BATTERIES TESTING AND SORTING SYSTEM AND THE METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130175206A1
• Filed: 11/08/2010
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology Limited (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, George, Li, Mao, Nidamarthi, Srinivas, Wang, Tuanwei, Srivastava, Ashutosh
• Granted Patent: US 8,912,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/575
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/344 according to electric or electromagnetic properties sorting according to size measured electrically or electronically B07C5/08; material testing by magnetic means G01N24/00, G01N27/00, by electrical means G01N27/00; electrical measuring devices in general G01R; coin testing G07D5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A system includes a robot, comprising a manipulator and a controller, with a gripper mounted on the manipulator, for picking the battery for testing and sorting, a battery holding section for receiving batteries for testing and sorting at predetermined locations in the battery holding section, and a testing section disposed within the working range of the robot, for testing an electrical condition of the battery for testing and sorting, whereby the controller controls the manipulator and the gripper to first-pick the battery for testing and sorting at the predetermined location from the battery holding section and place it to contact the testing section for testing, the testing section tests the battery and sends to the controller a signal indicating the electrical condition of the tested battery, and the controller controls the manipulator and the gripper to second-pick the battery contacting the testing section and sort it according to the signal.

Claims

1. A system for testing and sorting batteries, comprising:

an industrial robot, comprising a manipulator and a controller, with a gripper mounted on the manipulator that picks a battery for testing and sorting;

a first battery holding section disposed within a working range of the industrial robot that receives batteries for testing and sorting at predetermined locations in the first battery holding section; and

a testing section disposed within the working range of the industrial robot, that tests an electrical condition of the battery for testing and sorting;

whereby;

the controller controls the manipulator and the gripper to first-pick the battery for testing and sorting at the predetermined location from the first battery holding section and place it to contact the testing section for testing;

the testing section tests the battery and sends to the controller a signal indicating the electrical condition of the tested battery; and

the controller controls the manipulator and the gripper to second-pick the battery contacting the testing section and sort it according to the signal.

2. The system for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 1, wherein:

the gripper is mounted on a mounting flange of the manipulator;

the gripper comprises;

a gripper body, being mounted on the mounting flange of the industrial robot;

a first jaw and a second jaw, being arranged to extend from the gripper body,

the first jaw being adapted for the first-pick of the battery for testing and placing it to contact the testing section for testing and the second jaw being adapted for the second-pick of the battery for sorting;

whereby;

the placing of a next battery for testing immediately follows the second-pick of the current battery for sorting.

3. The system for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 2, whereby:

the first-pick of the current battery for testing precedes the placing of the current battery for testing; and

sorting the current battery according to the signal follows the second-pick of the current battery for sorting.

4. The system for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 1, wherein:

the industrial robot further comprising;

a teach pedant, being adapted for communication with user for setting parameters for sorting.

5. The system for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of second battery holding sections, being disposed with the working range of the industrial robot, for receiving the sorted batteries for different classifications.

6. A method for testing and sorting batteries received at a first predetermined location in a first battery holding section by an industrial robot and a testing section, the industrial robot comprising a manipulator and a controller, wherein a gripper is mounted on the manipulator for picking the battery for testing and sorting and both of the first battery holding section and the testing section are disposed within a working range of the industrial robot, comprising:

(a) the controller controlling the manipulator and the gripper to first-pick the battery for testing and sorting at the predetermined location from the first battery holding section and place it to contact the testing section for testing;

(b) the testing section testing the battery and sending to the controller a signal indicating the electrical condition of the tested battery; and

(c) the controller controlling the manipulator and the gripper to second-pick the battery contacting the testing section and sort it according to the signal.

7. The method for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 6,

wherein:

the gripper is mounted on a mounting flange of the manipulator;

the gripper comprises;

a gripper body, being mounted on the mounting flange of the industrial robot; and

a first jaw and a second jaw, being arranged to extend from the gripper body, the first jaw being adapted for the first-pick of the battery and placing it to contact the testing section for testing and the second jaw being adapted for the second-pick of the battery for sorting;

whereby;

the placing of a next battery for testing immediately follows the second-pick of the current battery for sorting.

8. The method for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 7, whereby:

the first-pick of the current battery for testing precedes the placing of the current battery for testing; and

sorting the current battery according to the signal follows the second-pick of the current battery for sorting.

9. The method for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 6, wherein the industrial robot further comprising:

a teach pedant, being adapted for communication with user for setting parameters for sorting.

10. The method for testing and sorting batteries according to claim 6, further comprising step (d) following step (c):

(d) the controller controlling the manipulator and the gripper to place the tested battery into one of a plurality of second battery keeping sections disposed with the working range of the industrial robot.

11. A system for testing and sorting batteries, comprising:

an industrial robot, comprising a manipulator and a controller, with a gripper mounted on the manipulator that picks the battery for testing and sorting;

a first battery holding section disposed within a working range of the industrial robot that receives batteries for testing and sorting at predetermined locations in the first battery holding section; and

a testing section, integrated with the gripper, that tests an electrical condition of the battery for testing and sorting;

whereby;

the controller controls the manipulator and the gripper to pick the battery for testing and sorting at the predetermined location from the first battery holding section;

the testing section that tests the battery and send to the controller a signal indicating the electrical condition of the tested battery when the gripper picks the battery; and

the controller controls the manipulator and the gripper sorts the tested battery according to the signal.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of second battery holding sections, being disposed with the working range of the industrial robot, for receiving the sorted batteries for different classifications.

13. A method for testing and sorting batteries received at a first predetermined location in a first battery holding section by an industrial robot and a testing section, the industrial robot comprising a manipulator and a controller, wherein a gripper is mounted on the manipulator for picking the battery for testing and sorting, the first battery holding section is disposed within a working range of the industrial robot, and the testing section is integrated with the gripper;

comprising;

(a) the controller controlling the manipulator and the gripper to pick the battery for testing and sorting at the predetermined location from the first battery holding section, and the testing section testing the battery picked by the gripper and sending to the controller a signal indicating the electrical condition of the tested battery; and

(b) the controller controlling the manipulator and the gripper to sort the tested batteries according to the signal.

14. The method according to 13, further comprising step (d) following step (c):

(c) the controller controlling the manipulator and the gripper to place the sorted battery into one of a plurality of second battery keeping sections disposed with the working range of the industrial robot.