US 12,078,681 B2
Battery inspection system
Masaaki Maeda, Inuyama (JP)
Assigned to Murata Machinery, Ltd., Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/802,466
Filed by Murata Machinery, Ltd., Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed Nov. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/041752
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 25, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/171709, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 2, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-030581 (JP), filed on Feb. 26, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0140040 A1, May 4, 2023
Int. Cl. G01R 31/36 (2020.01); B65G 1/137 (2006.01); B65G 57/32 (2006.01); B65G 59/12 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 31/36 (2013.01) [B65G 1/1371 (2013.01); B65G 57/32 (2013.01); B65G 59/12 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A battery inspection system for inspecting batteries, comprising:
an inspection device configured to be able to inspect a plurality of batteries simultaneously;
a storage device including a plurality of shelves configured to store the batteries that have been inspected by the inspection device;
a take-in conveyor configured to take the batteries into the battery inspection system from outside;
a take-out conveyor configured to take the batteries out of the battery inspection system;
a conveying device configured to convey the batteries between the take-in conveyor and the inspection device, between the inspection device and the storage device, and between the storage device and the take-out conveyor;
a controller configured to control the battery inspection system, wherein
the controller performs:
group control of managing a predetermined number of the batteries taken in by the take-in conveyor as a same group;
inspection control of controlling the conveying device to bring the batteries taken in by the take-in conveyor into the inspection device that is not performing inspection, and also controlling the conveying device to retrieve the batteries that have been inspected from the inspection device; and
storage control of controlling the conveying device to store at least some of the batteries retrieved from the inspection device into the storage device, and also controlling the conveying device to continuously deliver a set of batteries of the same group from the inspection device or the storage device to the take-out conveyor; and
a stacking device provided midway on a path of the take-out conveyor and configured to stack the batteries to form an outgoing stack, wherein the controller performs stacking control of controlling the stacking device to form the outgoing stack with a set of batteries of the same group.