Battery cell stacking apparatus
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
InventorsJong Min Park, Young Seok Lee, Dong Ho Kwak, Sang Uk Jeon, Jun Hyeok Bae
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A battery cell stacking apparatus includes a skid to hold parts, a linear conveyor that moves the skid forward, and a linear shuttle that moves the skid from side to side. Arranged along the shuttle's path are three types of loading equipment. A first and a second loading apparatus work to alternately stack battery cells onto the skid. A separate third loading apparatus places protective pads between the layers of cels. The conveyor and shuttle work together to move the kid to each piece of equipment in sequence. The system can also feature a lifting apparatus to raise the finished stack and an elevator to return empty skids.
Claims20
A battery cell stacking apparatus comprising:
- a skid having a structure defining a space in which battery cells and pads are stacked;
- a linear conveyor configured to move the skid forward;
- a linear shuttle arranged to be movable left and right in a predetermined section of the linear conveyor to move the skid left and right;
- a first loading apparatus and a second loading apparatus arranged at a front end portion of the linear conveyor and opposite sides of the linear shuttle, respectively, and configured to alternately stack the battery cells within the skid;
- and
- a third loading apparatus arranged at a predetermined distance from one side portion of the linear shuttle and configured to stack the pads between the battery cells stacked within the skid.
A battery cell stacking apparatus comprising:
- a skid configured to support a stack of battery cells and pads;
- a plurality of loading apparatuses configured to deposit battery cells and pads onto the skid to form the stack;
- and
- a servo-controlled vertical lift mechanism operatively coupled to the skid, wherein the vertical lift mechanism is configured to adjust an elevation of the skid downward after a battery cell or a pad is deposited thereby maintaining a top surface of the stack at a substantially constant vertical height for receiving a subsequent battery cell or pad.
A battery cell stacking apparatus comprising:
- a conveyance system configured to move a skid to a plurality of loading stations;
- and
- at least one loading apparatus positioned at one of the loading stations, the at least one loading apparatus comprising a gripper for picking and placing a battery cell, wherein the gripper includes a multi-axis compliance mechanism configured to cushion the battery cell against forces along at least one vertical axis and at least one horizontal axis during placement of the battery cell onto the skid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.