Pressure measuring unit, battery inspection device, and battery manufacturing equipment including pressure measuring unit

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a pressure measuring unit includes: a main body portion, which is configured to have an upper surface, a lower surface and multiple side surfaces; a connector portion, which is configured to be provided to at least one of the multiple side surfaces of the main body portion; a pressure measuring portion, which is connected to the upper surface of the main body portion and is configured to measure the pressure applied from the outside toward the upper surface of the main body portion; and a control unit, which is connected to the pressure measuring portion and is configured to receive a measured pressure value from the pressure measuring portion and output the received pressure value to a connected communication line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0093345 filed in Korea on Jul. 27, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a pressure measuring unit and a battery inspection device, and more particularly, to a pressure measuring unit detachably attached to each other and a battery inspection device including the pressure measuring unit. Background Art

[0003] Recently, demand for portable electronic products such as laptop computers, video cameras, and mobile phones has increased dramatically, and the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites is also booming. Consequently, research is actively underway into high-performance batteries that allow for repeated charging and discharging.

[0004] Currently available batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium batteries, etc. Among them, lithium batteries have attracted much attention because they have almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, and also have very low self-discharge rate and high energy density.

[0005] Such batteries may swell due to the gas generated therein during charging and discharging or at high temperatures. Accurately detecting the swelling behavior of batteries is important because there is a risk of fire or explosion caused by the swelling of the batteries.

[0006] Conventionally, a device for inspecting battery bulge using multiple load sensors has been disclosed (Patent Document 1). Referring to Patent Document 1, a first plate, multiple load sensors, a second plate, a measurement target (battery cell), and a third plate are stacked, and the first, second, and third plates are secured by multiple fastening members. In particular, because the second plate, positioned between the battery cell and the multiple load sensors, is secured by the fastening members, significant losses are inevitably incurred when bulging pressure from various parts of the battery cell is transmitted to the multiple load sensors. Specifically, Patent Document 1 has the limitation of being unable to accurately inspect battery cell bulge because the movement of the second plate in response to the bulging pressure is restricted by the fastening members.

[0007] In addition, refer to Patent Document 1 Figure 9 , discloses a structure in which the second plate is composed of a plurality of partial plates connected to each other by connecting portions. Since the partial plates are connected to each other, there is a problem in that the bulging pressure applied to one partial plate affects the other partial plates.

[0008] Furthermore, the multiple partial plates of Patent Document 1 are mutually restrained by connecting portions formed of an elastic or ductile material. This means that when inflation pressure is applied to any one partial plate, the pressure is not transmitted solely to the load cell located below it, but rather is dispersed through the connecting portions.

[0009] In view of the above, there is a problem in that the pressure of the battery cell measured by the battery cell pressure measuring device disclosed in Patent Document 1 may be inaccurate.

[0010] (Patent Document 1) KR 10-2017-0042082A Summary of the Invention

[0011] Technical issues

[0012] The present disclosure aims to solve the problems of the prior art, and therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide pressure measuring units that are detachably attached to each other and a battery inspection device including a plurality of such pressure measuring units, so as to inspect swelling of a battery in various aspects.

[0013] These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be understood from the following detailed description, and will become more fully apparent from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, it will be readily understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved by the means shown in the appended claims and combinations thereof.

[0014] Technical Solution

[0015] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a pressure measuring unit may include: a main body portion, which is configured to have an upper surface, a lower surface, and multiple side surfaces; a connector portion, which is configured to be provided to at least one of the multiple side surfaces of the main body portion; a pressure measuring portion, which is connected to the upper surface of the main body portion and is configured to measure the pressure applied from the outside toward the upper surface of the main body portion; and a control portion, which is connected to the pressure measuring portion to receive a measured pressure value from the pressure measuring portion and is configured to output the received pressure value to a communication line connected thereto.

[0016] The connector portion may be configured to include: a power terminal configured to be connected to a power line through which current supplied to the pressure measuring portion and the control portion flows; and a communication terminal configured to be connected to the communication line.

[0017] The connector portion may be provided to each of the plurality of side surfaces of the main body portion, the power terminals respectively included in the connector portion being connected to each other by means of the power lines, and the communication terminals respectively included in the connector portion being connected to each other by means of the communication lines.

[0018] The control portion may be configured to output the pressure value together with a pre-assigned identification number to the communication line.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery inspection device may include: the pressure measuring unit according to one aspect of the disclosure; a lower plate, which is configured in a plate shape; an upper plate, which is configured in a plate shape and is configured to be positioned facing the lower plate; and a fixing frame, which is configured so that a portion of the upper plate is fixedly connected to a portion of the lower plate.

[0020] The pressure measuring unit may be provided in a plurality to the upper surface of the lower plate and include the pressure measuring portion, the upper surface of which is configured in a plate shape so that the battery is placed on the plurality of pressure measuring units, and the pressure measuring unit may be configured to measure a unit pressure value applied toward the lower plate.

[0021] The plurality of pressure measuring cells may be arranged such that connector portions of the pressure measuring cells corresponding to each other are connected to each other.

[0022] The plurality of pressure measuring units may further include coupling portions installed at the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion and configured to be detachably attached to each other.

[0023] The multiple pressure measuring units may respectively include the connector portion and the body portion, the body portion being configured in a cubic shape to include the coupling portion at each of the multiple side surfaces of the body portion, the multiple pressure measuring units being configured so that the pressure measuring units corresponding to each other can be detachably attached by means of the coupling portion, and the multiple pressure measuring units being configured so that the connector portions of the pressure measuring units corresponding to each other are connected to each other.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the battery inspection device may further include: a processor, which is connected to the communication line and configured to receive a plurality of unit pressure values ​​respectively measured by the plurality of pressure measuring units via the communication line, and determine at least one of the pressure distribution of the battery and the pressure size of each part of the battery based on the received plurality of unit pressure values.

[0025] The battery inspection device according to still another aspect of the present disclosure may further include a pressure sensor positioned below the lower plate and configured to measure a battery pressure value applied from the battery toward the lower plate.

[0026] When a sum of the plurality of unit pressure values ​​received from the plurality of pressure measurement units is different from the battery pressure value, the processor is configured to correct each of the plurality of unit pressure values ​​based on the battery pressure value.

[0027] A battery manufacturing device according to still another aspect of the present disclosure may include the pressure measuring unit according to the aspect of the present disclosure.

[0028] Beneficial effects

[0029] The pressure measurement unit according to one aspect of the present disclosure can be considered as a unit module for measuring pressure applied from the outside. Therefore, since multiple pressure measurement units can be combined with each other to form a pressure measurement device (e.g., a pressure measurement pad), the pressure measurement unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has the advantage of providing excellent scalability.

[0030] Furthermore, the battery inspection device according to another aspect of the present disclosure has the advantage of diagnosing various aspects of battery swelling by determining the pressure distribution of the battery and the magnitude of the pressure in each portion.

[0031] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, are used to further understand the technical features of the present disclosure, and therefore the present disclosure is not interpreted as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a pressure measuring unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a pressure measuring unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a coupled pressure measuring unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating another exemplary configuration of a pressure measuring unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram showing the Figure 4 Side view of the pressure measuring cell of the embodiment in direction F.

[0038] Figure 6It is a schematic diagram showing the Figure 4 Side view of the pressure measuring unit of the embodiment in the S direction.

[0039] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the interior of a body portion of a pressure measuring cell according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 8 FIG2 is a diagram schematically showing a battery inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 9 is a diagram schematically showing an exemplary configuration of a battery inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an exemplary configuration in which a battery is inserted into a battery inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating an exemplary configuration in which a plurality of pressure measurement units are connected to each other in a battery inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 12 : is a diagram schematically showing a battery, which is an inspection target of a battery inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and a plurality of pressure measurement units.

[0045] Figure 13 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing still another embodiment of a pressure measuring cell according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 14 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing still another embodiment of a pressure measuring cell according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 15 is a diagram schematically showing another exemplary configuration of a battery inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] It should be understood that the terms used in this specification and the appended claims should not be interpreted as being limited to only the general and dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted according to the meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure based on the principle of allowing the inventor to appropriately define the terms for the best interpretation.

[0049] Therefore, the descriptions presented herein are merely preferred embodiments for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, and it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0050] Furthermore, in describing the present disclosure, when a detailed description of related known elements or functions is deemed to obscure the key subject matter of the present disclosure, the detailed description is omitted herein.

[0051] Terms including ordinal numbers (such as “first,” “second,” etc.) may be used to distinguish one element from another among various elements, but are not intended to limit the elements by the terms.

[0052] Throughout the specification, when a portion is referred to as “including” or “comprising” any element, it means that the portion may further include other elements, but does not exclude other elements, unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0053] In addition, the term "control portion" described in this specification refers to a unit that processes at least one function or operation and can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0054] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as being “connected” to another part, it is not limited to the case where they are “directly connected” but also includes the case where they are “indirectly connected” with another element interposed therebetween.

[0055] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a pressure measurement unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a pressure measurement unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a coupled perspective view illustrating a pressure measuring unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0057] refer to Figure 1 The pressure measuring unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a body portion 110 , a pressure measuring portion 120 , a connector portion 130 , and a control portion 140 .

[0058] The body portion 110 may be configured to have an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of side surfaces.

[0059] Specifically, the body portion 110 may be configured in a polyhedron shape having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of side surfaces. For example, the body portion 110 may be a polyhedron having at least five faces.

[0060] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3In an embodiment, the body portion 110 may be configured in a hexahedron shape. Here, the body portion 110 may have an upper surface, a lower surface, and four side surfaces 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d. Specifically, the body portion 110 may have a first side surface 110a, a second side surface 110b, a third side surface 110c, and a fourth side surface 110d.

[0061] The connector portion 130 may be configured to be provided to at least one side surface among a plurality of side surfaces of the body portion 110 .

[0062] Specifically, the connector portion 130 may be provided to at least one side surface of the body portion 110. Preferably, the connector portion 130 may be provided to each of the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion 110. In addition, the connector portion 130 may include: a communication terminal 131 connected to the communication line CL; and a power terminal 132 connected to the power line PL.

[0063] exist Figure 3 In the embodiment, the connector portion 130 may be provided to each of the first side surface 110 a , the second side surface 110 b , the third side surface 110 c , and the fourth side surface 110 d of the body portion 110 .

[0064] The pressure measuring part 120 may be configured to be coupled with an upper surface of the body part 110 .

[0065] Preferably, the upper surface of the body portion 110 may be configured in a plate shape so that the pressure measuring portion 120 may be placed thereon. That is, the pressure measuring portion 120 may be placed on the upper surface of the body portion 110 and fixedly coupled thereto.

[0066] In addition, the pressure measuring portion 120 may include a pressure measuring element 121 and a cap 122. Figure 3 In an embodiment, the pressure measuring element 121 may be coupled to the upper surface of the body portion 110, and the cap 122 may be coupled to the upper portion of the pressure measuring element 121. For example, the pressure measuring element 121 may be a load sensor capable of measuring pressure, and the cap 122 may be coupled to the upper portion of the load sensor.

[0067] The pressure measuring part 120 may be configured to measure pressure applied from the outside toward the upper surface of the body part 110 .

[0068] Specifically, the pressure measuring portion 120 may be configured to measure the pressure applied to the upper surface of the body portion 110 at the upper side of the pressure measuring portion 120. Figure 3 In an embodiment, the pressure measuring part 120 may measure pressure applied to the cap 122 toward the body part 110 at an upper side of the pressure measuring part 120 .

[0069] The control part 140 may be connected to the pressure measuring part 120 and configured to receive the measured pressure value from the pressure measuring part 120 .

[0070] The control part 140 may be provided inside or outside the pressure measuring unit 100, and may be connected to communicate with the pressure measuring part 120. Preferably, the control part 140 may be provided inside the body part 110.

[0071] The control portion 140 may be configured to output the received pressure value to the connected communication line CL. Here, the communication line CL may be connected to the communication terminal 131 provided in the connector portion 130.

[0072] For example, when a separate processing module is connected to the communication terminal 131 of the connector portion 130, the processing module can receive the pressure value output to the communication line CL by the control portion 140. Here, since the connector portion 130 can be provided to each of the multiple side surfaces of the body portion 110, multiple processing modules can be connected to a single pressure measurement unit 100. Furthermore, multiple pressure measurement units 100 can be interconnected via connections between the connector portions 130. In this case, the multiple communication lines CL included in the multiple pressure measurement units 100 can form a single communication bus, and the multiple power lines PL can form a single power bus.

[0073] That is, the pressure measuring unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can be regarded as a unit module for measuring pressure applied from the outside. Therefore, since multiple pressure measuring units 100 can be connected to each other to form a pressure measuring device (e.g., a pressure measuring pad), the pressure measuring unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has the advantage of providing excellent scalability. For example, when 12 pressure measuring units 100 are provided, the multiple pressure measuring units 100 can be connected in the form of 1 column and 12 rows, 2 columns and 6 rows, or 3 columns and 4 rows. In addition, in order to be symmetrical therewith, the multiple pressure measuring units 100 can also be connected in the form of 12 columns and 1 row, 6 columns and 2 rows, or 4 columns and 3 rows.

[0074] Meanwhile, the control unit 140 provided to the pressure measurement unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may selectively include a processor 500, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, registers, communication modems, data processing devices, etc., known in the art, to execute the various control logics performed in the present disclosure. In addition, when the control logic is implemented in software, the control unit 140 may be implemented as a set of program modules. In this case, the program modules may be stored in a memory and executed by the control unit 140. The memory may be located inside or outside the control unit 140 and may be connected to the control unit 140 by various well-known means.

[0075] Figure 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating another exemplary configuration of the pressure measurement unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram showing the Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a side view of the pressure measuring cell 100 in the direction F according to the embodiment of FIG. Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram showing the Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a side view of the pressure measuring cell 100 in the S direction according to the embodiment of FIG.

[0076] Some of the plurality of connector portions 130 included in the pressure measuring unit 100 may be configured to bulge toward the outside of the body portion 110 rather than the corresponding side surface of the body portion 110. In addition, the remaining connector portions 130 may be configured to be recessed toward the inside of the body portion 110 rather than the corresponding side surface of the body portion 110.

[0077] Specifically, any one of the plurality of connector portions 130 provided to the side surfaces facing each other among the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion 110 may be configured to protrude convexly outward relative to the side surface of the body portion 110. Furthermore, the remaining connector portions 130 may be configured to be recessed concavely inward relative to the side surface of the body portion 110. Here, the shape of the body portion 110 protruding convexly outward and the shape of the body portion 110 recessed inwardly may correspond to each other.

[0078] For example, in Figure 5 and Figure 6 In an embodiment, the connector portion 130 provided to the first side surface 110a may be configured to protrude toward the outside of the body portion 110 rather than the first side surface 110a, and the connector portion 130 provided to the second side surface 110b may be configured to protrude toward the outside of the body portion 110 rather than the second side surface 110b. Furthermore, the connector portion 130 provided to the third side surface 110c may be configured to be recessed toward the inside of the body portion 110 rather than the third side surface 110c, and the connector portion 130 provided to the fourth side surface 110d may be configured to be recessed toward the inside of the body portion 110 rather than the fourth side surface 110d.

[0079] Figure 7 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating the interior of the body portion 110 in the pressure measurement unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0080] The connector portion 130 may be configured to include: a power terminal 132 configured to be connected to a power line PL through which current supplied to the pressure measuring portion 120 and the control portion 140 flows; and a communication terminal 131 configured to be connected to a communication line CL.

[0081] Specifically, the power line PL is a line connecting the power terminal 132, the pressure measuring unit 120, and the control unit 140, and the power introduced from the power terminal 132 is transmitted to the pressure measuring unit 120 and the control unit 140 via this line. The communication line CL is a line connected to the communication terminal 131 and the control unit 140, and the pressure value output by the control unit 140 is transmitted to the communication terminal 131 via this line. Here, the pressure measuring unit 120 and the control unit 140 may be connected via a separate line different from the communication line CL so that the pressure value measured by the pressure measuring unit 120 can be transmitted to the control unit 140.

[0082] Specifically, the connector portion 130 may be provided to each of the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion 110, and the power terminals 132 respectively included in the connector portion 130 may be configured to be connected to each other via the power lines PL. In addition, the connector portion 130 may be configured such that the communication terminals 131 respectively included in the connector portion 130 are connected to each other via the communication lines CL.

[0083] For example, in Figure 7 In the embodiment of the present invention, each of the four connector portions 130 provided to the four side surfaces 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d of the main body portion 110 may include a power terminal 132 and a communication terminal 131. The power terminals 132 of the four connector portions 130 may be connected to one another via a power line PL, and a portion of the power line PL may be branched to connect to the pressure measurement portion 120 and the control portion 140. In addition, the communication terminals 131 of the four connector portions 130 may be connected to one another via a communication line CL, and a portion of the communication line CL may be branched to connect to the control portion 140.

[0084] That is, reference Figure 7 When a plurality of pressure measurement units 100 are provided, different pressure measurement units 100 are respectively connected to the first side surface 110a, the second side surface 110b, the third side surface 110c, and the fourth side surface 110d of one pressure measurement unit 100. In addition, the communication lines CL included in the five connected pressure measurement units 100 may form a communication bus, and the power lines PL may form a power bus.

[0085] The control unit 140 may be configured to output the pressure value together with a pre-assigned identification number to the communication line CL. Here, the identification number may be an identification number assigned to the pressure measurement unit 100 in advance.

[0086] For example, when generating a communication packet to be output to the communication line CL, the control section 140 may include a pre-assigned identification number in a header area of ​​the communication packet and include a pressure value in a data area of ​​the communication packet.

[0087] Assume that multiple pressure measurement units 100 are connected to a single receiver. In this case, if the communication packet does not include an identification number capable of specifying a pressure measurement unit 100, the receiver may be unable to specify which of the multiple pressure measurement units 100 has received the communication packet. Therefore, since the control unit 140 includes a pre-assigned identification number in the header area of ​​the communication packet, the receiver can specify the pressure measurement unit 100 corresponding to the received communication packet among the multiple pressure measurement units 100 by reading the identification number included in the header area of ​​the received communication packet.

[0088] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a battery inspection device 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 9 is a diagram schematically showing an exemplary configuration of a battery inspection device 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0089] refer to Figure 8 , the battery inspection device 10 may include the pressure measuring unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. That is, the battery inspection device 10 may include the above reference Figures 1 to 7 A pressure measuring cell 100 is described.

[0090] In addition, the battery inspection device 10 may include a lower plate 200 , an upper plate 300 , and a fixing frame 400 .

[0091] Here, battery 20 refers to a physically separable, independent battery including a negative terminal 23a and a positive terminal 23c. For example, a pouch-type lithium polymer battery can be considered battery 20. Alternatively, battery 20 can be a battery module in which one or more battery cells are connected in series and / or in parallel. For ease of explanation, battery 20 is assumed to be an independent battery.

[0092] The lower plate 200 may be configured in a plate shape.

[0093] The upper plate 300 may be configured in a plate shape, and may be configured to face the lower plate 200 .

[0094] For example, in Figure 9 In the embodiment, both the lower plate 200 and the upper plate 300 may be configured in a plate shape and may be positioned to face each other.

[0095] The fixing frame 400 may be configured to fixedly couple a portion of the upper plate 300 and a portion of the lower plate 200. That is, the fixing frame 400 may fix a portion of the upper plate 300 and a portion of the lower plate 200 so that the upper plate 300 and the lower plate 200 are positioned spaced apart.

[0096] For example, in Figure 9 In the embodiment, the fixing frame 400 may be coupled with both the upper plate 300 and the lower plate 200 so that the upper plate 300 and the lower plate 200 may be positioned to face each other.

[0097] The pressure measuring unit 100 may be configured to be provided in plural on the upper surface of the lower plate 200 .

[0098] As described above, the pressure measuring unit 100 may include a body portion 110 and connector portions 130 provided to a plurality of side surfaces of the body portion 110. The plurality of pressure measuring units 100 may be configured such that the corresponding connector portions 130 are connected to each other and may be coupled to the upper surface of the lower plate 200. Preferably, in the plurality of pressure measuring units 100, the lower surface of the body portion 110 may be fixed to the upper surface of the lower plate 200.

[0099] For example, in Figure 9 In the embodiment of Figure 4 The pressure measuring unit 100 of the embodiment may be provided in plural. In addition, the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 may be connected to each other in 3 columns and 4 rows based on the xy direction and may be provided to the upper surface of the lower plate 200.

[0100] Furthermore, the pressure measuring unit 100 may be configured to include the pressure measuring portion 120 having an upper surface configured in a plate shape so that the battery 20 may be mounted on a plurality of pressure measuring units 100 .

[0101] That is, the upper surface of the pressure measuring part 120 may be configured in a plate shape so that the battery 20 can be placed thereon.

[0102] Figure 10 Schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of a battery 20 inserted into a battery inspection device 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 10 is an embodiment in which Figure 9 The embodiment further includes a battery 20.

[0103] For example, in Figure 10 In an embodiment, the battery 20 may be interposed between the upper plate 300 and the upper portions of the plurality of pressure measuring units 100. Specifically, the battery 20 may be interposed between the upper plate 300 and the upper surfaces of the pressure measuring portions 120 of the plurality of pressure measuring units 100. Preferably, the upper surface of the pressure measuring portion 120 may be configured in a plate shape so that the battery 20 can be accommodated.

[0104] In addition, the pressure measuring unit 100 may be configured to measure a unit pressure value applied toward the lower plate 200 .

[0105] Specifically, during charging and / or discharging of the battery 20, each of the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 can measure a unit pressure value applied from a portion of the corresponding battery 20 toward the lower plate 200. More specifically, the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 can measure a unit pressure value applied from a portion of the battery 20 that contacts the upper surface of the pressure measuring portion 120 provided to each of the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 toward the lower plate 200.

[0106] For example, reference Figure 9 and Figure 10 Each of the 12 pressure measuring units 100 provided to the upper surface of the lower plate 200 can measure a unit pressure value applied from a portion of the battery 20 in contact with the upper surface of the pressure measuring portion 120 toward the lower plate 200 .

[0107] refer to Figure 9 , the battery inspection device 10 may further include a processor 500 .

[0108] The processor 500 may be configured to be connected to the communication line CL.

[0109] Figure 11 Schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration in which a plurality of pressure measurement units 100 are connected to each other in a battery inspection device 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 11 It is based on Figure 4 An embodiment in which a plurality of pressure measuring units 100 are connected to each other.

[0110] For example, in Figure 11 In the embodiment, the first pressure measurement unit 100a, the second pressure measurement unit 100b, the third pressure measurement unit 100c, and the fourth pressure measurement unit 100d can be configured so that the connector portions 130 having corresponding shapes are connected to each other. That is, the plurality of pressure measurement units 100 can be configured so that the connector portions 130 corresponding to each other are connected to each other.

[0111] For example, the connector portion 130 of the first pressure measurement unit 100a, which has a bulging shape toward the outside of the body portion 110, can be connected to the connector portions 130 of the second and fourth pressure measurement units 100b, which have a concave shape toward the inside of the body portion 110. Furthermore, the connector portion 130 of the second pressure measurement unit 100b, which has a bulging shape toward the outside of the body portion 110, can be connected to the connector portion 130 of the third pressure measurement unit 100c, which has a concave shape toward the inside of the body portion 110. Furthermore, the connector portion 130 of the fourth pressure measurement unit 100d, which has a bulging shape toward the outside of the body portion 110, can be connected to the connector portion 130 of the third pressure measurement unit 100c, which has a concave shape toward the inside of the body portion 110.

[0112] For example, in Figure 11 In an embodiment, when the corresponding connector portions 130 of multiple pressure measurement units 100 are connected to each other, the communication lines CL included in the multiple pressure measurement units 100 can form a communication bus. Furthermore, the power lines PL included in the multiple pressure measurement units 100 can form a power bus. Furthermore, the processor 500 can be connected to the communication terminal 131 of any one of the multiple pressure measurement units 100, thereby connecting to the communication lines CL of the multiple pressure measurement units 100.

[0113] For example, in Figure 9 In the embodiment, the processor 500 can be connected to the connector portion 130 of the pressure measurement unit 100 located in the first row and third column based on the xy direction. In addition, the processor 500 can be connected to the communication lines CL included in the 12 pressure measurement units 100 by connecting to the corresponding connector portion 130.

[0114] Furthermore, the processor 500 may be configured to receive a plurality of unit pressure values ​​respectively measured by the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 via the communication line CL.

[0115] Specifically, the control parts 140 included in the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 may be connected in parallel via the communication line CL. Therefore, the processor 500 may receive the pressure value output by each of the plurality of control parts 140 via the communication line CL.

[0116] Preferably, the control unit 140 can output a communication packet including a pre-assigned identification number and a pressure value to the communication line CL. Therefore, the processor 500 can extract the identification number and the unit pressure value from the communication packet received via the communication line CL. Based on the extracted identification number, the processor 500 can identify the pressure measurement unit 100 among the multiple pressure measurement units 100 that output the corresponding communication packet to the communication line CL. Furthermore, the processor 500 can determine that the unit pressure value extracted from the communication packet was measured by the identified pressure measurement unit 100.

[0117] In addition, the processor 500 may be configured to determine at least one of the pressure distribution of the battery 20 and the pressure magnitude of each portion of the battery 20 based on the plurality of received unit pressure values. To this end, the processor 500 may previously obtain position information of each of the plurality of pressure measurement units 100 on the upper surface of the lower plate 200. Such position information may be input to the processor 500 from the outside or may be directly set in the processor 500 by a user.

[0118] Generally speaking, during charging and / or discharging of the battery 20, battery swelling, in which the volume of the battery 20 increases, may occur. This battery swelling may occur not only in the central portion of the battery 20 but also in the peripheral portion thereof. Furthermore, the peripheral portion of the battery 20 refers to an area excluding the central portion.

[0119] That is, the processor 500 may determine a portion of the battery 20 corresponding to each of the plurality of pressure measurement units 100 based on the connection relationship of the plurality of pressure measurement units 100. Therefore, the processor 500 may determine at least one of a pressure distribution according to swelling and a pressure magnitude of each portion of the battery 20 based on the unit pressure values ​​received from the plurality of pressure measurement units 100.

[0120] Since the battery inspection device 10 can inspect the pressure distribution (swelling distribution) of the battery 20 due to battery swelling and / or the pressure magnitude (swelling pressure) of the battery 20 due to swelling, it is possible to specifically identify a portion of the battery 20 where swelling occurs.

[0121] Furthermore, because the battery inspection apparatus 10 can specifically determine the pressure level at each portion of the battery 20, it advantageously provides information for analyzing the specific cause of battery 20 swelling. For example, based on the pressure distribution and pressure levels at each portion of the battery 20 obtained from the battery inspection apparatus 10, it is possible to distinguish whether the battery swelling is caused by a pressure increase due to gas generation or by the introduction of foreign matter.

[0122] Therefore, the battery inspection device 10 can diagnose various aspects of battery swelling by determining the pressure distribution of the battery 20 and / or the pressure magnitude of the battery 20 caused by the battery swelling.

[0123] Meanwhile, the fixing frame 400 may be configured to adjust the gap between the lower plate 200 and the upper plate 300. Preferably, the position at which the lower plate 200 and the upper plate 300 are fixedly coupled to the fixing frame 400 may be adjusted so that the battery 20 may be fixed between the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 and the upper plate 300. Thus, the distance between the upper surface of the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 and the lower surface of the upper plate 300 may be adjusted.

[0124] For example, in Figure 9 In the embodiment, the fixing frame 400 may be configured to adjust the positions at which the lower plate 200 and the upper plate 300 are fixed in the vertical direction (z direction).

[0125] If the distance between the upper surface of the lower plate 200 and the lower surface of the upper plate 300 cannot be adjusted by the fixing frame 400, there arises a problem in that the size and type of the battery 20 to be inspected are limited.

[0126] Therefore, since the battery inspection device 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the fixing frame 400 configured to adjust the gap between the lower plate 200 and the upper plate 300 , there is an advantage in being able to inspect bulging of batteries 20 having various thicknesses.

[0127] Figure 12 2 is a diagram schematically showing a battery 20 , which is an inspection target of a battery inspection device 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and a plurality of pressure measurement units 100 .

[0128] refer to Figure 12 The battery 20 may include an upper case 21, a lower case 22, an electrode terminal 23, and a housing 24. Here, the electrode terminal 23 may include a positive terminal 23c and a negative terminal 23a. In addition, the housing 24 of the battery 20 may accommodate an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator.

[0129] In addition, the upper surface of the upper case 21 of the battery 20 may contact the lower surface of the upper plate 300, and the lower surface of the receiving portion 24 of the battery 20 may contact the upper surfaces of the plurality of pressure measuring units 100. Figure 12 , the battery 20 having the accommodating portion 24 only in the lower shell 22 is shown, but it should be noted that the battery 20 having the accommodating portion 24 in the upper shell 21 and / or the lower shell 22 can also be applied as the inspection target of the battery inspection device 10.

[0130] Preferably, the number of the plurality of pressure measuring cells 100 may be selected so that the total area 100A of the upper surfaces of the plurality of pressure measuring cells 100 is greater than or equal to the area 20A of the lower surface of the receiving portion 24 of the battery 20 in contact therewith.

[0131] For example, in Figure 12 In the embodiment, the twelve pressure measuring units 100 may be connected to each other. In addition, the total area 100A of the upper surfaces of the pressure measuring portions 120 of the twelve pressure measuring units 100 may be greater than or equal to the area 20A of the lower surface of the receiving portion 24 of the battery 20.

[0132] refer to Figure 1 , the pressure measuring unit 100 may further include a coupling portion 150 .

[0133] That is, the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 may further include coupling parts 150 installed at a plurality of side surfaces of the body part 110 so as to be detachable from each other.

[0134] For example, the coupling portion 150 may further include Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the pressure measurement unit 100 of the embodiment.

[0135] Specifically, the coupling portion 150 may be mounted on a side surface of the body portion 110 of each pressure measuring unit 100. Furthermore, the coupling portions 150 provided to the corresponding pressure measuring units 100 may be detachably attached to each other, thereby enabling a plurality of corresponding pressure measuring units 100 to be coupled to each other. Furthermore, a plurality of pressure measuring units 100 may be coupled via the coupling portion 150, thereby enabling the corresponding connector portions 130 to be connected to each other.

[0136] If multiple pressure measurement units 100 are connected only by the connector portion 130, the connection between the connector portions 130 may be abnormally disconnected when an external force or battery pressure is applied. Therefore, the multiple pressure measurement units 100 may further include a coupling portion 150 located on the side surface of the body portion 110 to improve the connection strength between the corresponding pressure measurement units 100.

[0137] More specifically, the plurality of pressure measurement units 100 may be configured to include a connector portion 130 and a body portion 110 configured in a cubic shape to include a coupling portion 150 on each of a plurality of side surfaces. For example, the body portion 110 may include one upper surface, one lower surface, and four side surfaces 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d, and the coupling portion 150 and the connector portion 130 may be provided on each of the four side surfaces 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d.

[0138] Furthermore, the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 may be configured such that the corresponding pressure measuring units 100 are detachably attached via the coupling portion 150. Therefore, the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 may be configured such that the connector portions 130 of the corresponding pressure measuring units 100 are connected to each other.

[0139] refer to Figure 11 The communication lines CL included in the interconnected pressure measurement units 100 can form a communication bus. Therefore, the multiple control units 140 included in the interconnected pressure measurement units 100 can be connected in parallel. In addition, the power lines PL included in the interconnected pressure measurement units 100 can form a power bus.

[0140] Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, the following will be described. Figure 4 The pressure measuring unit 100 of the embodiment further includes an embodiment of the coupling portion 150. However, it should be noted that the coupling portion 150 can be provided to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The pressure measuring cell 100 of the embodiment of FIG.

[0141] For example, the coupling portion 150 may be formed of a magnetic material and may be attached to some or all of the corresponding side surfaces of the body portion 110. As another embodiment, the coupling portion 150 may be a coating formed by directly applying to some or all of the corresponding side surfaces of the body portion 110.

[0142] Figure 13 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating still another embodiment of the pressure measurement unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0143] For example, in Figure 13 In an embodiment, the coupling portion 150 may be attached to all corresponding side surfaces of the body portion 110 .

[0144] When a plurality of pressure measurement units 100 are connected to each other, the connection strength between the plurality of pressure measurement units 100 can be improved by the attraction between the coupling portions 150 of the corresponding pressure measurement units 100. Therefore, the battery inspection device 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of more stably maintaining the connection between the connector portions 130 of the corresponding pressure measurement units 100.

[0145] Figure 14 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating still another embodiment of the pressure measurement unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] exist Figure 14 In an embodiment, the coupling portion 150 may include a first connection portion 150a configured in a convex shape toward the exterior of the body portion 110, and a second connection portion 150b configured in a concave shape toward the interior of the body portion 110. For example, the first connection portion 150a and the second connection portion 150b are configured to correspond to each other, so that the first connection portion 150a of the pressure measuring unit 100 can be fitted with and coupled to the second connection portion 150b of another pressure measuring unit 100.

[0147] That is, the first connection portion 150 a may be in the form of a protrusion protruding toward the outside of the body portion 110 , and the second connection portion 150 b may be in the form of a groove recessed toward the inside of the body portion 110 .

[0148] Specifically, the first connection portion 150a may be configured to protrude outward relative to the corresponding side surface of the body portion 110. Preferably, the first connection portion 150a may be provided to the side surface of the body portion 110 having the connector portion 130 protruding outward convexly, rather than the side surface of the body portion 110 having the connector portion 130 recessed inwardly. Figure 14In an embodiment, the first connection portion 150a may be provided to the first side surface 110a and the fourth side surface 110d, and the second connection portion 150b may be provided to the second side surface 110b and the third side surface 110c.

[0149] In addition, the protruding length of the first connecting portion 150a may be greater than or equal to the protruding length of the connector portion 130. Specifically, the first connecting portion 150a may be configured such that its length from the side surface of the corresponding body portion 110 to one end is greater than or equal to the length from the side surface of the corresponding body portion 110 to one end of the adjacent connector portion 130. For example, Figure 14 In the embodiment, a length from the fourth side surface 110 d to one end of the first connection portion 150 a may be greater than or equal to a length from the fourth side surface 110 d to one end of the connector portion 130 .

[0150] The recessed length of the second connection portion 150b can be configured to correspond to the protruding length of the first connection portion 150a. Specifically, the recessed length of each of the plurality of second connection portions 150b can be greater than or equal to the recessed length of the corresponding connector portion 130. Here, the protruding length can refer to the length formed in a shape that bulges outward relative to the corresponding side surface of the body portion 110. Alternatively, the recessed length can refer to the length formed in a shape that is recessed inward relative to the corresponding side surface of the body portion 110.

[0151] Therefore, when a plurality of pressure measuring units 100 are connected to each other, the first connection portions 150 a and the second connection portions 150 b corresponding to each other are coupled, thereby effectively preventing the connection between the connector parts 130 of the plurality of connected pressure measuring units 100 from being abnormally released due to external vibration or swelling pressure applied from the battery 20.

[0152] Figure 15 is a diagram schematically showing another exemplary configuration of a battery inspection device 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0153] refer to Figure 8 and Figure 15 , the battery inspection device 10 may further include a pressure sensor 600 .

[0154] The pressure sensor 600 may be configured to be positioned below the lower plate 200. Preferably, an upper surface of the pressure sensor 600 may be in contact with a lower surface of the lower plate 200.

[0155] In addition, the pressure sensor 600 may be configured to measure a battery pressure value applied from the battery 20 toward the lower plate 200 .

[0156] Specifically, each of the plurality of pressure measuring units 100 provided to the upper surface of the lower plate 200 can measure a unit pressure value of a corresponding portion of the battery 20. At the same time, the pressure sensor 600 can measure a total pressure value (battery pressure value) applied from the battery 20 toward the lower plate 200.

[0157] If the sum of the plurality of unit pressure values ​​received from the plurality of pressure measurement units 100 is different from the battery pressure value, the processor 500 may be configured to correct each of the plurality of unit pressure values ​​based on the battery pressure value.

[0158] Ideally, the sum of the unit pressure values ​​measured by the plurality of pressure measurement units 100 may be equal to the battery pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 600. However, since the battery 20 is configured to have one receiving portion 24, the sum of the unit pressure values ​​may differ from the battery pressure value, taking into account situations where battery swelling occurring in one portion of the receiving portion 24 of the battery 20 may affect other portions and / or situations where friction loss occurs due to mechanical coupling relationships between components of the battery inspection device 10.

[0159] Therefore, the processor 500 can more accurately determine the pressure distribution of the battery 20 and / or the pressure magnitude of each portion of the battery 20 by correcting each unit pressure value according to the battery pressure value.

[0160] Specifically, the processor 500 may calculate the error rate between the battery pressure value and the sum of the multiple unit pressure values ​​using the formula "(battery pressure value - sum of the multiple unit pressure values) ÷ battery pressure value × 100." Furthermore, the processor 500 may adjust each of the multiple unit pressure values ​​upward or downward based on the calculated error rate.

[0161] For example, assuming that the battery pressure value is P and the sum of the multiple unit pressure values ​​is 0.9P, the processor 500 may calculate the formula "(P-0.9P)÷P×100" to obtain the error rate (10%) between the battery pressure value and the sum of the multiple unit pressure values. In addition, the processor 500 may increase each of the multiple unit pressure values ​​by 10% and determine the pressure distribution of the battery 20 and / or the pressure magnitude of each portion of the battery 20 based on the multiple increased unit pressure values.

[0162] A battery manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include the battery inspection device 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0163] For example, during the manufacturing process of the battery 20, the battery manufacturing equipment can be used for a testing process. Preferably, the testing process can be performed after the battery 20 has been aged. It can be a process of selecting defective batteries 20 and charging and discharging the batteries 20 multiple times. During this process, the battery 20 can be inserted into the battery inspection device 10. While the battery 20 is repeatedly charged and discharged, the processor 500 can detect the pressure distribution (bulging distribution) of the battery 20 and the pressure level (bulging pressure) of each part.

[0164] Therefore, according to this battery manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an advantage in that batteries 20 having defects (particularly defects related to swelling) can be selected before the batteries 20 are shipped.

[0165] The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, as various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on this detailed description.

[0166] In addition, those skilled in the art may make many substitutions, modifications and changes to the disclosure described above without departing from the technical aspects of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and drawings, and each embodiment may be selectively combined in part or in whole to achieve various variations.

[0167] Reference numerals

[0168] 10: Battery inspection device

[0169] 20: Battery

[0170] 100: Pressure measurement unit

[0171] 110: Ontology Department

[0172] 120: Pressure measurement unit

[0173] 130: Connector

[0174] 140: Control Department

[0175] 150:Connection

[0176] 200: Lower board

[0177] 300:On the board

[0178] 400: Fixed frame

[0179] 500: Processor

[0180] 600: Pressure sensor

Claims

1. A pressure measuring unit, comprising: a main body portion, the main body portion being configured to have an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of side surfaces; a connector portion configured to be provided to at least one side surface of the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion; a pressure measuring portion coupled to the upper surface of the body portion and configured to measure pressure applied from the outside toward the upper surface of the body portion; as well as a control unit connected to the pressure measuring unit to receive the measured pressure value from the pressure measuring unit and configured to output the received pressure value to a communication line connected thereto, In which, any one of the multiple connector parts provided to the side surfaces facing each other among the multiple side surfaces of the main body is configured to protrude convexly outward relative to the side surface of the main body, and the remaining connector parts are configured to be recessed inward relative to the side surface of the main body.

2. The pressure measuring cell according to claim 1, in, The connector portion is configured to include: a power terminal configured to be connected to a power line through which current supplied to the pressure measuring section and the control section flows; and A communication terminal is configured to be connected to the communication line.

3. The pressure measuring unit according to claim 2, in, The connector portion is provided to each of the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion, the power terminals respectively included in the connector portions are connected to each other via the power lines, and the communication terminals respectively included in the connector portions are connected to each other via the communication lines.

4. The pressure measuring unit according to claim 1, in, The control section is configured to output the pressure value together with a pre-assigned identification number to the communication line.

5. A battery inspection device, comprising: The pressure measuring unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a lower plate, the lower plate being configured in a plate shape; an upper plate, the upper plate being configured in a plate shape and configured to be positioned facing the lower plate; as well as a fixing frame configured to fixedly couple a portion of the upper plate to a portion of the lower plate, The pressure measuring unit is provided to the upper surface of the lower plate in the form of a plurality of pressure measuring units and the pressure measuring portion has an upper surface configured in a plate shape, so that the battery is placed on the upper portion of the plurality of pressure measuring units, and the pressure measuring unit is configured to measure a unit pressure value applied toward the lower plate.

6. The battery inspection device according to claim 5, in, The plurality of pressure measuring cells are arranged such that connector portions of the pressure measuring cells corresponding to each other are connected to each other.

7. The battery inspection device according to claim 5, in, The plurality of pressure measuring units further include coupling portions installed at the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion and configured to be detachably attached to each other.

8. The battery inspection device according to claim 7, in, The plurality of pressure measuring units respectively include the body portion, the body portion is configured in a cubic shape to include the connector portion and the coupling portion at each of the plurality of side surfaces of the body portion, the plurality of pressure measuring units are configured so that the pressure measuring units corresponding to each other can be detachably attached by means of the coupling portion, and the plurality of pressure measuring units are configured so that the connector portions of the pressure measuring units corresponding to each other are connected to each other.

9. The battery inspection device according to claim 5, further comprising: A processor is connected to the communication line and configured to receive, via the communication line, a plurality of unit pressure values ​​respectively measured by the plurality of pressure measuring units, and determine at least one of the pressure distribution of the battery and the pressure magnitude of each part of the battery based on the received plurality of unit pressure values.

10. The battery inspection device according to claim 9, further comprising: A pressure sensor is positioned below the lower plate and configured to measure a battery pressure value applied from the battery toward the lower plate.

11. The battery inspection device according to claim 10, in, When a sum of the plurality of unit pressure values ​​received from the plurality of pressure measurement units is different from the battery pressure value, the processor is configured to correct each of the plurality of unit pressure values ​​based on the battery pressure value. 12 . A battery manufacturing apparatus comprising the pressure measuring unit according to claim 1 .

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