阅读说明：本技术 一种基于视觉检测的软包锂电芯聚合物外壳塑形装置 (Soft packet of moulding device of lithium cell polymer shell based on visual detection ) 是由 桑成涛 刘彦兵 朱一虎 于 2021-07-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种基于视觉检测的软包锂电芯聚合物外壳塑形装置,塑形装置的机械结构设置在金属框架的内部,所述金属框架的内部下方左右两侧对称固定有限位架；所述金属框架的下端转动安装有底部丝杆,且所述底部丝杆的外部安装有底部螺纹环；包括：2个侧边丝杆,其对称转动安装在所述金属框架的内部左右两侧,所述侧边丝杆的外部设置有侧边螺纹架；定位杆,其设置在所述侧边螺纹架的下方,并且所述侧边螺纹架的内部贯穿设置有纵向滑杆。该基于视觉检测的软包锂电芯聚合物外壳塑形装置,采用新型的结构设计,使得本装置可以在加工后完成对聚合物外壳的脱模处理,同时该装置中设置有视觉质量检测结构,增加装置的加工工艺。(The invention discloses a soft-package lithium battery core polymer shell shaping device based on visual detection, wherein a mechanical structure of the shaping device is arranged in a metal frame, and limiting frames are symmetrically fixed on the left side and the right side below the inner part of the metal frame; a bottom screw rod is rotatably arranged at the lower end of the metal frame, and a bottom threaded ring is arranged outside the bottom screw rod; the method comprises the following steps: the side lead screws are symmetrically and rotatably arranged on the left side and the right side of the interior of the metal frame, and side thread frames are arranged outside the side lead screws; and the positioning rod is arranged below the side thread frame, and a longitudinal sliding rod penetrates through the inside of the side thread frame. This moulding device of soft packet of lithium cell polymer shell based on visual detection adopts neotype structural design for this device can be processed the drawing of patterns of completion to the polymer shell after processing and handle, is provided with visual quality detection structure in the device simultaneously, increases the processing technology of device.)

1. A soft-package lithium battery core polymer shell shaping device based on visual detection is characterized in that a mechanical structure of the shaping device is arranged inside a metal frame, and limiting frames are symmetrically fixed on the left side and the right side of the lower portion inside the metal frame;

the lower end of the metal frame is rotatably provided with a bottom screw rod, a bottom threaded ring is arranged outside the bottom screw rod, the upper surface of the bottom threaded ring is connected with the bottom die through a fixing frame, and meanwhile, the lower end of the fixing frame is welded with a transverse sliding rod with a position adjusting effect;

it is characterized by comprising:

the side lead screws are symmetrically and rotatably arranged on the left side and the right side inside the metal frame, side thread frames are arranged outside the side lead screws, the side faces of the side thread frames are mutually connected with an installation plate through an adjusting rotating shaft, the lower surface of the installation plate is mutually connected with a top die through a lower end support frame, and an upper end support frame is fixedly arranged on the upper surface of the installation plate;

the locating rod is arranged below the side thread frame, a longitudinal sliding rod penetrates through the inside of the side thread frame, a driving cylinder is fixedly mounted at the upper end of the side thread frame, and the upper portion of the driving cylinder is connected with the longitudinal sliding rod through a locating block.

2. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 1, wherein: the die block level is provided with 2 about the correspondence, just the die block pass through mount and horizontal slide bar with the spacing constitutes lateral sliding structure, and the mount lower extreme pass through bottom screw thread ring with the bottom lead screw constitutes the screw thread transmission structure.

3. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 1, wherein: the mounting panel through adjust the pivot with the side screw thread frame constitutes revolution mechanic, the side screw thread frame with the side lead screw constitutes screw thread transmission structure.

4. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 1, wherein: the inboard of upper end support frame still is provided with built-in slide bar and visual detection camera:

the built-in sliding rods are symmetrically and fixedly arranged on the left side and the right side inside the upper end supporting frame, and a top screw rod is rotatably arranged inside the upper end supporting frame;

and the visual inspection camera is arranged outside the top screw rod, and a sliding ring is fixedly arranged at the lower end of the visual inspection camera.

5. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 1, wherein: the inside and outside side of locating lever still is provided with metal square bar, slant slide bar and side cylinder:

the metal square rod is fixedly welded at the lower end of the side threaded rack, the metal square rod penetrates through the positioning rod, a bent plate is fixedly installed at the lower end of the positioning rod, and a retaining ring for limiting is fixedly installed on the front side surface of the bent plate;

the oblique sliding rod penetrates through the interior of the retaining ring, and a clamping frame is fixedly welded on the side face of the oblique sliding rod;

the side cylinder, its fixed connection be in the lateral surface of locating lever, the stationary blade is installed to the lower extreme of side cylinder, simultaneously the stationary blade pass through the push rod with slant slide bar interconnect.

6. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 4, wherein: the vision detection camera and the sliding ring are fixed into an integrated structure, the vision detection camera and the top screw rod form a threaded transmission structure, and the sliding ring and the built-in sliding rod form a left-right sliding structure.

7. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 5, wherein: the locating rod passes through the metal square bar with the side thread frame constitutes elevation structure, just the locating rod passes through vertical slide bar with vertical slide bar constitutes upper and lower sliding structure.

8. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 5, wherein: one end of the push rod and the fixed plate form a rotating structure, the other end of the push rod and the oblique sliding rod form a rotating structure, the oblique sliding rod and the bent plate form an oblique sliding structure through a retaining ring, and meanwhile, 2 groups of the oblique sliding rod and the clamping frame are arranged on the outer side of the top die in a bilateral symmetry mode.

9. The device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-packaged lithium battery core based on the visual inspection according to claim 8, wherein: the top die is correspondingly arranged at the right upper end of the bottom die, and the top die moves downwards and correspondingly is clamped inside the bottom die on the left side and the right side.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of lithium battery core processing, in particular to a soft package lithium battery core polymer shell shaping device based on visual detection.

Background

The lithium battery core is the important component part of lithium cell, and different lithium battery cores are by the preparation of different materials, and the polymer shell is a polymeric material, and its sealed insulating nature is better, uses to possess certain excellence, adopts moulding device to accomplish the press-fit molding of polymerization panel according to the big or small shape of lithium cell, and processing is quick, but moulding device still has some problems in the in-process of production and processing.

Lithium cell polymer shell is not convenient for carry out the drawing of patterns after moulding processing and handles, because the wall thickness of polymer shell is thinner, its gomphosis is comparatively difficult at the inside drawing of patterns of moulding device, and the quality of polymer embryo piece directly influences the shaping effect of lithium cell polymer shell, but polymer shell surface quality after the processing is observed through the staff and is detected the effect limitedly, moulding device can only play moulding processing's effect and can not play the effect that the quality detected, the polymer shell of production is detected comparatively loaded down with trivial details to the corresponding check out test set of later stage rethread, be unfavorable for fast production.

Therefore, a device for molding the polymer shell of the soft-package lithium battery core based on visual detection needs to be designed for solving the problems.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a soft-package lithium battery core polymer shell shaping device based on visual detection, and aims to solve the problems that the lithium battery core polymer shell is inconvenient to demould after shaping processing, demoulding is difficult to achieve due to the fact that the wall thickness of the polymer shell is thin, the polymer shell is embedded in the shaping device, demoulding is difficult, the quality of a polymer blank directly influences the forming effect of the lithium battery core polymer shell, but the detection effect of the surface quality of the processed polymer shell is limited when a worker observes, the shaping device only can play a role in shaping processing but cannot play a role in quality detection, and the produced polymer shell is complex to detect through corresponding detection equipment in the later stage, so that rapid production is not facilitated.

In order to achieve the purpose, the invention provides the following technical scheme: a soft-package lithium battery core polymer shell shaping device based on visual detection is characterized in that a mechanical structure of the shaping device is arranged inside a metal frame, and limiting frames are symmetrically fixed on the left side and the right side of the lower portion inside the metal frame;

the lower end of the metal frame is rotatably provided with a bottom screw rod, a bottom threaded ring is arranged outside the bottom screw rod, the upper surface of the bottom threaded ring is connected with the bottom die through a fixing frame, and meanwhile, the lower end of the fixing frame is welded with a transverse sliding rod with a position adjusting effect;

a soft packet of lithium cell polymer shell moulding device based on visual inspection includes:

the side lead screws are symmetrically and rotatably arranged on the left side and the right side inside the metal frame, side thread frames are arranged outside the side lead screws, the side faces of the side thread frames are mutually connected with an installation plate through an adjusting rotating shaft, the lower surface of the installation plate is mutually connected with a top die through a lower end support frame, and an upper end support frame is fixedly arranged on the upper surface of the installation plate;

the locating rod is arranged below the side thread frame, a longitudinal sliding rod penetrates through the inside of the side thread frame, a driving cylinder is fixedly mounted at the upper end of the side thread frame, and the upper portion of the driving cylinder is connected with the longitudinal sliding rod through a locating block.

Preferably, the die block level is provided with 2 about the correspondence, just the die block pass through mount and horizontal slide bar with spacing frame constitutes the lateral sliding structure, and the mount lower extreme pass through the bottom screw thread ring with the bottom lead screw constitutes the screw transmission structure, and operation motor control bottom lead screw rotates, makes the bottom screw thread ring remove about (the screw of bottom lead screw left and right sides is revolved to opposite) under the control action of screw transmission structure to drive the die block of upper end respectively to the lateral shifting.

Preferably, the mounting panel through adjust the pivot with side screw thread frame becomes the revolution mechanic, side screw thread frame with the side lead screw constitutes the screw transmission structure, and the operation motor passes through the side lead screw rotation of belt transmission structure control both sides, can drive the side screw thread frame and correspond the removal from top to bottom under the control action of screw transmission structure.

Preferably, the inboard of upper end support frame still is provided with built-in slide bar and visual inspection camera:

the built-in sliding rods are symmetrically and fixedly arranged on the left side and the right side inside the upper end supporting frame, and a top screw rod is rotatably arranged inside the upper end supporting frame;

and the visual inspection camera is arranged outside the top screw rod, and a sliding ring is fixedly arranged at the lower end of the visual inspection camera.

Preferably, the inside and outside of locating lever still is provided with metal square bar, slant slide bar and side cylinder:

the metal square rod is fixedly welded at the lower end of the side threaded rack, the metal square rod penetrates through the positioning rod, a bent plate is fixedly installed at the lower end of the positioning rod, and a retaining ring for limiting is fixedly installed on the front side surface of the bent plate;

the oblique sliding rod penetrates through the interior of the retaining ring, and a clamping frame is fixedly welded on the side face of the oblique sliding rod;

the side cylinder, its fixed connection be in the lateral surface of locating lever, the stationary blade is installed to the lower extreme of side cylinder, simultaneously the stationary blade pass through the push rod with slant slide bar interconnect.

Preferably, the vision detection camera and the sliding ring are fixed to form an integrated structure, the vision detection camera and the top screw rod form a thread transmission structure, the sliding ring and the built-in sliding rod form a left-right sliding structure, the thread turning directions of the top screw rods on the two sides are opposite, the rotation of the top screw rods is controlled, so that the vision detection cameras on the two sides can move relatively, and the quality detection range of the vision detection camera is expanded.

Preferably, the positioning rod forms a lifting structure through the metal square rod and the side threaded frame, forms a vertical sliding structure through the longitudinal sliding rod and the longitudinal sliding rod, controls the driving cylinder to operate to drive the positioning block to move up and down, and controls the positioning block to move up and down through the longitudinal sliding rod, so that the corresponding height position of the clamping frame is adjusted.

Preferably, one end of the push rod and the fixed plate form a rotating structure, the other end of the push rod and the oblique sliding rod form a rotating structure, the oblique sliding rod and the bent plate form an oblique sliding structure through a retaining ring, meanwhile, 2 groups of the oblique sliding rod and the clamping frame are arranged on the outer side of the top die in a bilateral symmetry mode, the operation side cylinder pushes the fixed plate to move up and down, the two ends of the push rod are enabled to rotate, the push rod pushes the oblique sliding rod to slide towards the side face, and the clamping frame is controlled to move towards the side face.

Preferably, the top mould corresponds the setting at the positive upper end of die block, the top mould moves down and corresponds the block setting inside the die block of the left and right sides, and operation motor control adjusts the pivot and rotates, can control lower extreme support frame and upper end support frame and rotate the transposition to be convenient for carry out moulding and visual detection technology respectively through the device.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: the soft-package lithium battery core polymer shell molding device based on visual detection adopts a novel structural design, so that the device can conveniently complete mechanical demolding treatment of a polymer shell after molding processing, and can complete a polymer shell surface visual detection process after demolding treatment, thereby increasing the use function of the device;

1. placing a polymer blank on a bottom die, embedding the blank in the bottom die through the pressing action of a top die to complete the shaping processing of the bottom die, operating a motor to control a bottom screw rod to rotate after the processing, respectively moving the bottom die on the left side and the bottom die on the right side to two sides under the control action of a thread transmission structure, and mutually separating the inner side wall of the bottom die from the outer side wall of a polymer shell to realize the quick mechanical demoulding processing of the polymer shell;

2. after the drawing of patterns is handled, through adjusting the corresponding position of pivot exchange upper end support frame and lower extreme support frame, make visual detection camera lens to setting up the upper end at the polymer shell, and move to the side through transmission structure control slant slide bar, slant slide promotes the holding frame and moves to the side, the holding frame centre gripping is injectd in the left and right sides of polymer shell, the locating lever rebound of controlling again, the locating lever drives the synchronous rebound of polymer shell that holding frame and centre gripping were injectd, make the polymer shell setting in the comparatively clear detection range of visual detection camera, control visual detection camera horizontal reciprocating motion, carry out quality testing to polymer shell surface, simplify the holistic processing technology of lithium cell polymer shell.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a sliding accommodation structure of the oblique sliding rod according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the sliding and unfolding structure of the oblique sliding rod according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the holder of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the front structure of the vision inspection camera of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of a bottom mold according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic bottom view of the top mold of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic bottom view of the spacing frame of the present invention.

In the figure: 1. a metal frame; 2. a limiting frame; 3. a bottom screw rod; 4. a bottom threaded ring; 5. a fixed mount; 6. bottom die; 7. a transverse sliding bar; 8. a side lead screw; 9. a side thread frame; 10. adjusting the rotating shaft; 11. mounting a plate; 12. a lower end support frame; 13. carrying out top die; 14. an upper end support frame; 15. positioning a rod; 151. a metal square bar; 152. bending a plate; 153. a retaining ring; 154. an oblique sliding rod; 155. a clamping frame; 156. a side cylinder; 157. a fixing sheet; 158. a push rod; 16. a longitudinal slide bar; 17. a driving cylinder; 18. positioning blocks; 19. a sliding rod is arranged inside; 20. a top lead screw; 21. a visual inspection camera; 22. and a slip ring.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1-8, the present invention provides a technical solution: a soft-package lithium battery core polymer shell shaping device based on visual detection is characterized in that a mechanical structure of the shaping device is arranged inside a metal frame 1, and limiting frames 2 are symmetrically fixed on the left side and the right side of the lower portion inside the metal frame 1;

the lower end of the metal frame 1 is rotatably provided with a bottom screw rod 3, a bottom threaded ring 4 is arranged outside the bottom screw rod 3, the upper surface of the bottom threaded ring 4 is connected with a bottom die 6 through a fixed frame 5, and the lower end of the fixed frame 5 is welded with a transverse sliding rod 7 with a position adjusting function;

a soft packet of lithium cell polymer shell moulding device based on visual inspection includes:

2 side lead screws 8 are symmetrically and rotatably arranged on the left side and the right side of the inside of the metal frame 1, side thread frames 9 are arranged on the outer portions of the side lead screws 8, the side faces of the side thread frames 9 are mutually connected with an installation plate 11 through an adjusting rotating shaft 10, the lower surface of the installation plate 11 is mutually connected with a top die 13 through a lower end support frame 12, and an upper end support frame 14 is fixedly arranged on the upper surface of the installation plate 11;

the positioning rod 15 is arranged below the side threaded frame 9, a longitudinal sliding rod 16 penetrates through the side threaded frame 9, a driving cylinder 17 is fixedly mounted at the upper end of the side threaded frame 9, and the upper portion of the driving cylinder 17 is connected with the longitudinal sliding rod 16 through a positioning block 18.

In the embodiment, 2 bottom dies 6 are horizontally and correspondingly arranged at the left and the right, the bottom dies 6 form a transverse sliding structure with the limiting frame 2 through a fixed frame 5 and a transverse sliding rod 7, and the lower ends of the fixed frame 5 form a thread transmission structure with a bottom screw rod 3 through a bottom thread ring 4; the top mold 13 is correspondingly arranged at the right upper end of the bottom mold 6, and the top mold 13 moves downwards to be correspondingly clamped inside the bottom mold 6 arranged at the left side and the right side.

Place the polymer embryo spare on die block 6, the die block 6 of the left and right sides is in and presses close to the closure state, the belt transmission structure circulation of the motor control lower extreme of the 1 upper end intermediate position of operation metal framework rotates, the side lead screw 8 of belt transmission structure control both sides corresponds the rotation, make side screw frame 9 downstream under the control action of screw transmission structure, the top mould 13 downstream of the inboard installation of side screw frame 9 control, make top mould 13 correspond to polymer embryo spare upper end, and realize moulding with the inside of polymer embryo spare pressfitting to die block 6, form the polymer shell, control top mould 13 reverse upward movement after the processing.

The mounting plate 11 and the side thread frame 9 form a rotating structure through the adjusting rotating shaft 10, and the side thread frame 9 and the side lead screw 8 form a thread transmission structure; the inner side of the upper end support frame 14 is also provided with a built-in slide bar 19 and a visual inspection camera 21: the built-in sliding rods 19 are symmetrically and fixedly arranged at the left side and the right side inside the upper end supporting frame 14, and a top screw rod 20 is rotatably arranged inside the upper end supporting frame 14; a visual inspection camera 21 installed outside the top screw rod 20, and a slip ring 22 is fixedly provided at the lower end of the visual inspection camera 21; the vision inspection camera 21 and the sliding ring 22 are fixed to form an integrated structure, the vision inspection camera 21 and the top screw rod 20 form a thread transmission structure, and the sliding ring 22 and the built-in sliding rod 19 form a left-right sliding structure.

The inner side and the outer side of the positioning rod 15 are also provided with a metal square rod 151, an oblique sliding rod 154 and a side cylinder 156: the metal square rod 151 is fixedly welded at the lower end of the side threaded frame 9, the metal square rod 151 penetrates through the positioning rod 15, the lower end of the positioning rod 15 is fixedly provided with a bent plate 152, and the front side surface of the bent plate 152 is fixedly provided with a retaining ring 153 for limiting; an oblique sliding rod 154 penetrating the inside of the retaining ring 153, and a clamping frame 155 welded and fixed to a side surface of the oblique sliding rod 154; a side cylinder 156 fixedly connected to the outer side surface of the positioning rod 15, wherein a fixing piece 157 is installed at the lower end of the side cylinder 156, and the fixing piece 157 is connected with the oblique sliding rod 154 through a push rod 158; the positioning rod 15 and the side thread frame 9 form a lifting structure through a metal square rod 151, and the positioning rod 15 and the longitudinal sliding rod 16 form an up-and-down sliding structure through the longitudinal sliding rod 16; one end of the push rod 158 and the fixing plate 157 form a rotating structure, the other end of the push rod 158 and the oblique sliding rod 154 form a rotating structure, the oblique sliding rod 154 and the bent plate 152 form an oblique sliding structure through the retaining ring 153, and the oblique sliding rod 154 and the clamping frame 155 are arranged in 2 groups in bilateral symmetry on the outer side of the top mold 13.

Firstly, a bottom motor is operated to control a bottom screw rod 3 to rotate, bottom threaded rings 4 are enabled to move towards two sides respectively under the action of a threaded transmission structure of the bottom screw rod 3, the bottom threaded rings 4 control a transverse sliding rod 7 to slide towards the side surface in a limiting frame 2 through a fixing frame 5, bottom dies 6 on the left side and the right side are enabled to move towards two sides respectively, the outer side surface of a polymer shell pressed in the bottom dies 6 is separated from the inner side surface of the bottom dies 6, preliminary die stripping is realized, then a driving cylinder 17 is operated to control a positioning block 18 to move downwards, the positioning block 18 pushes a positioning rod 15 to move downwards through a longitudinal sliding rod 16, a clamping frame 155 at the lower end controlled by the positioning rod 15 is positioned above the bottom dies 6, a side cylinder 156 is controlled to operate to push a fixing plate 157 to move downwards, at the two ends of a push rod 158 push the lower end to push a slant sliding rod 154 to slide downwards in an oblique direction, so that the clamping frame 155 enters the inside of the bottom dies 6, the clamping frame 155 clamps and limits two ends of the molded polymer shell, the driving cylinder 17 is operated to control the positioning block 18 to move upwards, the clamping frame 155 and the polymer shell limited in the clamping frame can be controlled to move upwards through transmission structures such as the longitudinal sliding rod 16 and the positioning rod 15, and demoulding processing of the polymer shell is completed; the demolded polymer shell is separated from the bottom die 6, at the moment, the motor on the inner side of the operation side thread frame 9 controls the rotation of the adjusting rotating shaft 10, the adjusting rotating shaft 10 controls the rotation transposition of the upper end support frame 14 and the lower end support frame 12, so that the upper end support frame 14 is positioned below the mounting plate 11, the visual inspection camera 21 is positioned at the right upper end of the polymer shell, the motor on the side surface of the upper end support frame 14 is operated to control the top screw rod 20 to rotate, under the action of the thread transmission structure of the top screw rod 20, the vision detecting cameras 21 transversely slide outside the built-in slide rod 19 through the slide ring 22, the vision detecting cameras 21 on the two sides respectively transversely move (the thread turning directions of the left side and the right side of the top screw rod 20 are opposite, the vision detecting cameras 21 on the left side and the right side can be controlled to relatively move), the processing quality of the polymer shell is observed through a visual inspection machine, and the production process of the polymer shell is simplified.

The working principle is as follows: when the device is used, firstly, according to the structure shown in figures 1-8, a polymer blank is placed on a bottom die 6, a side thread frame 9 controls a top die 13 to move downwards, the top die 13 presses a polymer culture medium in the bottom die 6 to complete shaping, a motor is operated to control a bottom screw rod 3 to rotate after shaping, the bottom die 6 on the left side and the bottom die 6 on the right side are controlled to move towards two sides respectively under the action of a transmission structure, demoulding treatment of a polymer shell is primarily completed, then a driving cylinder 17 and a side cylinder 156 are operated to control a clamping frame 155 to move downwards, so that the clamping frame 155 clamps and limits the polymer shell on two sides of the polymer shell, the clamped polymer shell is controlled to move upwards to complete demoulding treatment, then an upper end support frame 14 and a lower end support frame 12 are controlled to rotate alternately by adjusting a rotating shaft 10, so that a vision detection camera 21 is positioned at the upper end of the polymer shell, and the vision detection camera 21 is controlled to move transversely and reciprocally through the thread transmission structure, the visual inspection camera 21 completes the surface quality inspection of the polymer shell through visual shooting, simplifies the production process of the polymer shell, and increases the use function of the shaping device.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.