Application case sharing | 3D vision-guided automated unstacking of automotive lead-acid batteries

In the automotive manufacturing and related supporting industry chain, lead-acid batteries, as one of the key components, require extremely high efficiency and precision in their production and processing.  Traditional lead-acid battery unstacking operations often rely on manual labor, which not only results in low efficiency but also poses safety hazards.

Project Background

A large-scale battery enterprise has introduced Fuwei Intelligent's 3D vision-guided robot in the key process of acid injection for its automotive lead-acid batteries. This not only significantly enhances the automation level of the lead-acid battery production process but also greatly improves production efficiency while ensuring production safety.  Fuwei Intelligent's 3D vision-guided robot technology, characterized by its precision and efficiency, provides strong technical support for the safe and efficient production of lead-acid batteries, driving the enterprise's transformation and upgrading towards intelligent manufacturing.

Customer pain points:

The customer pain points during the unstacking process of lead-acid batteries are mainly manifested in the following aspects:

1. Lead-acid batteries are heavy, typically weighing between 15-30kg. Manual unstacking is not only labor-intensive but also inefficient, making it difficult to meet the order demands of large-scale production.

2 Lead-acid batteries contain harmful substances such as lead and sulfuric acid. Long-term manual dismantling operations pose a threat to the health of operators and carry health risks.

3. The downstream process requires injecting acid solution into the battery casing, which carries a high risk factor. This necessitates the efficiency and stability of the upstream unstacking process as a safeguard.

4. During manual handling of lead-acid batteries, there may be knocks that damage the battery's sealing performance, leading to leakage during use. This not only affects the battery's performance but may also pose safety hazards.

Solution:

The entire stack of lead-acid batteries is transported in place by a conveyor line and sends a signal to the robot and vision system.  Upon receiving the signal, the robot triggers the 3D camera to take a photo, and the vision system processes the captured image to obtain information about the type, size, and pose of the lead-acid battery.  Based on the information provided by the vision system, the robot automatically plans the grasping path and placement location, accurately grasps the lead-acid battery, and places it in the designated position.  The system repeats the above cycle until the entire stack is disassembled.

Technical advantages

Fuwei Intelligent's 3D vision technology provides strong technical support for automated unstacking systems with its precise spatial positioning capability and powerful data processing ability.  Through high-precision cameras and sensors, the system can acquire real-time 3D image information of lead-acid battery stacks, thereby identifying the precise position and orientation of each battery.  Based on this information, the system can automatically plan the optimal unstacking path and grasping method, ensuring accurate and error-free completion of each operation.

In the process of automated unstacking, facing stacks of lead-acid batteries with different specifications and layouts, the Fuwei Intelligent 3D Vision System can automatically adjust parameters and strategies to ensure the smooth progress of the unstacking operation.  At the same time, the system can also monitor the working environment in real time to avoid recognition errors caused by factors such as changes in lighting and obstruction, ensuring the stability and reliability of the unstacking operation.

In summary, the 3D vision-guided automated unstacking system for automotive lead-acid batteries represents a significant innovation in the field of intelligent manufacturing. Characterized by its precision, efficiency, and intelligence, it injects new momentum into the development of the automotive manufacturing and related industrial chains.