JP4036997B2 - Secondary battery liquid stopper inspection method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a secondary battery liquid stopper inspection method applied when a secondary battery is assembled.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, the structure of a lead storage battery as a secondary battery is shown in FIG. 3, and this lead storage battery has a battery case lid 2 attached to the upper opening of the battery case 1. A liquid injection port 3 is formed in the battery case lid 2, and an electrolytic solution is injected into the battery case 1 from the liquid injection port 3, and a liquid stopper 4 is screwed into the liquid injection port 3 after the injection of the electrolytic solution. The liquid injection port 3 is sealed by the liquid stopper 4. In the figure, reference numeral 5 denotes a terminal.
[0003]
FIG. 4 shows a process part for attaching the liquid stopper 4 to the liquid injection port 3. The process part includes a torque driver 7 having a torque meter 6, a motor 8 for driving the torque driver 7, and this motor. And a control device 9 that controls the control unit 8.
[0004]
The motor 8 is driven by a command from the control device 9, the torque driver 7 rotates in conjunction with the motor 8, and the liquid stopper 4 is screwed into the liquid inlet 3 by the rotation of the torque driver 7 and is tightened.
[0005]
Torque associated with the tightening of the liquid stopper 4 is sequentially detected by the torque meter 6, and when the torque value reaches a reference value, the signal is sent from the torque meter 6 to the control device 9 and controlled according to the input of this signal. While the rotation of the motor 8 is stopped by the control by the device 9, the torque driver 7 is detached from the liquid stopper 4, and the attachment of the liquid stopper 4 is completed.
[0006]
Packing 4a is mounted on the liquid stopper 4 in advance, and the packing 4a is tightened when the liquid stopper 4 is attached, and the liquid injection port 3 is sealed through the packing 4a, thereby preventing leakage of the electrolyte.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The packing 4a is manually attached to the liquid stopper 4, and a large number of the liquid stoppers 4 are delivered to the battery assembly factory. However, some of the liquid stoppers 4 may be delivered as they are forgotten to attach the packing 4a, those with two packings 4a attached, or those with the packing 4a dropped during transportation. is there.
[0008]
As a result, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), the liquid stopper 4 to which the packing 4a is not attached is attached to the battery case lid 2, or two packings 4a are attached as shown in FIG. 5 (B). The liquid stopper 4 may be attached to the battery case lid 2.
[0009]
However, even in such a case, when the liquid stopper 4 is tightened with the torque driver 7, the tightening torque value reaches the reference value, and it is assembled as a normal non-defective battery and transported to the next process. is there.
[0010]
In the former case, since the packing 4a is not attached, the liquid filling port 3 is not completely sealed. In the latter case, the height position of the liquid stopper 4 is higher than specified, and both are defective. However, even such a battery is transported to the next process as it is.
[0011]
Further, even when the packing 4a is attached to the liquid stopper 4 in a regular state, as shown in FIG. 6, the liquid stopper 4 is screwed into the liquid injection port 3 at an angle, and the torque value of the screwing is obtained. May reach the specified value, and may be judged as a normal battery and transferred to the next process as it is.
[0012]
The present invention has been made paying attention to such points, and its purpose is to accurately detect when the liquid stopper is attached to the battery case lid in a wrong state other than the proper one. It is an object of the present invention to provide a secondary battery liquid stopper inspection method capable of appropriately determining the quality of an assembled battery.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve such an object, the present invention is a method for inspecting the quality of the attached state of the liquid stopper attached to the battery case lid of the secondary battery, wherein the height of the upper end of the liquid stopper attached to the battery case lid is high. The position is detected by using an optical detection sensor, and whether or not the liquid stopper is attached is determined based on the detected data.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a battery transport line 10 constituted by a transport belt, and a tightening process section 11 and an inspection process section 12 are sequentially provided in the transport line 10 in the transport direction.
[0015]
The tightening process unit 11 is provided with a plurality of torque drivers 13 including a torque meter and a drive unit 14 for driving the torque driver 13, and the torque meter and the drive unit 14 are connected to the control device 15.
[0016]
The inspection process section 12 is provided with first and second optical detection sensors X and Y that respectively detect the height position of the target portion by applying light to the target portion. These detection sensors X and Y are electrically connected to the control device 15 via amplifiers 18 and 19, respectively.
[0017]
In the middle of the conveyance line 10, branch paths 20 and 21 are formed on the front side of the tightening process section 11 and the front side of the inspection process section 12, respectively. 23 is provided, and the discharge mechanisms 22 and 23 are connected to the control device 15.
[0018]
The batteries in the process of manufacture are sequentially transported via the transport line 10, and when the batteries reach the tightening process section 11, the liquid plug 4 is inserted into the battery inlet 3 through the torque driver 13 in the tightening process section 11. Screwed in.
[0019]
The battery has, for example, six liquid injection ports 3 arranged in a line, and the tightening process unit 11 is provided with six torque drivers 13 corresponding to the liquid injection ports 3. And these torque drivers 13 are driven via the drive part 14 based on the output signal of the control apparatus 15, and the liquid stopper 4 is screwed into each liquid injection port 3 via each torque driver 13 by this drive, and is tightened.
[0020]
Here, the tightening torque value of each liquid stopper 4 is detected by a torque meter of each torque driver 13. When a reference torque value is obtained for all of the liquid plugs 4, the signal is output to the control device 15, and each torque driver 13 is controlled by the control device 15 in accordance with this output. The battery is transferred to the next inspection process unit 11 via the transfer line 10.
[0021]
When an abnormal torque value is detected for any of the liquid stoppers 4 when the liquid stopper 4 is tightened, a signal is output to the control device 15. In this case, each torque driver 13 is removed from each liquid stopper 4 and the battery is sent out from the tightening process unit 11 via the transport line 10. At this time, the discharge mechanism 22 is driven based on the signal, The battery is removed from the transport line 10 to the branch path 20 by the operation of the discharge mechanism 22.
[0022]
Accordingly, only the batteries for which the tightening torque value of each liquid stopper 4 is determined to be normal are conveyed to the inspection process unit 12. Then, when the battery moves through the section of the transport process section 12, the liquid stoppers 4 arranged in a line under the first detection sensor X provided in the transport process section 12 pass, and the second detection The upper surface of the battery case lid 2 of the battery passes under the sensor Y.
[0023]
Each of the detection sensors X and Y irradiates light (laser) toward the upper surface of the battery, receives the reflected light of the irradiated light, and determines the distance between the detection sensors X and Y and the irradiation reflection surface of the light. It comes to detect.
[0024]
Here, the first detection sensor X is located at a position away from the upper end surface of the liquid stopper 4 by H1 when the liquid stopper 4 is attached to the battery in a normal state, and the second detection sensor X. The sensor Y is provided at a position away from the upper surface of the battery case lid 2 of the battery by H2 above it. Then, H1 = H2 is set.
[0025]
From each detection sensor X, Y, the light for a detection is always irradiated toward the battery which moves the area of the test process part 12. FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, when the battery plug 4 sequentially passes under the first detection sensor X, the distance dX between the upper end surface of the liquid plug 4 and the detection sensor X, that is, the liquid plug 4 The position of the height of the upper end is detected, and the distance dY between the upper surface of the battery case lid 2 and the detection sensor Y, that is, the height position of the upper surface of the battery case lid 2 is detected by the second detection sensor Y. .
[0026]
Then, the data of the distance dX between the upper end surface of the liquid stopper 4 and the detection sensor X and the data of the distance dY between the upper surface of the battery case lid 2 and the detection sensor Y are sent to the control device 15, and this control is performed. In the device 15, the distance dX and the distance dY are compared, and dX−dY is calculated.
[0027]
Here, since the distance dY is always constant (H2) and there is a relationship of H1 = H2, the liquid stopper 4 is attached in a normal state when dX-dY is 0 mm. However, in practice, some variation should be allowed. Therefore, when dX-dY is in the range of -0.5 to +0.5 mm in consideration of this, the liquid stopper 4 is attached in a normal state. Is determined by the control device 15.
[0028]
On the other hand, when dX-dY is smaller than −0.5 mm, two packings are attached to the liquid stopper 4, the liquid stopper 4 is inclined and screwed, or the tightening state of the liquid stopper 4 is abnormal. Or when the position of the upper end surface of the liquid stopper 4 is higher than the normal case and the dX-dY is larger than +0.5 mm. This is a case where no packing is attached to the liquid stopper 4 and the upper end surface of the liquid stopper 4 is in an abnormal state lower than the normal case.
[0029]
When such an abnormality is detected in any of the liquid plugs 4 of one battery, the battery is determined to be defective by the control device 15. When the defective battery is sent out from the inspection process unit 12, the discharge mechanism 23 is driven based on a signal from the control device 15, and the defective battery is removed from the transport line 10 to the branch path 23.
[0030]
【Example】
More specifically, the first detection sensor X is positioned at a height of 80 mm from the liquid stopper when tightened with a torque of 4 kg · cm, and the second detection sensor Y is a battery case. It provided in the position used as a height of 80 mm from the upper surface of a lid | cover.
[0031]
As the packing, the thickness is 1.5 mm, the amount of shrinkage when the liquid stopper is tightened with a torque of 4 kg / cm is 0.1 mm, and the amount of shrinkage when tightening with a torque of 10 kg / cm is 0.3 mm. I used something. Further, the battery transport speed was 218 mm / sec, the width of the upper surface of the liquid stopper was 20 mm, and the time required for one liquid stopper to pass under the detection sensor X was about 0.1 sec.
[0032]
Under these conditions, 100,000 batteries are targeted, and those batteries with different types of liquid stoppers or those without a packing are intentionally mixed for inspection. Carried out.
[0033]
When the relationship between the distance dX detected by the first detection sensor X and the distance dY detected by the second detection sensor Y is −0.5 mm ≦ dX−dY ≦ + 0.5 mm, non-defective product −0.5 mm> dX−dY When it was not plugged properly, plug tightening abnormality + 0.5 mm <dX−dY, it was judged that there was no packing.
[0034]
As a result, the number of non-defective products is 99997, one with different plug types, one with an abnormal plug fastening, and one with no packing are detected, and defective batteries can be eliminated reliably. It was. Here, the abnormal plug tightening was determined as a non-defective product in the tightening process by the torque driver, but was detected as a defective product in the inspection process unit.
[0035]
The detection sensor detects the distance even between the liquid stoppers without the liquid stopper and between the batteries, and regards dX-dY as a large value. However, the thickness of the dX-dY packing is 1.5 mm and the liquid stopper protrudes from the upper surface side. When the total height was 8 mm or more, it was ignored.
[0036]
In the above-described embodiment, two detection sensors are used. However, it is also possible to determine the attachment state of the liquid stopper only by the distance from the upper end surface of the liquid stopper using only one detection sensor. Is possible.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when the liquid stopper is attached to the battery case lid in an incorrect state other than the proper one, it is accurately detected and the quality of the assembled state of the battery is properly judged. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of a detection sensor in the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration of a lead storage battery as a secondary battery.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a liquid stopper tightening step.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example when the liquid stopper is attached to the battery case lid in a wrong state.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another example when the liquid stopper is attached to the battery case lid in a wrong state.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery case 2 ... Battery case cover 3 ... Injection hole 4 ... Liquid stopper 4a ... Packing 10 ... Conveyance line 11 ... Tightening process part 12 ... Inspection process part 15 ... Control apparatus X ... 1st detection sensor Y ... 2nd Detection sensor

Claims (1)

This is a method for inspecting the quality of the liquid stopper attached to the battery case lid of the secondary battery, and detecting the height position of the upper end of the liquid stopper attached to the battery case lid using an optical detection sensor. And determining the quality of the attached state of the liquid stopper based on the detected data.

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