JP5590005B2 - Battery assembly device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery assembling apparatus that automatically and continuously assembles a battery and a frame that accommodates the battery.

  Batteries are used in various fields as power sources for electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers, or as power sources for vehicles such as hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. The battery includes a nickel / cadmium battery, a nickel / hydrogen battery, a lithium ion secondary battery, and the like.

  When a battery is used as a power source for various purposes, it is used as an assembled battery (module) in which a plurality of single cells (cells) are electrically connected in order to obtain an output according to the use. . For example, in an assembled battery used as a vehicle power source, a plurality of single cells are electrically connected in series to obtain a required output voltage. In this case, in general, an assembled battery in which a plurality of rectangular cells are stacked is used from the viewpoint of space saving when mounted on a vehicle. In such an assembled battery, it is necessary to consider heat dissipation, insulation and heat insulation between adjacent single cells, for example, one described in Patent Document 1 below.

  In the assembled battery described in Patent Document 1 below, a spacer is sandwiched between adjacent unit cells. The spacer is made of an insulating resin containing a foaming agent that reacts with heat above a certain level and is thermally decomposed. Thereby, when one of the unit cells abnormally generates heat while insulating the adjacent unit cells, heat can be prevented from being transmitted to the adjacent unit cells.

JP 2010-165597 A

  By the way, as a battery assembly in which insulation and heat dissipation between the battery cells are ensured, a battery cell (hereinafter simply referred to as “battery”) is covered with a frame in addition to the battery assembly using the spacer as described in Patent Document 1. There is something. That is, there is an assembled battery in which framed batteries in which the battery and the frame are assembled are stacked. When manufacturing a battery with a frame of this assembled battery, it is necessary to assemble the battery and the frame body with high accuracy so as not to cause displacement and backlash. However, in recent years, since the number of batteries required for one vehicle is large and can be several hundred, it is necessary to assemble the battery and the frame at high speed (in a short time) for mass production. Thus, when manufacturing a framed battery, both high assembly accuracy and high productivity are required.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can assemble a battery and a frame body that accommodates the battery with high accuracy and can improve productivity. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  The battery assembling apparatus according to the present invention includes a battery rotating means for rotating the battery around the first circle while holding the battery, and a second circle for holding the frame attached to the battery. Frame rotating means for rotating around, and assembling the battery and the frame when the rotating battery and the rotating frame face each other, wherein the battery rotating means A rotary arm extending in a radial direction from the rotation center of the first circle and rotating about a radially inward end portion as a rotation center, and attached to the radially outer end portion of the rotary arm so as to be swingable and to the rotary arm And a gripping jig for gripping the battery, and a battery supply unit for pushing out the battery toward the gripping jig when the rotating gripping jig approaches. , From the battery supply unit When the battery is pushed out toward the holding jig and the one end in the rotation direction of the battery is locked to the holding jig, the other end in the rotation direction of the battery is held by the elastic force. A posture correcting mechanism for correcting the posture of the battery by pressing toward the tool is provided.

  In this case, when the battery supply unit pushes the battery toward the gripping jig when the rotating gripping jig approaches, the posture correction is performed with one end of the rotating direction of the battery locked to the gripping jig. The mechanism presses the other end in the rotation direction of the battery toward the gripping jig by elastic force. Thereby, the posture of the battery is forcibly corrected, and the gripping jig can securely grip the battery with a small rotation of the rotary arm. For this reason, the number of rotating arms and gripping jigs can be increased, and the number of batteries held by the gripping jig within one rotation of the rotating arm can be greatly increased. Therefore, according to this battery assembling apparatus, the battery and the frame can be assembled with high accuracy, and productivity can be improved.

Further, in the battery assembling device of the present invention, the posture correction mechanism, possess a leaf spring, and a receiving member extending in the plate is supported by the surface at one end of the spring-like flat, the receiving member, the It is preferable that the battery is disposed so as to contact the other end of the battery in the rotation direction . In this case, when the other end of the battery in the rotational direction comes into contact with the receiving member, the leaf spring hardly moves in the plane direction of the receiving member. That is, the moving direction of the leaf spring is almost only the direction substantially orthogonal to the planar direction of the receiving member. Therefore, it is easy to control the urging force when the other end in the rotation direction of the battery comes into contact with the receiving member, and it becomes easy to correct the posture of the battery accurately.

In the battery assembling apparatus of the present invention, the posture correction mechanism includes a coil spring and a receiving member connected to one end of the coil spring and extending in a plane perpendicular to the expansion and contraction direction of the coil spring. The receiving member may be disposed so as to contact the other end portion in the rotation direction of the battery . In this case, when the other end in the rotation direction of the battery comes into contact with the receiving member, the coil spring is greatly contracted in a direction orthogonal to the planar direction of the receiving member. For this reason, it is difficult for the receiving member to hinder the rotation operation of the gripping jig.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to assemble a battery and the frame which accommodates the battery with high precision, the battery assembly | attachment apparatus which can improve productivity is provided.

It is the perspective view which showed the assembled battery which concerns on this embodiment. It is the perspective view which showed the battery with a frame which is a structural member of the assembled battery shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the battery with a frame shown in FIG. 2 into the cell and the frame. It is the figure which showed the battery assembly | attachment apparatus schematically. It is the figure which showed schematically the drive mechanism when the battery rotation means and frame rotation means shown in FIG. 4 were seen from the side surface side. It is the figure which showed the state with which the battery and the frame were assembled | attached. It is the figure which showed the state in which a battery with a frame is conveyed. It is the figure which showed the state in which a holding jig hold | grips a battery when the attitude | position correction guide is provided. It is the figure which showed the state in which a holding jig grasps a battery when an actuator is provided. It is the figure which showed the state in which a holding jig hold | grips a battery when the attitude | position correction mechanism of this embodiment is provided. It is the figure which showed the state until the battery extruded from the battery supply magazine is hold | gripped by the holding jig. It is the figure which showed the state which a receiving member and a leaf | plate spring move in the attitude | position correction mechanism of 2nd Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the state which a receiving member and a coil spring move in the attitude | position correction mechanism of 1st Embodiment.

  An embodiment of a battery assembling apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an assembled battery 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a framed battery 10 that is a constituent member of the assembled battery 1 shown in FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the frame-equipped battery 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the assembled battery 1 is a battery group in which a plurality of framed batteries 10 are stacked. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame-equipped battery 10 is obtained by assembling a unit cell 20 and a frame body 30. In the assembled battery 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the frame-equipped batteries 10 are arranged so as to be stacked in one direction, and both ends are sandwiched between end plates 2. And each battery 10 with a frame is being fixed by spanning the metal plate 3. As shown in FIG. A plurality of single cells 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as “battery 20”) in the frame-equipped battery 10 are electrically connected by a bus bar 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the battery 20 is a lithium ion secondary battery whose outer shape is a rectangular parallelepiped. The battery 20 includes a power generation element (winding electrode body) formed by winding a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate in a flat shape with a separator interposed therebetween, and an electrolytic solution composed of an organic solvent in which a lithium salt is dissolved. Are housed inside. In the battery 20, as shown in FIG. 3, when the battery 20 is assembled to the frame body 30, a surface that first enters the inside of the frame body 30 among the outer surfaces is referred to as an insertion surface 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame 30 is formed of an insulating resin in order to insulate the outer surfaces of the adjacent batteries 20. Further, the frame body 30 prevents the battery 20 from being displaced or rattled when vibration or impact is applied to the assembled battery 1, and has a heat resistance function. The frame 30 has a bottom surface 31 and wall surfaces 32 provided on four sides thereof, and has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Thereby, the frame 30 can accommodate the battery 20. In the frame-equipped battery 10, the bottom surface 31 of the frame body 30 is in close contact with the insertion surface 21 of the battery 20, so that the battery 20 and the frame body 30 are not easily detached by hooking or the like.

  In such a frame-equipped battery 10, continuous automatic assembly of the battery 20 and the frame body 30 is desired in order to improve productivity. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a battery assembling apparatus 40 that performs continuous automatic assembling. Here, in FIG. 4, the frame body 30 is shown in a U-shaped cross-sectional shape so that the assembly of the battery 20 and the frame body 30 is easy to understand. In FIG. 4, a posture correcting mechanism 90 described later is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the battery assembling apparatus 40 includes battery rotating means 50 for rotating the battery 20 around the first circle C1, and frame rotating means 60 for rotating the frame 30 around the second circle C2. It has. Then, the battery assembling apparatus 40 is configured to convey the battery 20 gripped by the battery rotating means 50 and the frame 30 gripped by the frame rotating means 60 to the center assembling position Y for assembly. It has become. The assembly position Y is a position where the assembly of the battery 20 and the frame 30 is completed, and is located on a straight line connecting the rotation center O1 of the first circle C1 and the rotation center O2 of the second circle C2.

  The battery rotating means 50 includes a rotary arm 51 extending in the radial direction from the rotation center O1 of the first circle C1, a gripping jig 52 attached to a radially outward end of the rotary arm 51, and the gripping jig 52. And a battery supply magazine 53 that pushes out the battery 20 toward the gripping jig 52 when approaching. Here, the radial direction is the radial direction with respect to the rotation center O1 shown in FIG. 5, and the circumferential direction is the circumferential direction with respect to the rotation center O1 shown in FIG. Two rotating arms 51 are provided 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction, and rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 with the radially inner end as the rotation center O1.

  The holding jig 52 rotates around the first circle C <b> 1 while holding the battery 20, and is attached to each rotating arm 51. Each gripping jig 52 is formed in a substantially T-shape, and includes a shaft portion 54 and a substantially U-shaped gripping portion 55 attached to the tip of the shaft portion 54. The shaft portion 54 is pin-coupled to the radially outer end portion of the rotary arm 51. As a result, the gripping jig 52 rotates around the first circle C1 and can swing around the turning center X1.

  The gripping portion 55 is configured to grip the battery 20 with a claw. In a state where the battery 20 is gripped, the receiving surface 55a of the grip portion 55 and the grip surface 22 of the battery 20 are opposed to each other in a plane. In other words, the center line L 1 of the shaft portion 54 is substantially orthogonal to the gripping surface 22 of the battery 20. Here, the gripping surface 22 of the battery 20 is a surface opposite to the insertion surface 21 (see FIG. 3) of the battery 20 described above, and first enters the gripping portion 55 when the battery 20 is gripped. Surface. The gripping part 55 grips the battery 20 pushed out from the battery supply magazine 53 when rotating around the first circle C1.

  The rotary arm 51 and the gripping jig 52 are connected by a spring 56 provided on the front side in the rotational direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4). Thereby, in a normal state, the center line L1 of the shaft portion 54 of the gripping jig 52 is set to be inclined by a predetermined angle θ1 in the rotation direction with respect to the center line R1 of the rotary arm 51. The gripping jig 52 can swing with respect to the rotating rotary arm 51 with the turning center X1 as a fulcrum, but swings while receiving the biasing force of the spring 56.

  The battery supply magazine (battery supply unit) 53 supplies the batteries 20 one by one to the gripping part 55 of the rotating gripping jig 52. The battery supply magazine 53 accommodates a plurality of overlapping batteries 20 and slides the batteries 20 by the pressing operation of the pressing mechanism 53a. As a result, among the overlapping batteries 20, the battery 20 closest to the battery rotating means 50 is pushed out. In addition, after one battery 20 is pushed out, a new battery 20 is replenished to the battery supply magazine 53. The timing at which the battery 20 is pushed out is slightly before the rotating gripping portion 55 comes closest, and is controlled so that the gripping surface 22 of the battery 20 can enter the gripping portion 55.

  The frame rotating means 60 includes a rotary arm 61 extending in the radial direction from the rotation center O2 of the second circle C2, a gripping jig 62 attached to the radially outer end of the rotary arm 61, and the gripping jig. A frame body supply magazine 63 that pushes out the frame body 30 toward the gripping jig 62 when 62 approaches. Here, the radial direction is the radial direction with respect to the rotation center O2 shown in FIG. 4, and the circumferential direction is the circumferential direction with respect to the rotation center O2 shown in FIG. Two rotating arms 61 are provided 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction, and rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 with the radially inner end as the rotation center O2.

  The holding jig 62 rotates around the second circle C <b> 2 while holding the frame 30, and is attached to each rotating arm 61. Each gripping jig 62 is formed in a substantially T-shape, and includes a shaft portion 64 and a substantially U-shaped gripping portion 65 attached to the tip of the shaft portion 64. The shaft portion 64 is pin-coupled to the radially outer end portion of the rotary arm 61. As a result, the gripping jig 62 rotates around the second circle C2 and can swing around the turning center X2.

  The gripping portion 65 is configured to grip the frame body 30 with claws. In a state where the frame body 30 is gripped, the receiving surface 65a of the grip portion 65 and the bottom surface 31 of the frame body 30 are opposed to each other in a planar manner. In other words, the center line L <b> 2 of the shaft portion 64 is substantially orthogonal to the bottom surface 31 of the frame body 30. The gripping part 65 grips the frame body 30 pushed out from the frame body supply magazine 63 when rotating around the second circle C2.

  The rotating arm 61 and the gripping jig 62 are connected by a spring 66 provided on the front side in the rotational direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 4). Thus, in a normal state, the center line L2 of the shaft portion 64 of the gripping jig 62 is set to be inclined by a predetermined angle θ2 in the rotation direction with respect to the center line R2 of the rotary arm 61. Here, the predetermined angle θ2 is the same angle as the predetermined angle θ1 described above. The gripping jig 62 can swing with respect to the rotating rotary arm 61 about the turning center X <b> 2, but swings while receiving the biasing force of the spring 66.

  The frame supply magazine 63 supplies the frame bodies 30 one by one to the gripping portion 65 of the rotating gripping jig 62. The frame supply magazine 63 accommodates a plurality of overlapping frame bodies 30, and slides each frame body 30 by the pressing operation of the pressing mechanism 63a. As a result, the frame body 30 closest to the frame body rotation means 60 among the overlapping frame bodies 30 is pushed out. In addition, after one frame 30 is pushed out, a new frame 30 is replenished to the frame supply magazine 63. The timing at which the frame 30 is pushed out is slightly before the rotating gripping portion 65 comes closest, and is controlled so that the gripping surface 32 of the frame 30 can enter the gripping portion 65.

  Here, FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the drive mechanism 70 when the battery rotating means 50 and the frame rotating means 60 shown in FIG. 4 are viewed from the side. In FIG. 5, for easy understanding, one set of the rotating arms 51 and 61 and the gripping jigs out of the two sets of the rotating arms 51 and 61 and the gripping jigs 52 and 62 separated by 180 degrees in the rotation direction. Only tools 52 and 62 are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the driving mechanism 70, the radially inner ends of the rotary arms 51 and 61 are fixed to the rotary shafts 72 and 73 extending in a direction orthogonal to the flat table 71. Note that the shaft portions 54 and 64 of the gripping jigs 52 and 62 are pin-coupled to the radially outer ends of the rotary arms 51 and 61 as described above. The rotation shaft 72 is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 74, and is configured to directly transmit the rotation output of the drive motor 74. A first gear 75 is integrally connected to the rotary shaft 72, and a second gear 76 is engaged with the first gear.

  A third gear 77 is coaxially connected to the second gear 76, and a fourth gear 78 is connected to the rotating shaft 73. The third gear 77 and the fourth gear 78 are connected to the toothed belt 79. It is connected through. The first to fourth gears 75, 76, 77, 78 are all the same size gears. Thus, the first gear 75 and the fourth gear 78, that is, the rotating arm 51 and the rotating arm 61 are rotated in the opposite directions at the same rotational speed.

  Next, the process of assembling the battery 20 and the frame 30 in the battery assembling apparatus 40 configured as described above will be described. In the battery rotating means 50, the rotating gripping jig 52 on one side grips one battery 20 pushed out from the battery supply magazine 53. In the frame rotating means 60, the rotating gripping jig 62 on one side grips one frame 30 pushed out from the frame supply magazine 63. Thus, the gripped battery 20 and the frame 30 are sent to the assembly position Y shown in FIG. 4 at the same timing by the rotation of the rotary arms 51 and 61. Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the battery 20 and the frame body 30 are assembled.

  As shown in FIG. 6, at the assembly position Y, the gripping jigs 52 and 62 are swung around the pivot centers X1 and X2 against the urging force of the springs 56 and 66, and the rotary arms 51 and All of the center lines R1, R2 of 61 and the center lines L1, L2 of the gripping jigs 52, 62 are on a straight line. Thus, the battery 20 and the frame 30 are pressed from the left and right in FIG. At this time, the pressing force acting on the battery 20 is orthogonal to the center of the insertion surface 21 of the battery 20, and the pressing force acting on the frame body 30 is orthogonal to the center of the bottom surface 31 of the frame body 30. For this reason, the battery 20 and the frame body 30 are assembled by the pressure which acts on the insertion surface 21 of the battery 20 and the bottom surface 31 of the frame body 30 substantially equally.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state where the framed battery 10 is conveyed. As shown in FIG. 7, after the battery 20 and the frame 30 are assembled to form the framed battery 10, the framed battery 10 is sent to the next process via the conveyor 80. Then, the rotating gripping jigs 52 and 62 on one side approach the battery supply magazine 53 and the frame body supply magazine 63, and from the battery supply magazine 53 and the frame body supply magazine 63, the battery 20 and the frame body. Grab 30. Further, the rotating gripping jigs 52 and 62 on the other side approach the assembly position Y, and the battery 20 and the frame body 30 are assembled in the same manner.

  By the way, in the battery rotating means 50 of the battery assembling apparatus 40 as described above, when the gripping jig 52 grips the battery 20 pushed out from the battery supply magazine 53, there are the following problems. That is, while the gripping jig 52 rotates around the first circle C1, the battery 20 is linearly pushed toward the gripping jig 52. When the battery 20 is gripped, the posture of the battery 20 is not stable. For this reason, the gripping surface 22 of the battery 20 does not face the receiving surface 55a of the gripping part 55 in a planar manner, and there is a problem that the gripping part 55 cannot grip the battery 20 reliably. If the rotational speed of the gripping jig 52 (rotating arm 51) is slow, the gripping part 55 can easily grip the battery 20, but the battery 20 and the frame 30 are assembled in the battery assembly device 40. The work speed becomes slow, and the framed battery 10 cannot be mass-produced at high speed.

  Here, the case where the posture correction guide 190 shown in FIG. 8 is provided will be described as a first proposal for the gripping portion 55 to easily grip the battery 20. FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which the gripping jig 52 grips the battery 20 when the posture correction guide 190 is provided. The posture correction guide 190 is an arc-shaped plate disposed on the radially outer side than the rotating gripping jig 52. This posture correction guide 190 is formed so that the distance D1 from the gripping portion 55 gradually decreases as it proceeds in the counterclockwise direction.

  In the case of the above first plan, when the battery 20 is pushed out toward the holding jig 52 where the battery supply magazine 53 rotates, the rear end 20a in the rotation direction of the battery 20 is locked to the receiving surface 55a of the holding part 55. On the other hand, the rotation direction front end 20 b of the battery 20 is not locked to the receiving surface 55 a of the grip 55. That is, immediately after the battery supply magazine 53 pushes out the battery 20, the gripping surface 22 of the battery 20 does not face the receiving surface 55 a of the gripping part 55 in a planar manner, and the front end 20 b in the rotational direction of the battery 20 is not. And a relatively large gap is formed between the holding portion 55 and the receiving surface 55a.

  As the phantom line in FIG. 8 indicates, the posture of the battery 20 is gradually corrected by the posture correction guide 190 as the gripping jig 52 rotates. That is, the gap between the rotation direction front end 20b of the battery 20 and the receiving surface 52a of the gripping jig 52 gradually decreases. As a result, when the rotating arm 51 rotates about 90 degrees or more after the battery supply magazine 53 pushes out the battery 20, the gripping surface 22 of the battery 20 faces the receiving surface 55 a of the gripping portion 55 in a plane. It becomes a state.

  Here, the above-mentioned first proposal has the following problems. First, when the rotation arm 51 rotates about 90 degrees or more as described above, the correction of the posture of the battery 20 is completed. Therefore, the rotation angle φ of the rotation arm 51 until the posture of the battery 20 is corrected (FIG. 8). See) is large. For this reason, in the battery rotating means 50, four or more sets of the rotating arm 51 and the gripping jig 52 cannot be provided. In other words, the number of the battery 20 held by the holding jig 52 in one rotation of the rotating arm 51 cannot be increased by increasing one set of the rotating arm 51 and the holding jig 52 to four or more. Therefore, when the posture correction guide 190 is used, it is difficult to deal with mass production of the framed battery 10. Furthermore, since the posture correction guide 190 is a large arc-shaped member, there is a problem that the battery assembling apparatus 40 becomes large and is not practical.

  In addition, a case where the actuator 290 shown in FIG. 9 is provided as a second plan that makes it easy for the grip portion 55 to grip the battery 20 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state where the gripping jig 52 grips the battery 20 when the actuator 290 is provided. The actuator 290 is an air cylinder that pushes the battery 20 closest to the gripping jig 52 into the gripping portion 55 by expansion and contraction of the piston rod 291.

  In the case of the above-described second plan, the rotating rotary arm 51 and the gripping jig 52 are stationary when the gripping portion 55 approaches the battery supply magazine 53. Thereafter, the actuator 290 pushes the battery 20 closest to the gripping jig 52 into the gripping part 55, whereby the gripping part 55 grips the battery 20 as shown in FIG. Then, the rotating arm 51 and the gripping jig 52 are rotated again.

  Here, the above-mentioned second plan has the following problems. When the actuator 290 is used, the grip portion 55 can securely grip the battery 20, but it is necessary to temporarily stop the rotation of the rotary arm 51 and the grip jig 52 as described above. For this reason, the rotational speed of the rotary arm 51 does not increase. In other words, the number of the batteries 20 held by the holding jig 52 during one rotation of the rotating arm 51 cannot be increased. Therefore, when the actuator 290 is used, it is difficult to deal with mass production of the framed battery 10.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, when the battery 20 is pushed out from the battery supply magazine 53 toward the gripping jig 52 that rotates, the posture correction mechanism 90 corrects the posture of the battery 20. Is provided. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the gripping jig 52 grips the battery 20 when the posture correction mechanism 90 is provided. As shown in FIG. 10, the posture correction mechanism 90 includes a receiving member 91 that extends in a planar shape, and a coil spring 92 that supports the receiving member 91.

  The receiving member 91 presses the rotation direction front end 20 b of the battery 20 pushed out from the battery supply magazine 53 toward the gripping jig 52. The receiving member 91 is disposed on the front side in the rotation direction of the battery 20 from the battery supply magazine 53 so as to contact the front end portion 20b in the rotation direction of the battery. One end of the coil spring 92 is connected to the receiving member 91, and the other end of the coil spring 92 is connected to a fixed member (not shown).

  The effect of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 11 is a view showing a state until the battery 20 pushed out from the battery supply magazine 53 is gripped by the gripping jig 52. As shown in FIG. 11A, when the battery 20 is pushed out toward the holding jig 52 where the battery supply magazine 53 rotates, the rear end portion 20a in the rotation direction of the battery 20 is locked to the receiving surface 55a of the holding portion 55. On the other hand, the front end portion 20b in the rotation direction of the battery 20 is not locked to the receiving surface 55a of the grip portion 55. Here, the above-mentioned locking means not only the state in which the rear end portion 20a in the rotation direction of the battery 20 is in contact with the receiving surface 55a of the grip portion 55 but also the rear end portion 20a in the rotation direction of the battery 20 Although it is closer to the receiving surface 55a of the gripping portion 55 than the front end portion 20b in the rotational direction, it includes a state slightly separated from the receiving surface 55a of the gripping portion 55.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the rotation direction front end of the battery 20 in a state where the rotation direction rear end 20a of the battery 20 is locked to the receiving surface 55a of the gripping part 55 by the rotation of the gripping jig 52. The portion 20b contacts the receiving member 91. Thereby, the front end 20b in the rotational direction of the battery 20 is forcibly pressed toward the gripping jig 52 by the biasing force (elastic force) of the coil spring 92. Here, the elastic coefficient of the coil spring 92 is such that the biasing force received by the coil spring 92 at the front end 20b in the rotational direction of the battery 20 is approximately the same as the pressing force received by the pressing mechanism 53a of the battery supply magazine 53. The length of the coil spring 92 and the position of the receiving member 91 are set.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 11C, the gripping surface 22 of the battery 20 is in a state of facing the receiving surface 55 a of the gripping portion 55 in a planar manner, and the gripping jig 52 securely grips the battery 20. be able to. At this time, since the coil spring 92 contracts and the receiving member 91 escapes, the rotating operation of the gripping jig 52 is not hindered. Thus, the posture correction mechanism 90 can correct the posture of the battery 20 when the rotation angle φ (see FIG. 10) of the rotary arm 51 is 30 degrees or less.

  According to the present embodiment, the gripping jig 52 can reliably grip the battery 20 while correcting the posture of the battery 20 pushed out from the battery supply magazine 53 by a small rotation (for example, 20 degrees) of the rotary arm 51. . For this reason, one set of the rotary arm 51 and the gripping jig 52 is increased to four or more, for example, and the number of the batteries 20 gripped by the gripping jig 52 in one rotation of the rotary arm 51 is greatly increased. Can do. Further, it is not necessary to temporarily stop the rotation of the rotary arm 51 and the holding jig 52. Therefore, the battery assembling apparatus 40 can assemble the battery 20 and the frame body 30 with high accuracy and can improve productivity.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a view showing a posture correction mechanism 90A of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the posture correction mechanism 90 </ b> A includes a receiving member 91 that extends in a planar shape and a leaf spring 93 that supports the receiving member 91. The receiving member 91 is the same as the receiving member 91 of the first embodiment. The leaf spring 93 is a thin spring steel of about 1 mm, and is formed in a U shape. One end of the leaf spring 93 is connected to the receiving member 91, and the other end of the leaf spring 93 is connected to a fixed member (not shown). The other configuration of the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Here, before describing the operational effects of the second embodiment, the advantages and disadvantages of the posture correction mechanism 90 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, in the first embodiment, when the rotation direction front end 20 b of the battery 20 contacts the receiving member 91, the coil spring 92 is greatly contracted in a direction perpendicular to the planar direction of the receiving member 91. For this reason, there is a merit that the receiving member 91 hardly obstructs the rotation operation of the gripping jig 52.

  However, since the coil spring 92 easily moves in the plane direction of the receiving member 91, the moving direction is difficult to be stabilized. That is, the coil spring 92 lacks stability because of a large degree of freedom in the moving direction. For this reason, depending on how the receiving member 91 and the front end portion 20b of the battery 20 rotate, the receiving member 91 moves to the opposite side to the rotating direction of the battery 20 (right side in FIG. 13). There is a demerit that it may not be able to correct accurately.

  On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the leaf spring 93 supports the receiving member 91 in a planar manner, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The leaf spring 93 is difficult to move in the plane direction of the receiving member 91. That is, the moving direction of the leaf spring 93 is almost only the direction substantially orthogonal to the planar direction of the receiving member 91. Therefore, it is easy to control the urging force when the front end 20b in the rotation direction of the battery 20 contacts the receiving member 91, and it is easy to correct the posture of the battery 20 accurately. Since the leaf spring 93 is difficult to move in a direction perpendicular to the planar direction of the receiving member 91, when the leaf spring 93 is used, the gripping treatment in which the receiving member 91 rotates as compared with the case where the coil spring 92 is used is used. Difficult to escape from ingredient 52.

Although the battery assembling apparatus 40 according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in each embodiment, two sets of the rotary arm 51 and the gripping jig 52 are provided (see FIG. 4), but the number of the rotary arm 51 and the gripping jig 52 can be changed as appropriate. Three or more sets of 51 and gripping jigs 52 may be provided.
In each embodiment, the battery rotating unit 50 rotates the battery 20 counterclockwise around the first circle C1, and the frame rotating unit 60 rotates the frame 30 clockwise around the second circle C2. (See FIG. 4), the battery rotating means 50 rotates the battery 20 clockwise around the first circle C1, and the frame rotating means 60 rotates the frame 30 counterclockwise around the second circle C2. Also good.
In each embodiment, the shape, size, and arrangement of the receiving member 91, the coil spring 92, and the leaf spring 93 of the posture correction mechanisms 90, 90A can be changed as appropriate. The configuration of the posture correction mechanism is not limited to the configuration having the receiving member 91 and the coil spring 92 or the leaf spring 93, and can be changed as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery pack 10 Battery 20 with a frame Battery 20a Rotation direction rear end 20b Rotation direction front end 30 Frame 40 Battery assembly device 50 Battery rotating means 51 Rotating arm 52 Grasping jig 53 Battery supply magazine 55 Grasping part 60 Frame body rotation Means 61 Rotating arm 62 Grip jig 70 Drive mechanism 80 Conveyor 90 Posture correction mechanism 91 Receiving member 92 Coil spring 93 Leaf spring

Claims (3)

Battery rotating means for rotating the battery around the first circle while holding the battery;
Frame body rotating means for rotating the frame body around the second circle in a state of gripping the frame body assembled to the battery,
In the battery assembly apparatus for assembling the battery and the frame when the rotating battery and the rotating frame are opposed to each other,
The battery rotating means includes
A rotating arm extending in a radial direction from the rotation center of the first circle and rotating about a radially inner end portion;
A gripping jig that is swingably attached to the radially outer end of the rotating arm and is attached to the rotating arm so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle to grip the battery;
A battery supply unit that pushes out the battery toward the gripping jig when the rotating gripping jig approaches,
When the battery is pushed out from the battery supply unit toward the rotating gripping jig and one end in the rotation direction of the battery is locked to the gripping jig, the other end in the rotation direction of the battery A battery assembling apparatus, wherein a posture correcting mechanism for correcting the posture of the battery by pressing toward the gripping jig by elastic force is provided. The battery assembly apparatus according to claim 1,
The posture correction mechanism, possess a leaf spring, and a receiving member extending in the plate is supported by the surface at one end of the spring-like plane,
The battery assembling apparatus , wherein the receiving member is disposed so as to be in contact with the other end portion in the rotation direction of the battery. The battery assembly apparatus according to claim 1,
The posture correction mechanism, possess a coil spring, and a receiving member extending in a planar shape perpendicular to the stretching direction of the coil and the coil spring connected to one end of the spring,
The battery assembling apparatus , wherein the receiving member is disposed so as to be in contact with the other end portion in the rotation direction of the battery.

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