacturing system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a sorting / shipping facility in the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a process block diagram showing a battery manufacturing process by the manufacturing system according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Battery main body 40 ... Container 70 ... Card storage part 80 ... Container group 116 ... Sorting / shipping equipment 124 ... Printing processing equipment 126 ... Tubing processing equipment 128 ... Sorting processing equipment 130 ... Container processing equipment 132 ... Data writing / reading equipment 136 ... first transfer device 138 ... battery input device 140 ... printing device 142 ... print control device 144 ... data server 146 ... printing result management device 148 ... OCV measuring device 150 ... tubing device 152 ... tubing control device 154 ... second transfer Device 156 ... Battery sorting device 158 ... Container loading device 160 ... Sorting control device DC ... Data card

Claims (5)

[Claims] A work receiving means for receiving a large number of works; a work selecting means for selecting a large number of works received by the work receiving means on the basis of characteristics thereof; the work receiving means and the work selecting means; Between,
An article sorting apparatus comprising an intermediate processing means for performing a predetermined intermediate processing on the workpiece. 2. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is provided between the workpiece receiving means and the workpiece sorting means, and transports the received large number of workpieces in the direction of the workpiece sorting means. An article sorting device comprising a transfer means. 3. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is a secondary battery, the intermediate processing unit includes a printing unit that performs printing on the secondary battery, and a printing unit that performs printing on the secondary battery. An article selection device, comprising: tubing processing means for performing tubing on a secondary battery. 4. A battery receiving means for receiving a large number of secondary batteries, a printing means for printing on a large number of secondary batteries received by the battery receiving means, and tubing on the secondary batteries. An apparatus for sorting articles, comprising: tubing processing means for performing; and battery sorting means for sorting the secondary batteries based on their characteristics. 5. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing in each of the means is controlled by a programmable controller and / or a plurality of computers installed for each function. An article sorting apparatus characterized by being performed.