Battery cell manufacturing device, battery cell manufacturing system, and battery cell manufacturing method

Abstract

According to exemplary embodiments, a battery cell manufacturing device is provided. The battery cell manufacturing device may comprise: an image matching device, which includes a first image acquisition unit for acquiring first images of a first electrode assembly that has a tab stack of a first electrode and has, on one end portion thereof, a first electrode lead welded to the tab stack, a second image acquisition unit for acquiring a second image of a second electrode assembly that is determined to be usable through re-inspection of the first electrode assembly that is determined to be defective through inspection based on the first images, and an image matching unit, which compares the second image and the plurality of first images so as to extract a first image matched with the second image; and an ID allocation device for allocating, as an ID of the second electrode assembly, an ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image matched to the second image. In addition, a battery cell system comprising the battery cell manufacturing device is provided. The present invention also provides a battery cell manufacturing method using image matching.

Description

Battery cell manufacturing device, battery cell manufacturing system and battery cell manufacturing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery cell manufacturing device, a battery cell manufacturing system, and a battery cell manufacturing method.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0142643, filed October 24, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Battery cells are manufactured through electrode processing, assembly, and activation processes. The manufactured battery cells are then incorporated into larger units, such as battery modules and battery packs, for use in electric vehicles and other applications.

[0004] A plurality of first electrodes (e.g., cathodes) and second electrodes (e.g., anodes) manufactured through an electrode process can be notched to manufacture electrodes having electrode tabs formed at one end. Using these electrodes, unit cells such as half-cells, mono-cells, and bi-cells can be manufactured. A half-cell is a stacked electrode and a separator, a mono-cell is a stacked two electrodes of different polarities with a separator interposed therebetween, and a bi-cell is a stacked two electrodes of the same polarity and one electrode of a different polarity with a separator interposed therebetween. By stacking these unit cells, an electrode assembly called a stacked cell can be manufactured.

[0005] Alternatively, an electrode assembly called a folding cell can be manufactured by positioning a plurality of first electrodes and second electrodes within a long separator and sequentially folding the separator.

[0006] That is, the electrode assembly is an assembly of electrodes in which a plurality of first electrodes and second electrodes are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween. An electrode tab stack in which electrode tabs are stacked is provided at one end or both ends of the electrode assembly. For example, a so-called unidirectional electrode assembly in which both negative tabs and positive tabs are located at one end of the electrode assembly is provided with an electrode tab stack of negative and positive electrodes at one end. In addition, a bidirectional electrode assembly in which negative tabs and positive tabs are respectively located at both ends of the electrode assembly is provided with a negative tab stack at one end and an positive tab stack at the other end.

[0007] An ID can be assigned to the externally exposed surface of the electrode tab laminate. The ID can include various manufacturing history information, such as lot numbers, each process equipment, and production line information. Through this ID, traceability between the roll map generated during the electrode process and semi-finished products, such as monocells and bicells, can be improved. Furthermore, traceability can also be improved between the semi-finished product assembly process and subsequent processes following the assembly process. Accordingly, the reliability of battery manufacturing can be enhanced.

[0008] However, during the process of welding the electrode lead to the electrode tab laminate of the electrode assembly, the ID may be lost. In this case, semi-finished products and finished products cannot be tracked using the ID, making quality traceability impossible.

[0009] [Prior Art Literature]

[0010] [Patent Document]

[0011] (Patent Document 0001) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2023-0056291

[0012] The present invention is to secure traceability for an electrode assembly whose ID has been lost.

[0013] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, a battery cell manufacturing device is provided. The battery cell manufacturing device may include an image matching device including a first image acquisition unit for acquiring a first image of a first electrode assembly having a tab laminate of a first electrode and a first electrode lead welded to the tab laminate at one end; a second image acquisition unit for acquiring a second image of a second electrode assembly determined to be usable through a re-inspection among the first electrode assemblies determined to be defective through an inspection based on the first image; and an image matching unit for extracting a first image that matches the second image by comparing the second image with a plurality of first images; and an ID assignment device for assigning an ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image that matches the second image to an ID of the second electrode assembly.

[0014] The above ID assignment device may be a controller of a series of continuous process lines for welding electrode leads to electrodes provided in an electrode assembly, or a main control unit included in the controller.

[0015] The above ID allocation device is,

[0016] Before the image matching, a virtual ID may be assigned to the second electrode assembly, and the ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image matching the second image may be substituted for the virtual ID and assigned as the ID of the second electrode assembly.

[0017] The first image acquisition unit can acquire the first image in association with the ID of the first electrode assembly, and the second image acquisition unit can acquire the second image in association with the virtual ID of the second electrode assembly.

[0018] The image matching unit can match a first image and a second image, each of which includes at least one of the following shapes.

[0019] 1) Shape of the welding area of ​​the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode and the electrode lead

[0020] 2) Membrane wrinkle shape

[0021] 3) Overlapping shape of multiple electrode tabs included in the electrode tab laminate

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment, the present invention may provide a battery cell manufacturing system. The system may include a first electrode cutter for cutting a portion where an ID is located from an electrode tab laminate of a first electrode located at one end of an electrode assembly; a first welding device for manufacturing a first electrode assembly by welding a first electrode lead to a portion of the electrode tab laminate remaining after cutting; a first electrode inspection camera for capturing a first image of the first electrode assembly; and a battery cell manufacturing device according to claim 12.

[0023] The system may further include a second electrode cutter for cutting an electrode tab laminate of a second electrode provided in a first electrode assembly determined to be a good product by the controller and / or an electrode tab laminate of a second electrode provided in a second electrode assembly to which an ID of the first electrode assembly is assigned; a second welding device for welding a second electrode lead to a portion of the electrode tab laminate remaining after being cut by the second electrode cutter; and a second electrode inspection camera for capturing images of the first electrode assembly to which the second electrode lead is welded and the second electrode assembly to which the second electrode lead is welded.

[0024] The system may further include a loader for loading electrode assemblies having IDs on electrode tab stacks of a first electrode located at one end into the first electrode cutter; and an unloader for unloading first electrode assemblies determined to be defective by the first electrode inspection camera and electrode assemblies for which inspection has been completed by the second electrode inspection camera.

[0025] The system further includes a transport device for moving electrode assemblies between each device of the system installed between the loader and the unloader, wherein the transport device can transport a first electrode assembly determined to be defective to the unloader by bypassing the second electrode cutter and the second welding device.

[0026] The above system may further include a re-input device for re-inputting a second electrode assembly, which is determined to be usable through re-inspection among the first electrode assemblies discharged by the unloader and judged to be defective, into a series of continuous process lines.

[0027] According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for manufacturing a battery is provided. The method comprises the steps of: cutting a portion where an ID is located from an electrode tab stack of a first electrode located at an end of an electrode assembly in which a plurality of first electrodes and second electrodes are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween, and welding a first electrode lead to the cut remaining portion to manufacture a first electrode assembly; inspecting the first electrode assembly based on a first image acquired for the first electrode assembly; comparing a second image acquired for a second electrode assembly determined to be usable through a re-inspection among the first electrode assemblies determined to be defective in the inspection step with the first images of the plurality of first electrode assemblies; and assigning an ID of a first electrode assembly of the first image that matches the second image as an ID of the second electrode assembly.

[0028] The above manufacturing method further includes a step of assigning a virtual ID to the second electrode assembly, wherein the virtual ID can be associated with the second image.

[0029] The ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image matching the second image can be assigned as the ID of the second electrode assembly by replacing the virtual ID.

[0030] According to an exemplary embodiment, a first image and a second image each including at least one shape among the following can be matched by comparison.

[0031] 1) Shape of the welding area of ​​the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode and the electrode lead

[0032] 2) Membrane wrinkle shape

[0033] 3) Overlapping shape of multiple electrode tabs included in the electrode tab laminate

[0034] The first and second images can be matched by weighting at least one of the above shapes that serve as a reference for comparing the first and second images.

[0035] The above battery cell manufacturing method can be performed in a series of continuous process lines,

[0036] The first electrode assembly determined to be a good product in the above inspection step can be transferred to a welding process of the electrode tab laminate of the second electrode and the second electrode lead.

[0037] The first electrode assembly determined to be defective in the above inspection step can be discharged from the continuous process line without going through the welding process of the electrode tab laminate of the second electrode and the second electrode lead.

[0038] If the first electrode assembly that was judged to be defective and discharged is re-examined and judged to be usable, a step of judging it as a second electrode assembly to be re-introduced into the continuous process line may be further included.

[0039] The second electrode assembly may be reintroduced into the inspection step to acquire a second image, or after the second image is acquired, the second electrode assembly may be reintroduced into a step after the inspection step.

[0040] The second electrode assembly, which has been reinserted and assigned the ID of the first electrode assembly, can be transferred to a welding process of the electrode tab laminate of the second electrode and the second electrode lead.

[0041] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, traceability of electrode assemblies can be ensured even when the ID is lost in a series of continuous process lines. This can enhance the reliability of battery manufacturing.

[0042] The effects that can be obtained from the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly derived and understood by those skilled in the art to which the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure pertain from the following description. In other words, unintended effects resulting from practicing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can also be derived by those skilled in the art from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figures 1 and 2 are a side cross-sectional view and a top view of a battery cell.

[0044] Figure 3 is a drawing showing a stack cell and a folding cell.

[0045] Figure 4 shows the transport process of the electrode assembly.

[0046] Figure 5 illustrates a series of continuous process lines according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 6 illustrates a battery cell manufacturing device and a battery cell manufacturing system according to exemplary embodiments.

[0048] Figure 7 shows first images of the upper and lower surfaces of the first electrode assembly.

[0049] Figure 8 shows a plurality of first images and second images.

[0050] Figure 9 shows the process of comparing and matching the first image and the second image.

[0051] Figure 10 illustrates a series of continuous process lines according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0052] Fig. 11 illustrates a battery cell manufacturing device and a battery cell manufacturing system according to exemplary embodiments.

[0053] Fig. 12 illustrates a method for manufacturing a battery cell according to exemplary embodiments.

[0054] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, it should be noted that the terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings. Based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of terms to best explain his or her invention, they should be interpreted in a way that aligns with the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0055] Accordingly, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

[0056] In addition, when describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description is omitted.

[0057] Since the embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, the shapes and sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for clearer explanation. Accordingly, the sizes and proportions of each component do not fully reflect the actual sizes or proportions.

[0058]

[0059] Figures 1 and 2 are a side cross-sectional view and a top view of a battery cell.

[0060] Figure 3 is a drawing showing a stack cell and a folding cell.

[0061] Figure 4 shows the transport process of the electrode assembly.

[0062] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery cell (10) includes a cell case (11) and an electrode assembly (EA) accommodated within the cell case (11). The electrode assembly (EA) is an assembly of electrodes in which a plurality of first electrodes and second electrodes having different polarities are laminated with a separator interposed therebetween. At an end of the electrode assembly (EA), a laminate (TS2) of electrode tabs extending from an end of the first electrode is provided. The electrode tab laminate (TS2) is connected to an electrode lead (13). For example, when the first electrode is a negative electrode, the laminate of the first electrode tab (negative electrode tab) may be welded to the negative electrode lead (13). When the second electrode is a positive electrode, the laminate (TS2') of the second electrode tab (positive electrode tab) may be welded to the positive electrode lead (13'). Since the ends of the first electrode tab laminate and the second electrode tab laminate are not aligned, the ends of the tab laminates are cut before welding and then welded to each electrode lead. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the first electrode tab laminate (TS) and the second electrode tab laminate (TS) before cutting. As in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ends of the first electrode tab laminate and the second electrode tab laminate may be cut and the first electrode lead (13) and the second electrode lead (13') may be welded to the remaining portions (TS2, TS2'), respectively. The cut portions of the electrode tab laminate may be referred to as first tab portions (TS1, TS1'), and the remaining portions may be referred to as second tab portions (TS2, TS2'). In Fig. 2, a first electrode lead (13) is coupled to a second tab portion (TS2) of a first electrode tab stack (TS), and a second electrode lead (13') is coupled to a second tab portion (TS2') of a second electrode tab stack (TS').

[0063] For the protection of the insulation and welding area, a film (F) covering the welding area of ​​the electrode lead and the second tab portion (TS2, TS2') may be provided. The film (F) may include an insulating tape (F1) covering the welding area of ​​the electrode lead and the second tab portion, and a lead film (F2) covering the lead portion above the welding area.

[0064] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lead film (F2) can be naturally fixed when sealing the rim of the cell case (11) in which the electrode assembly (EA) is accommodated. The lead film (F2) can prevent the cell case (11) and the electrode leads (13, 13') from coming into contact, thereby enhancing insulation.

[0065] In Figures 2 to 4, a bidirectional electrode assembly is illustrated in which the first electrode tab stack and the second electrode tab stack are each derived from opposite ends of the electrode assembly. However, the present invention can also be applied to a unidirectional electrode assembly in which the first electrode tab stack and the second electrode tab stack are each derived from the same end of the electrode assembly.

[0066] Figure 3 illustrates a folding cell (FC) and a stack cell (SC). As described above, the folding cell (FC) and the stack cell (SC) are different types of electrode assemblies in terms of the stacking method of the electrodes and separators. An ID may be provided on the electrode tab (T) located at the top of the folding cell.

[0067] The stack cell (SC) may be provided with a fixing tape (X) for fixing the mono cells (MC). An ID may be provided on the electrode tab (T) of the mono cell (MC) stacked on the top of the stack cell (SC). In this way, the ID of the electrode assembly (EA) may be provided on an externally exposed surface of the electrode tab stack. The ID may be an electrode ID indicating unique information of the electrode located on the top of the electrode assembly, and at the same time, a representative ID indicating the electrode assembly including the electrode, i.e., an ID of the electrode assembly. As described above, the ID may include information on various manufacturing histories such as a lot number, each process equipment, and production line information. The ID may include a symbol indicating a sequence number. The symbol may include, but is not limited to, Arabic numerals. The symbol may include any character that can provide information on the sequence number. The ID may be, but is not limited to, a barcode or a QR code.

[0068] In the notching process, the negative tabs may be provided with an ID. The ID may be formed by methods such as laser printing and ink printing. Accordingly, each of the negative tabs may include an ID. Unlike the negative tabs, the positive tabs may not include an ID to prevent defects. However, this is not limited to this, and if appropriate safety devices, such as a fume collector, are installed, the positive tabs may also be provided with an ID.

[0069] In this specification, the electrode, electrode tab, and electrode tab laminate having an ID are referred to as a first electrode, a first electrode tab, and a first electrode tab laminate. On the other hand, the electrode, electrode tab, and electrode tab laminate not having an ID are referred to as a second electrode, a second electrode tab, and a second electrode tab laminate. In the examples below, the negative electrode, the negative electrode tab, and the negative electrode tab laminate are referred to as a first electrode, a first electrode tab, and a first electrode tab laminate, and the positive electrode, the positive electrode tab, and the positive electrode tab laminate are referred to as a second electrode, a second electrode tab, and a second electrode tab laminate. However, when the positive electrode tab is also provided with an ID, the positive electrode, the positive electrode tab, and the positive electrode tab laminate can become a first electrode, a first electrode tab, and a first electrode tab laminate.

[0070] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the electrode assembly (EA) having the ID can be moved by a transport device (CA) for a subsequent process, such as an electrode lead welding process. An ID reader is placed on the moved electrode assembly (EA), and the ID reader can identify the ID of each electrode assembly. The ID reader can be a barcode reader (BCR) or a vision camera (VC).

[0071] However, there are cases where the portion (first tab portion) of the electrode tab laminate (TS) provided with the ID is cut before welding with the electrode lead. This is because the ends of the electrode tab laminates are not aligned, and thus the ends of the tab laminates are cut before welding. As a result, the ID is lost in a series of continuous process lines for joining the electrode tab laminate and the electrode lead, making it impossible to identify the corresponding electrode assembly (EA) provided with the ID. As a result, the traceability of the electrode assembly is damaged, and the reliability of battery cell manufacturing is reduced.

[0072] Meanwhile, in the case of electrode assemblies that are normally fed into a continuous process line, even if the ID is physically lost due to cutting, the electrode assembly can be tracked without a problem because the controller of the continuous process line remembers the ID. However, in the case of an electrode assembly that has been determined to be defective and removed from the continuous process line, it is difficult to track which ID the electrode assembly originally had. In particular, when an electrode assembly that was determined to be defective but has been determined to be usable through a secondary inspection is to be reintroduced into the process line, it is difficult to determine which ID the electrode assembly had before it was determined to be defective. This is because a large number of electrode assemblies have passed through the continuous process line before it was determined to be defective, making it difficult to determine which electrode assembly the reintroduced electrode assembly is identical to. For example, even if a virtual ID is assigned to the reintroduced electrode assembly, if the original physical ID is not known, it cannot be matched with the manufacturing history information included in the original ID.

[0073] The present invention is to secure traceability of a battery cell manufacturing process by reassigning an original ID to a reinserted electrode assembly through image matching.

[0074] Figure 5 illustrates a series of continuous process lines according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0075] FIG. 6 illustrates a battery cell manufacturing device and a battery cell manufacturing system according to exemplary embodiments.

[0076] FIG. 5 illustrates a series of continuous process lines for welding electrode leads to an electrode assembly (EA) having a first electrode tab laminate (TS) and a second electrode tab laminate (TS') at both ends.

[0077] The above continuous process (P10) includes a loading process (P11) for introducing the electrode assembly (EA) into a first electrode tab (negative tab) cutting process, a negative tab cutting process (P12), a welding process (P130) of the negative tab and the negative lead, a welding joint inspection process (P14) of the negative tab and the negative lead, a second electrode tab (positive tab) cutting process (P15), a welding process (P16) of the positive tab and the positive lead, a welding joint inspection process (P17) of the positive tab and the positive lead, and an unloading process (P18) for discharging the inspected electrode assembly.

[0078] A cell case forming process (P20) can be performed in parallel with the above continuous process (P10).

[0079] Additionally, the electrode assembly, which has been inspected and has the electrode leads welded, can be unloaded and assembled into a molded cell case (11). Accordingly, the battery cell assembly process (P30) is performed after the unloading process.

[0080] Devices necessary to perform multiple processes included in the continuous process (P10) may be provided at a predetermined location where the process is performed.

[0081] For example, a loader (410) may be provided for loading an electrode assembly (EA) having an ID into a first electrode cutter.

[0082] For example, a first electrode cutter (cathode cutter: 430) is provided for cutting a cathode tab (laminate).

[0083] A cathode welder (first welding device) (440) is provided for cathode tab and cathode lead welding.

[0084] For inspection of the weld joint of the cathode, a first electrode inspection camera may be provided.

[0085] In addition, a second electrode cutter (anode cutter: 460) is provided for cutting the anode tab (laminated body).

[0086] An anode welder (second welding device) (470) is provided for anode tab and anode lead welding.

[0087] For inspection of the weld joint of the anode, a second electrode inspection camera may be provided.

[0088] As the first electrode inspection camera and the second electrode inspection camera, a vision camera equipped with a vision sensor and a processor capable of processing images and capable of internally analyzing and processing the acquired images can be used. For example, a machine vision camera or a smart camera can be used as the vision camera. Since such vision cameras are used to inspect product defects in various industrial fields, a detailed description thereof is omitted. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a cathode vision (camera) (450) is illustrated as the first electrode inspection camera, and a positive vision (camera) (480) is illustrated as the second electrode inspection camera.

[0089] The first welding device and the second welding device may be, for example, an ultrasonic welder or a laser welder. The first and second welding devices may perform welding by applying ultrasonic waves while applying pressure to the welding surface of the cut electrode tab laminate and the electrode lead, or by performing laser welding on the welding surface.

[0090] An unloader (490) is provided for discharging electrode assemblies, for which welding and inspection of the negative and positive leads have been completed, to subsequent processes such as battery cell assembly. The unloader can also discharging electrode assemblies that have been determined to be defective. The unloader can be configured to separate and discharge good electrode assemblies from defective electrode assemblies.

[0091] The above loaders and unloaders are commonly used in industrial production lines. In some cases, loaders and unloaders are also called carriers. For example, a loader and unloader with a structure that combines upper and lower conveyors and allows for vertical lifting can be employed.

[0092] Additionally, a transport device (420) is provided for moving electrode assemblies between each device installed between the loader (410) and the unloader (490). As the transport device, a known transport device such as a conveyor, an adsorption transport device, or a robot transport device can be employed.

[0093] Meanwhile, the above continuous process may include a secondary inspection process (P19) that conducts a secondary inspection (re-inspection) on electrode assemblies determined to be defective and classifies them into electrode assemblies determined to be usable and electrode assemblies determined to be unusable. For example, among the electrode assemblies determined to be defective by the first electrode inspection camera, there are electrode assemblies that are unusable due to serious defects such as electrode tab disconnection or welding defects. Unusable electrode assemblies are discharged and discarded.

[0094] However, among the electrode assemblies judged to be defective, there are cases where they can be reused.

[0095] For example, if a product is judged to be defective, but the secondary inspection reveals that the defective product was judged to be defective due to an error or is not a true defect but a pseudo-defect, the electrode assembly can be used without going through a separate process to resolve the defect.

[0096] Alternatively, an electrode assembly that can be reused by performing a minor additional process such as removing foreign matter or adjusting the position of the insulating film due to minor defects such as removable foreign matter being attached to the weld or the position of the insulating film (F) attached to the weld is also a usable electrode assembly.

[0097] Therefore, in this specification, an electrode assembly that is determined to be defective but is 'usable' includes both an electrode assembly that can be reintroduced into the process line without undergoing a separate defect resolution process after being determined to be defective, and an electrode assembly that can be reintroduced into the process line after undergoing a separate defect resolution process.

[0098] The above secondary inspection (P19) can be performed visually by an operator. Alternatively, the secondary inspection can be performed using a separate inspection device. The inspection device may be a device with higher specifications than at least the first electrode inspection camera and the second electrode inspection camera. Alternatively, the device may perform an inspection using a different method from the inspection methods of the first and second electrode inspection cameras. Through a secondary inspection using a visual inspection or an inspection device, it is possible to identify electrode assemblies that have been judged to be defective but are still 'usable'.

[0099] To reintroduce the electrode assembly determined to be usable into the process line, a reintroduction device (421) may be provided. The reintroduction device (421) may be a part of the transport device (420) or a separate device. The reintroduction device (421) may transport the electrode assembly determined to be usable and introduce it into a predetermined position / stage of the continuous process line.

[0100] Depending on each process of the continuous process (P10), the shape of the electrode assembly varies. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the symbols for the electrode assembly are distinguished according to the process progress.

[0101] For example, the first electrode assembly loaded with an ID on the electrode tab stack of the first electrode located at one end is simply marked 'EA'.

[0102] The electrode assembly in which the first electrode tab (negative tab) laminate is cut and the first electrode lead is welded is referred to as the first electrode assembly and is denoted as 'EA1'.

[0103] An electrode assembly that is judged to be defective in the first inspection but is judged to be usable in the second inspection and is reintroduced into the process line is called a second electrode assembly and is indicated as 'EA2'. The first electrode assembly (EA1) and the second electrode assembly (EA2) have the same or similar shapes, in that the first tab portion (TS1) of the first electrode tab laminate (TS) is cut, and the first electrode lead (13) is welded to the second tab portion (TS2) which is the remaining portion after the cut. Therefore, as described below, by comparing the image of the first electrode assembly (the first image) with the image of the second electrode assembly (the second image), the first electrode assembly (EA1) of the first image that matches the second image can be found.

[0104] An electrode assembly in which the second electrode tab laminate (TS') of the first electrode assembly (EA1) judged to be a good product is cut is called a third electrode assembly and is indicated as 'EA3'. An electrode assembly in which the second electrode lead (13') is welded to the third electrode assembly (EA3) is called a fourth electrode assembly and is indicated as 'EA4'.

[0105] In addition, as described below, when the second electrode assembly (EA2) to which the ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) is reassigned through image matching is subjected to the second electrode tab laminate cutting process (P15) and the second electrode lead welding process (P16), the second electrode assembly in the process may become the third electrode assembly (EA3) and the fourth electrode assembly (EA4).

[0106] In Fig. 5, the flow of a normal electrode assembly that is not judged as defective and proceeds from the loader (410) to the unloader (490) is indicated by arrow M1. The flow of an electrode assembly judged as defective by the first electrode inspection camera (450) is indicated by dotted line M2. The flow of an electrode assembly that is discarded because it is unusable is indicated by arrow M3. The flow of an electrode assembly (second electrode assembly) that is judged as usable through a secondary inspection and reintroduced is indicated by dotted arrow M4.

[0107]

[0108] Referring to FIG. 6, the battery cell manufacturing device of the present invention may include an image matching device (200) including a first image acquisition unit (223) that acquires a first image of a first electrode assembly (EA1) having a tab laminate (TS) of a first electrode and a first electrode lead (13) welded to the tab laminate at one end; a second image acquisition unit (222) that acquires a second image of a second electrode assembly (EA2) that is determined to be usable through a re-inspection among the first electrode assemblies determined to be defective through an inspection based on the first image; and an image matching unit (223) that compares the second image with a plurality of first images and extracts a first image that matches the second image; and an ID assignment unit that assigns an ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) of the first image that matches the second image to an ID of the second electrode assembly.

[0109] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the electrode assembly (EA) having an ID can have its ID identified by an ID reader during the transport process before being introduced into the continuous process (P10). Alternatively, the ID can be identified by the ID reader during the loading process or some process during the continuous process. Information about the identified ID can be stored in the controller (100) of the continuous process line, or stored in a separate ID management server capable of data communication with the controller (100). The controller (100) can control the process of the electrode assembly based on the ID when the electrode assembly is processed through multiple processes in the continuous process. In this case, even if the ID is lost due to cutting of the first tab portion, the controller (100) can perform processing on the electrode assembly in multiple processes based on the stored ID.

[0110] However, when a second electrode assembly (EA2) that was judged to be defective but is judged to be usable through a secondary inspection is to be reintroduced into the continuous process line, it is difficult to determine which ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) it corresponded to before the defective determination. This is because a large number of first electrode assemblies (EA1) passed through the continuous process line before the defective determination, so it is difficult to determine which first electrode assembly (EA1) the reintroduced second electrode assembly (EA2) is identical to. For example, even if a virtual ID is assigned to the reintroduced second electrode assembly (EA2), if the original physical ID marked on the first electrode assembly (EA1) is not known, it is impossible to match it with the manufacturing history information included in the ID.

[0111] The image matching device (200) is intended to find the original first electrode assembly corresponding to the second electrode assembly (EA2) by comparing the first image, which is an image of the first electrode assembly (EA1) before the defective judgment, with the second image of the second electrode assembly (EA2) that is reinserted after the defective judgment.

[0112] The above ID assignment device can secure traceability of the battery cell manufacturing process by reassigning the ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) of the first image matched with the second image by the image matching device (200) to the second electrode assembly (EA2) having the second image.

[0113] Referring to FIG. 6, the image matching device (200) may include a memory (210) and a processor (220) for communicating with other devices.

[0114] Memory (210) is a medium in which instructions executable by the processor (220) are stored. The memory may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, solid-state storage media, optical storage media, and magnetic storage media. Memory (210) may include volatile memory such as RAM and / or non-volatile memory such as ROM and storage media. Examples of storage media include solid-state storage media (e.g., solid-state drives and / or removable flash memory), optical storage media (e.g., optical disks), and magnetic storage media (e.g., hard disk drives). The above-described instructions (e.g., software or computer-readable code) may be stored in any volatile and / or non-volatile component of memory (210).

[0115] Image matching can be implemented by a processor (220) provided in an image matching device (200), as illustrated in FIG. 6. The processor (220) may be configured to process computer program commands by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations. Commands may be provided to the processor (220) by a memory (210). For example, the processor (220) may be configured to execute commands received according to program code stored in a storage device such as the memory (210).

[0116] The above processor (220) may include a first image acquisition unit (221), a second image acquisition unit (222), and an image matching unit (223). Depending on the embodiment, the components of the processor (220) may be selectively separated or merged to express the functions of the processor.

[0117] The first image acquisition unit (221) can acquire a first image of the first electrode assembly (EA1). The first electrode assembly (EA1) is an electrode assembly in which a first electrode tab laminate is cut and a first electrode lead (13) is welded. Accordingly, the first electrode assembly (EA1) includes a second tab portion (TS2), which is a portion remaining after cutting the first electrode tab laminate, and the first electrode lead (13).

[0118] The above first image can be acquired by a first electrode inspection camera (cathode vision: 450) for inspecting the state of the cathode weld. As shown in Fig. 5, all first electrode assemblies (EA1) after cathode lead welding are inspected by the cathode vision (450), and the image (first image) can be transmitted to and stored in the controller (100) or a server. The first image acquisition unit (221) can acquire the first image directly from the cathode vision (450) or acquire the first image stored from the controller (100) or a server.

[0119] Figure 7 shows first images of the upper and lower surfaces of the first electrode assembly.

[0120] The first electrode assembly (EA1) of Fig. 7 is a stack cell (SC) equipped with a fixing tape (X), but image matching is also possible for a folding cell. The upper end of the first electrode assembly (EA1) is provided with a second tab portion (TS2) of the first electrode and a first electrode lead (13) welded to the second tab portion (TS2). In addition, an insulating film (F) is attached near the welding portion.

[0121] The second image of the second electrode assembly (EA2) that was judged to be defective but is judged to be usable through re-inspection and is reintroduced into the process line can be acquired from the cathode vision (450). For example, the second electrode assembly (EA2) can be reintroduced into the cathode weld inspection (P14) step as shown in FIG. 5. The reintroduced second electrode assembly (EA2) can be captured by the cathode vision (450) to acquire a second image. The captured second image can be directly transmitted from the cathode vision (450) to the second image acquisition unit (212). Alternatively, the second image stored in the controller (100) or the server can be transmitted to the second image acquisition unit (212).

[0122] The image matching unit (223) compares the acquired first image and second image to extract matching images.

[0123] Image matching refers to a technique for comparing two different images to find matching objects of the same shape. For example, meaningful features in an image can be converted into appropriate numbers and compared to determine the degree of similarity. The numbers representing these features are called feature vectors or feature descriptors. Alternatively, the similarity between two images can be determined by comparing histograms representing the color value distribution of the images. A histogram comparison function can be used to compare histograms. In addition to those described above, various image matching techniques can be applied to the matching of the first and second images of the present invention. Since certain techniques or matching algorithms related to image matching are well known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0124] Figure 8 shows a second image and a plurality of first images, and Figure 9 shows a comparison and matching process of the first image and the second image.

[0125] FIG. 8(a) illustrates a first image of a plurality of first electrode assemblies (EA1). Each first electrode assembly (EA1) is assigned an ID. For example, the ID is stored in the controller (100) or an ID management server capable of data communication with the controller (100). The first image acquisition unit (221) can acquire the first image in association with the ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1). To this end, the first image acquisition unit (221) or a processor including the first image acquisition unit (221) can communicate with the controller (100), specifically, the main control unit (120) of the controller (100) (see FIG. 6).

[0126] FIG. 8(b) illustrates a second image of one second electrode assembly (EA2). A virtual ID may be assigned to the second electrode assembly (EA2). The virtual ID may be assigned, for example, by a controller (100) controlling a continuous process. In order to manage a second electrode assembly (EA2) that was determined to be defective in the first inspection but is determined to be usable through a re-inspection, the controller (100) may provide a virtual ID to the second electrode assembly (EA2) that is transported through processes from the second inspection process until before image matching. The virtual ID may also be stored in the controller (100) or an ID management server capable of data communication with the controller (100). The second image acquisition unit (222) may acquire a second image in association with the virtual ID of the second electrode assembly (EA2). For this purpose, the second image acquisition unit (222) or the processor including the second image acquisition unit (222) can communicate data with the controller (100), specifically, the main control unit (120) of the controller (100) (see FIG. 6).

[0127] FIG. 9(a) shows a first image of a first electrode assembly (EA1), and FIG. 9(b) shows a second image of a second electrode assembly (EA2).

[0128] The image matching unit (223) can match a first image and a second image, each of which includes at least one of the following shapes.

[0129] 1) Shape of the welding area of ​​the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode and the electrode lead (WT)

[0130] 2) Membrane wrinkle shape (SW)

[0131] 3) Overlapping shape of multiple electrode tabs included in the electrode tab laminate

[0132] Image matching is a technique for comparing images by comparing features. When welding electrode assemblies and electrode leads, the shape of the weld area between the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode and the electrode lead can be an important feature. In Fig. 9, a weld mark between the electrode lead and the second tab portion (TS2) of the first electrode tab laminate is shown. Therefore, the shape (WT) of the weld area including this weld mark can be used as a criterion for image matching. For example, if the shape of the weld mark is similar, there is a high possibility that the image will be matched as the same or similar image.

[0133] Additionally, the wrinkle shape (SW) of the separator near the weld can be compared and matched. The electrode assembly has a separator wrapped around its outermost periphery, and the separator portion located at the top of the electrode assembly often has wrinkles. Therefore, by comparing the characteristic shapes of the separator wrinkles between two images, identical or similar images can be identified.

[0134] In addition, since the electrode tab stack of the first electrode comprises a plurality of electrode tabs that overlap each other vertically, the overlapping shapes may vary depending on the electrode assembly. Accordingly, by comparing the overlapping shapes of the plurality of electrode tabs included in the electrode tab stack, identical or similar images can be found.

[0135] Image matching can be performed by selecting one or more of the image contrast criteria described above and using the selected criteria. Alternatively, image matching can be performed by assigning weights to more prominent criteria among the above-described criteria. For example, image matching can be performed by assigning a weight of 1 to the shape of the welding area of ​​the electrode tab laminate and the electrode lead of the first electrode, a weight of 0.9 to the shape of the separator wrinkles, and a weight of 0.8 to the overlapping shape of multiple electrode tabs included in the electrode tab laminate.

[0136] Meanwhile, the matching of the first image and the second image can be performed not only for the first side (upper side) of the first and second electrode assemblies, but also for the second side (lower side). Alternatively, matching can be performed by comparing the images of both the first side and the second side.

[0137] By this image matching, it was found that the first image among the first images disclosed in Fig. 8(a) (i.e., the first image disclosed in Fig. 9(a)) matches the second image of Fig. 8(b) (i.e., the second image disclosed in Fig. 9(b)).

[0138] Specifically, the ID assignment device may be a controller (100) that controls a continuous process for welding an electrode lead to an electrode provided in an electrode assembly, or a main control unit (120) included in the controller (100). Accordingly, the controller (100) or the main control unit (120) may assign the ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) of the matched first image as the ID of the second electrode assembly (EA2) in place of the virtual ID assigned to the second electrode assembly (EA2).

[0139] The second electrode assembly, to which an ID has been assigned, is re-introduced into the continuous process line to undergo a subsequent welding process. The controller (100) can identify and manage the second electrode assembly (EA2) based on the assigned ID. This ensures traceability of the battery cell manufacturing process and improves manufacturing reliability.

[0140] Referring to FIG. 6, the controller (100) may be an integrated control device that controls a continuous process consisting of a plurality of processes. The controller (100) may be equipped with a judgment unit (110) that judges the quality of electrode assemblies inspected by the first electrode inspection camera and the second electrode inspection camera. Depending on the judgment of the judgment unit (110), the progression paths of electrode assemblies judged as good and electrode assemblies judged as defective within the continuous process line may differ.

[0141] The above controller (100) may be equipped with a main control unit (120) for controlling various devices installed within a continuous process line. The main control unit (120) may be, for example, a PLC control unit.

[0142] The above controller (100) may be equipped with an input / output interface (130) for communicating with an input / output device (300).

[0143] As illustrated in Fig. 6, the image matching device (200) may be included in the controller (100). However, the image matching device (200) may also be installed separately from the controller (100).

[0144] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the battery cell manufacturing system (1000) of the present invention may include a first electrode cutter (negative electrode cutter: 430) for cutting a portion where an ID is located from an electrode tab laminate of a first electrode located at one end of an electrode assembly; a first welding device (negative electrode welder: 440) for manufacturing a first electrode assembly (EA1) by welding a first electrode lead (13) to a portion of the electrode tab laminate remaining after cutting; a first electrode inspection camera (negative electrode vision: 450) for capturing a first image of the first electrode assembly (EA1); and the battery cell manufacturing device described above.

[0145] The above-described battery cell manufacturing device includes an image matching device (200) and, for example, an ID assignment device, which is a main control unit. Accordingly, by the above-described system, a first electrode assembly (EA1) can be manufactured, and image matching of the first electrode assembly (EA1) and the second electrode assembly (EA2) can be performed.

[0146] In addition, the system may further include a second electrode cutter (anode cutter: 460) for cutting the electrode tab stack of the second electrode provided in the first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be a good product by the controller (100) and / or the electrode tab stack of the second electrode provided in the second electrode assembly (EA2) to which the ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) is assigned; a second welding device (anode welder: 470) for welding a second electrode lead (13') (anode lead) to a portion of the electrode tab stack cut by the second electrode cutter; and a second electrode inspection camera (anode vision: 480) for capturing images of the first electrode assembly (EA1) to which the second electrode lead (13') is welded and the second electrode assembly (EA2) to which the second electrode lead (13') is welded. Accordingly, by the above system, the first electrode assembly (EA1) of a good product that has been inspected by the cathode vision (450) is cut at the anode to become a third electrode assembly (EA3), the third electrode assembly (EA3) is welded with the anode lead to become a fourth electrode assembly (EA4), and the fourth electrode assembly (EA4) is inspected by the cathode vision and can be discharged to the battery cell assembly process (see FIG. 5).

[0147] The above system (1000) may further include a loader (410) for loading electrode assemblies having IDs on electrode tab stacks of a first electrode located at one end into the first electrode cutter; and an unloader (490) for unloading first electrode assemblies (EA1) determined to be defective by the first electrode inspection camera and electrode assemblies that have been inspected by the second electrode inspection camera. Accordingly, the system may introduce electrode assemblies before cutting by the loader (410) into a continuous process line. In addition, electrode assemblies that have been inspected may be discharged to a battery cell assembly process (P30). Alternatively, first electrode assemblies determined to be defective may be discharged outside the continuous process line.

[0148] The above system further includes a transport device (420) for moving electrode assemblies between each device of the system installed between the loader (410) and the unloader (490). By the transport device (420), normal electrode assemblies that are not judged as defective can be transported from the loader (410) to the unloader (490) as indicated by arrow M1.

[0149] In addition, by the transport device (420), the electrode assembly determined to be defective by the first electrode inspection camera (450) can be transported toward the unloader as indicated by the dotted line of M2. The transport device (420) can transport the first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be defective to the unloader by bypassing the second electrode cutter and the second welding device (470). The flow of the electrode assembly indicated by M2 represents bypass transport in which the first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be defective is transported to the unloader without going through the positive electrode tab cutting process and the positive electrode tab-positive electrode lead welding process.

[0150] The unloader (490) can be configured to separate and discharge good electrode assemblies and defective electrode assemblies.

[0151] Among the electrode assemblies judged to be defective, the electrode assemblies to be discarded are discharged in the direction of arrow M3.

[0152] The second electrode assembly (EA2) that is judged to be usable and reintroduced is moved in the direction of arrow M2 and reintroduced into the continuous process line.

[0153] The above system (1000) may include a reintroduction device (421) to reintroduce the second electrode assembly (EA2) into the process line. The reintroduction device (421) may be a part of the transport device (420) or a separate device.

[0154] Meanwhile, the system (1000) may include an input / output device (300).

[0155] For example, keyboards, mice, joysticks, and touchscreens can be used as input devices. Additionally, displays, head-up displays, AR displays, VR displays, and printers can be used as output devices.

[0156] The above-described components of the system may be interconnected via one or more buses.

[0157] The main control unit of the above controller (100) can control several devices installed in the continuous process line.

[0158] For example, the main control unit may issue an operation instruction to the loader (410) to introduce the electrode assembly into the continuous process line. Alternatively, upon completion of the loading operation and depending on the process status, the main control unit may issue an operation stop instruction to the loader (410).

[0159] Additionally, the main control unit can issue an operation instruction to the unloader to discharge the completed electrode assembly to a subsequent assembly process. Upon completion of the unloading operation and depending on the process status, the controller (100) can issue an operation stop instruction to the loader.

[0160] Likewise, the main control unit controls the operation of the transport device (420). In addition, the main control unit can issue operation instructions and operation stop instructions for the cathode cutter, cathode welder, anode cutter, and anode welder.

[0161] Additionally, the main control unit can control the operation of the cathode vision and the anode vision, and can store or transmit images acquired from the visions to a server.

[0162] In addition, the main control unit can control the operation of the image matching device (200). The image matching device (200) can acquire a first image and a second image and match the acquired images according to the instructions of the main control unit. In addition, the image matching device (200) can transmit information (ID, virtual ID) regarding the matched image to the main control unit, and the main control unit can assign an ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) that matches the second electrode assembly (EA2) based on the information.

[0163] Figure 10 illustrates a series of continuous process lines according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0164] The second image can be acquired by the first electrode inspection camera (cathode vision: 450) of the cathode weld inspection process as shown in Fig. 5.

[0165] However, the second image may be acquired by a separate first electrode inspection camera (451). For example, the second electrode assembly (EA2) may be captured by a separate first electrode inspection camera (451) installed before being reintroduced into the continuous process. In this case, the second electrode assembly (EA2) does not need to be sent to the cathode vision (450) of the continuous process as in FIG. 5 because the second image has already been acquired. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 10, in this case, the second electrode assembly (EA2) may be reintroduced to a position after the cathode weld inspection process. Therefore, the continuous process can proceed without interfering with the inspection work of other first electrode assemblies (EA1) in the cathode vision (450) installed in the continuous process line, thereby preventing a delay in the process progress.

[0166] Fig. 11 illustrates a battery cell manufacturing device and a battery cell manufacturing system according to exemplary embodiments.

[0167] Fig. 11 illustrates an image matching device (200) installed separately from the controller (100). The image matching device may be configured in the form of, for example, a server separate from the controller (100). The image matching device, which is a server (200'), may be equipped with a memory (210) and a processor (220). The processor (220) is equipped with the first image acquisition unit (221), the second image acquisition unit (222), and the image matching unit (223) described above.

[0168] Additionally, the server (200') may include a communication module (230) capable of communicating with the controller (100) or other computing devices.

[0169]

[0170] Fig. 12 illustrates a method for manufacturing a battery cell according to exemplary embodiments.

[0171] The above battery cell manufacturing method can be performed in a series of continuous process lines.

[0172] Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12, an electrode assembly having an ID can be introduced into a continuous process line at step P110. For example, an electrode assembly having an ID identified on an electrode tab laminate of a first electrode by a controller (100) can be introduced into a continuous process by a loader (410).

[0173] In step P120, a portion (first tab portion) where the ID is located is cut from the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode (e.g., negative electrode) located at the end of the electrode assembly, and a first electrode lead (13) (e.g., negative electrode lead) can be welded to the portion (second tab portion) that remains after being cut.

[0174] The electrode assembly may be transferred to a cathode cutter by means of a transfer device (420) so that the first tab portion may be cut. In addition, the electrode assembly cut by the transfer device (420) may be transferred to a cathode welder so that a cathode lead may be welded to the second tab portion. The controller (100) may control this cutting process and the cathode tab-lead welding process. By welding the cathode lead to the second tab portion, the first electrode assembly (EA1) is manufactured.

[0175] In step P130, a first image is acquired for the first electrode assembly (EA1) by cathode vision, and the first electrode assembly (EA1) is inspected based on the acquired first image. Based on the first image, welding defects or other defects of the cathode can be identified. The controller (100) can inspect the cathode portion based on the first image acquired by cathode vision, and a judgment unit provided in the controller (100) can judge whether the cathode is defective.

[0176] The first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be a good product through the above inspection is transferred to a second electrode tab (positive tab) cutting process. In the cutting process, the positive tab laminate of the first electrode assembly (EA1) is cut by a positive cutter. The cut electrode assembly (third electrode assembly) is transferred to a positive tab-lead welding process by a transport device (420), and in the process, the positive lead is welded to the second tab portion of the positive tab laminate by a positive welder. The controller (100) can control the cutting process and the positive tab-lead welding process.

[0177] The electrode assembly (fourth electrode assembly) with both the negative and positive leads welded is transported to the positive vision and inspected. The fourth electrode assembly, whose positive welding is judged to be good by the positive vision, is discharged by the unloader. The discharged fourth electrode assembly is transported to the battery cell assembly process. During the assembly process, the fourth electrode assembly is accommodated within a cell case formed in the case forming process. The transport flow of this electrode assembly is indicated by the arrow M1 in FIGS. 5 and 10.

[0178] The first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be defective in the cathode weld inspection step can be discharged from the continuous process line without undergoing the cutting of the second electrode tab laminate and the welding process of the second electrode lead (13'). The dotted line M2 in FIGS. 5 and 10 indicates the bypass transport of the first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be defective.

[0179] The first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be defective is inspected again in the secondary inspection process. The first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be unusable in the secondary inspection is discharged to the outside. The flow of this electrode assembly is indicated by M3 in FIGS. 5 and 10. The first electrode assembly (EA1) determined to be usable in the secondary inspection is regarded as the second electrode assembly (EA2). The controller (100) can assign a virtual ID to the second electrode assembly (EA2). The second electrode assembly (EA2) assigned a virtual ID can be reintroduced into the continuous process line by the reintroduction device.

[0180] The second electrode assembly (EA2) can be re-introduced into the cathode weld inspection process and captured by the cathode vision to obtain a second image (see Fig. 5).

[0181] However, a first electrode inspection device (451) separate from the cathode vision can be installed on the path to be reintroduced after the second inspection, and a second image for the second electrode assembly (EA2) can be acquired using this device (see FIG. 10).

[0182] The virtual ID assigned to the second electrode assembly (EA2) to be reinserted may be stored in the controller (100) or server in association with the second image.

[0183] Referring again to FIG. 12, the second image of the second electrode assembly (EA2) at step P140 can be compared with the first images of the plurality of first electrode assemblies that were acquired earlier.

[0184] An image matching device (200) included in a controller (100), or an image matching device (e.g., server (200') installed separately from the controller (100), has a processor including a first image acquisition unit (221), a second image acquisition unit (222), and an image matching unit (223). The image matching unit (223) can compare a first image received from the first image acquisition unit (221) and a second image received from the second image acquisition unit (222) according to a predetermined matching algorithm, and select the first image that is most similar to the second image as an image that matches the second image.

[0185] According to an exemplary embodiment, a first image and a second image each including at least one shape among the following can be matched by comparison.

[0186] 1) Shape of the welding area of ​​the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode and the electrode lead

[0187] 2) Membrane wrinkle shape

[0188] 3) Overlapping shape of multiple electrode tabs included in the electrode tab laminate

[0189] Additionally, the first and second images can be matched by applying a weight to at least one of the shapes that serve as a reference for the first and second image comparison.

[0190] In step P150, the controller (100) or the main control unit included in the controller (100) can assign the ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) of the first image matching the second image to the ID of the second electrode assembly (EA2).

[0191] At this time, the controller (100) or the main control unit included in the controller (100) can assign the ID of the first electrode assembly (EA1) of the first image matching the second image as the ID of the second electrode assembly (EA2) by replacing the ID with the virtual ID. The controller (100) or the main control unit that performs the ID assignment becomes an ID assignment device.

[0192] In step P160, the second electrode assembly (EA2) to which the ID is assigned proceeds to a subsequent welding process, such as a welding process of the tab laminate of the second electrode included in the second electrode assembly (EA2) and the second electrode lead (13'). That is, the second electrode assembly (EA2) is cut by the anode cutter at the first tab portion of the tab laminate of the second electrode, and the second tab portion remaining after the cutting is welded to the anode lead by the anode welder. The electrode assembly to which the anode lead is welded (becoming the fourth electrode assembly) is inspected by the anode vision. The electrode assembly determined to be a good product through the inspection is discharged by the unloader.

[0193]

[0194] The present invention has been described in more detail through drawings and examples. However, the configurations described in the drawings or examples described in this specification are merely embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modified examples may exist as of the time of this application.

[0195] (Explanation of symbols)

[0196] 1000,2000: Battery manufacturing system

[0197] 100: Controller

[0198] 110: Judging panel

[0199] 120: Subject section

[0200] 130: Input / output interface

[0201] 200: Image Matching Device

[0202] 200': Server

[0203] 210: Memory

[0204] 220: Processor

[0205] 221: First Image Acquisition Unit

[0206] 222: Second Image Acquisition Unit

[0207] 223: Image Matching Section

[0208] 10: Battery cell

[0209] EA: Electrode Assembly

[0210] EA1: First electrode assembly

[0211] EA2: Second electrode assembly

[0212] EA3: Third electrode assembly

[0213] EA4: Fourth electrode assembly

Claims

1. A first image acquisition unit for acquiring a first image of a first electrode assembly having a tab laminate of a first electrode and a first electrode lead welded to the tab laminate at one end; A second image acquisition unit that acquires a second image for a second electrode assembly that is determined to be usable through re-inspection among the first electrode assemblies that are determined to be defective through inspection based on the first image; and An image matching device including an image matching unit that compares the second image with a plurality of first images and extracts a first image that matches the second image; A battery cell manufacturing device characterized by including an ID assignment device that assigns the ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image matching the second image to the ID of the second electrode assembly.

2. In paragraph 1, A battery cell manufacturing device characterized in that the ID allocation device is a controller of a series of continuous process lines for welding electrode leads to electrodes provided in an electrode assembly, or a main control unit included in the controller.

3. In paragraph 1, The above ID allocation device is, Assigning a virtual ID to the second electrode assembly before the image matching, A battery cell manufacturing device characterized in that the ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image matching the second image is assigned as the ID of the second electrode assembly by replacing the ID of the first electrode assembly with the virtual ID.

4. In paragraph 3, The first image acquisition unit acquires the first image in association with the ID of the first electrode assembly, A battery cell manufacturing device, characterized in that the second image acquisition unit acquires the second image in association with the virtual ID of the second electrode assembly.

5. In paragraph 1, A battery cell manufacturing device characterized in that the image matching unit matches a first image and a second image, each of which includes at least one shape among the following. 1) Shape of the welding area of ​​the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode and the electrode lead 2) Membrane wrinkle shape 3) Overlapping shape of multiple electrode tabs included in the electrode tab laminate 6. A first electrode cutter for cutting a portion where the ID is located from the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode located at one end of the electrode assembly; A first welding device for manufacturing a first electrode assembly by welding a first electrode lead to a portion of the electrode tab laminate remaining after being cut; A first electrode inspection camera for capturing a first image of the first electrode assembly; and A battery cell manufacturing system characterized by including a battery cell manufacturing device of the second clause.

7. In paragraph 6, A second electrode cutter for cutting the electrode tab stack of the second electrode provided in the first electrode assembly determined to be a good product by the controller and / or the electrode tab stack of the second electrode provided in the second electrode assembly to which the ID of the first electrode assembly is assigned; A second welding device for welding a second electrode lead to a portion of the electrode tab laminate remaining after being cut by a second electrode cutter; and A battery cell manufacturing system further comprising a second electrode inspection camera that captures images of the first electrode assembly to which the second electrode lead is welded and the second electrode assembly to which the second electrode lead is welded.

8. In paragraph 6, A loader for loading electrode assemblies having an ID on the electrode tab stack of the first electrode located at one end into the first electrode cutter; and A battery cell manufacturing system further comprising an unloader for unloading first electrode assemblies determined to be defective by the first electrode inspection camera and electrode assemblies inspected by the second electrode inspection camera.

9. In paragraph 8, Further comprising a transport device for moving the electrode assemblies between each device of the system installed between the loader and the unloader, A battery cell manufacturing system, characterized in that the above transport device transports the first electrode assembly determined to be defective to the unloader by bypassing the second electrode cutter and the second welding device.

10. In paragraph 8, A battery cell manufacturing system further comprising a re-input device for re-inputting a second electrode assembly determined to be usable through re-inspection among the first electrode assemblies determined to be defective and discharged by the unloader into a series of continuous process lines.

11. A step of manufacturing a first electrode assembly by cutting a portion where an ID is located from an electrode tab laminate of a first electrode located at an end of an electrode assembly in which a plurality of first electrodes and second electrodes are laminated through a separator, and welding a first electrode lead to the cut remaining portion; A step of inspecting the first electrode assembly based on a first image acquired for the first electrode assembly; A step of comparing a second image acquired for a second electrode assembly determined to be usable through re-inspection among the first electrode assemblies determined to be defective in the above inspection step with the first images of a plurality of first electrode assemblies; and A battery cell manufacturing method, characterized in that it includes a step of assigning the ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image matching the second image to the ID of the second electrode assembly.

12. In paragraph 11, Further comprising a step of assigning a virtual ID to the second electrode assembly; A method for manufacturing a battery cell, characterized in that the virtual ID is associated with the second image.

13. In paragraph 12, A battery cell manufacturing method characterized in that the ID of the first electrode assembly of the first image matching the second image is assigned as the ID of the second electrode assembly by replacing the ID of the first electrode assembly with the virtual ID.

14. In paragraph 11, A method for manufacturing a battery cell, characterized in that a first image and a second image each including at least one shape among the following are matched by comparison. 1) Shape of the welding area of ​​the electrode tab laminate of the first electrode and the electrode lead 2) Membrane wrinkle shape 3) Overlapping shape of multiple electrode tabs included in the electrode tab laminate 15. In paragraph 14, A battery cell manufacturing method characterized in that the first and second images are matched by weighting at least one of the shapes that serve as a reference for the first and second image contrast.

16. In paragraph 11, The above battery cell manufacturing method is performed in a series of continuous process lines, A battery cell manufacturing method, characterized in that the first electrode assembly determined to be a good product in the above inspection step is transferred to a welding process of the electrode tab laminate of the second electrode and the second electrode lead.

17. In paragraph 16, A battery cell manufacturing method characterized in that the first electrode assembly determined to be defective in the above inspection step is discharged from the continuous process line without going through a welding process of the electrode tab laminate of the second electrode and the second electrode lead.

18. In paragraph 17, A battery cell manufacturing method characterized by further comprising a step of determining, if a first electrode assembly that has been judged to be defective and discharged is re-examined and judged to be usable, as a second electrode assembly to be re-introduced into the continuous process line.

19. In paragraph 8, The second electrode assembly is reintroduced into the inspection step to acquire a second image, or A battery cell manufacturing method characterized in that after the second image is acquired, the second electrode assembly is re-introduced to the step after the inspection step.

20. In paragraph 19, A battery cell manufacturing method, characterized in that a second electrode assembly, which is reinserted and assigned the ID of the first electrode assembly, is transferred to a welding process of the electrode tab laminate of the second electrode and the second electrode lead.

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