Electrode surface inspection apparatus

Abstract

As an embodiment, the present application provides an electrode surface inspection apparatus including: a conveying unit that conveys an electrode; an illumination device that illuminates at least one side of the electrode; and a camera that captures an image including each of a plurality of adjacent regions on the at least one side of the electrode along a longitudinal direction of the electrode, and crops an image of each of a plurality of regions of the electrode from each of the plurality of images to obtain an image of each of the plurality of regions of the electrode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0140199, filed on October 20, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates to an electrode surface inspection device. Background Technology

[0003] With technological advancements and increasing demand for mobile devices, rechargeable batteries are widely used as an energy source for various mobile devices. Furthermore, rechargeable batteries are gaining attention as an energy source for electric and hybrid vehicles, which are being proposed as a solution to air pollution issues associated with existing gasoline and diesel vehicles.

[0004] Based on the shape of their casing, secondary batteries are classified into coin-shaped batteries, cylindrical batteries, rectangular batteries, and pouch batteries. Among these, particularly when inspecting the surface of the electrodes used in cylindrical batteries, there are instances where only certain areas containing electrode contacts and electrode tape are inspected, rather than the entire surface area of ​​the electrodes. Furthermore, since image quality is affected by the uniformity of brightness and the degree of image distortion measured during inspection, there is a potential problem of reduced detection capability.

[0005] [Existing Technical Documents]

[0006] [Patent Documents]

[0007] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0103180 (August 23, 2021) Summary of the Invention

[0008] [Technical Issues]

[0009] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an electrode surface inspection device capable of inspecting the entire area of ​​the electrode surface.

[0010] Another object of this disclosure is to provide an electrode surface inspection device with improved detection capabilities.

[0011] [Technical Solution]

[0012] To address the aforementioned problems, as an embodiment, the present invention provides an electrode surface inspection device, comprising: a conveying unit for conveying an electrode; an illumination device for illuminating at least one side of the electrode; and a camera for capturing multiple images of each of a plurality of adjacent regions along the longitudinal direction of the electrode on at least one side of the electrode, and cropping images of each region of the plurality of regions of the electrode from each of the multiple images to obtain images of each region of the plurality of regions of the electrode.

[0013] [Beneficial Effects]

[0014] As a result, this disclosure provides an electrode surface inspection apparatus capable of inspecting the entire area of ​​the electrode surface.

[0015] As another effect, this disclosure can provide an electrode surface inspection device with improved detection capabilities. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 A plan view of an electrode to be inspected by an electrode surface inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of an electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of an electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 The area captured and cropped by the camera of the electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0020] In the following description, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of explanation, all or part of the configuration may be exaggerated in the drawings.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the drawings or contents described in this specification, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 1 A plan view of an electrode to be inspected by an electrode surface inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Although electrode 10 can be a cylindrical battery electrode used in cylindrical batteries, electrodes used in other types of batteries can also be inspected by the electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Electrode 10 can have a quadrilateral shape, wherein the longitudinal direction L is longer than the width direction W. When manufacturing a cylindrical battery, electrode 10 can be wound with a separator.

[0024] Electrode 10 includes a first region A1 to an nth region An, which are multiple adjacent regions (A) along the longitudinal direction L of electrode 10. That is, the multiple regions (A) of electrode 10 are arranged sequentially along the longitudinal direction L, and one region (A) of electrode 10 is adjacent to another region (or both) of the multiple regions (A) of electrode 10 that is closest to it, such that their boundaries are adjacent to each other. Although the multiple regions (A) are shown to include the first region A1 to the eighteenth region A18, this is merely an example, and the number of multiple regions (A) is not particularly limited. In addition, it can be seen that, for convenience, only a portion of the multiple regions (A) of electrode 10 is indicated by the reference numeral 'A' in the accompanying drawings.

[0025] However, the multiple regions (A) of electrode 10 are used to separately describe the different regions of electrode 10 included in each image captured and cropped by camera 130, which will be described later. However, the multiple regions (A) of electrode 10 do not have visible boundaries with each other.

[0026] The dimensions of each of the plurality of regions (A) of electrode 10 may be substantially the same as each other. In other words, the length and width of each region A of electrode 10 may be substantially the same as each other. In this specification, length refers to the length in the longitudinal direction L, and width refers to the length in the width direction W.

[0027] Meanwhile, electrode 10 may include electrode sheet 11, electrode tab 12, and insulating member 13. Electrode sheet 11 may have an electrode active material applied to at least a portion of the electrode current collector. Electrode tab 12 is disposed on electrode sheet 11 and has a region protruding from electrode sheet 11. Insulating member 13 is disposed on at least one side of electrode sheet 11 and covers the region of electrode tab 12 disposed on electrode sheet 11. For example, insulating member 13 may be disposed on each side of electrode sheet 11 to clamp electrode tab 12. Insulating member 13 may be heat-resistant tape, but is not limited thereto.

[0028] However, the structure of the electrode inspected by the electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the structure of the electrode 10 shown in the figures. For example, the electrode to be inspected by the electrode surface inspection device may have a structure in which a portion of the configuration shown in the figures is omitted, or may have a structure that further includes configurations other than those shown in the figures.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of an electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of an electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] An electrode surface inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes at least one of the following: a transfer unit 110 for transferring an electrode 10; an illumination device 120 for illuminating at least one side of the electrode 10; a camera 130 for capturing multiple images of each of a plurality of adjacent regions (A) along the longitudinal direction L of the electrode 10, including at least one side of the electrode 10, and cropping an image of each of the plurality of regions (A) of the electrode 10 from each of the multiple images to obtain an image of each of the plurality of regions (A) of the electrode 10; a mirror 140 on which light irradiated from the illumination device 120 is incident and the incident light is reflected from the mirror to at least one side of the electrode 10; and a merging unit 150 for forming an image in which the images of each of the plurality of regions (A) of the electrode 10 are sequentially joined.

[0032] The conveying unit 110 conveys the electrode 10, and specifically, the electrode 10 can be conveyed in the longitudinal direction L of the electrode 10. The conveying unit 110 can convey the electrode 10 by including rollers for conveying the electrode 10, but is not limited thereto.

[0033] The illumination device 120 illuminates at least one surface of the electrode 10. The illumination device 120 can directly illuminate at least one side of the electrode 10, or it can indirectly illuminate at least one side of the electrode 10. For example, the illumination device 120 can illuminate the mirror 140, and the light incident on the mirror 140 can be reflected to reach at least one side of the electrode 10. Therefore, the illumination device 120 can indirectly illuminate at least one side of the electrode 10.

[0034] The illumination device 120 may include a first illumination device 121 and a second illumination device 122 illuminating each of the two sides of the electrode 10. Therefore, the illumination device 120 can illuminate both sides of the electrode 10. In other words, the first illumination device 121 can illuminate one side of the electrode 10, and the second illumination device 122 can illuminate the opposite side of the electrode 10. In this specification, one side and the other side of the electrode 10 may be opposite each other in the thickness direction T. Although the first illumination device 121 and the second illumination device 122 can directly illuminate both sides of the electrode 10, it is self-evident that they can also indirectly illuminate both sides of the electrode 10.

[0035] Camera 130 can be disposed on at least one side of electrode 10. However, the fact that camera 130 can be disposed on at least one side of electrode 10 does not preclude the possibility of inserting other configurations between camera 130 and electrode 10. For example, mirror 140 can be disposed between camera 130 and electrode 10.

[0036] The camera 130 captures multiple images of each of a plurality of adjacent regions (A) along the longitudinal direction L of the electrode 10 on at least one side of the electrode 10, and crops an image of each of the plurality of regions (A) of the electrode 10 from each of the plurality of images to obtain an image of the plurality of regions (A) of the electrode 10.

[0037] Camera 130 can be a region scanning camera. Therefore, multiple images can be captured of each of a plurality of adjacent regions (A) along the longitudinal direction L of electrode 10 on at least one side of electrode 10.

[0038] Additionally, the camera 130 may have an adjustable region of interest (ROI) function. Therefore, the camera 130 can use the adjustable ROI function to crop the image of each of the multiple regions (A) of the electrode 10.

[0039] On the other hand, the image captured by camera 130 may include an image of the entire surface area of ​​electrode 10, which includes electrode sheet 11, electrode terminal 12, and insulating member 13. Therefore, the entire surface area of ​​electrode 10 can be examined using the image acquired by camera 130. However, the image of the entire surface area of ​​electrode 10 is not included in a single image, and each image of multiple regions (A) of electrode 10 may exist separately in multiple images. The merging unit 150 can sequentially merge each image of the multiple regions (A) into a single image.

[0040] In the image of each of the multiple regions (A) of the electrode 10 acquired by the camera 130, i.e., in the cropped image, the brightness between each region can be substantially uniform. Specifically, each image of the multiple regions (A) of the electrode 10 can be a grayscale image. In this case, within each image of the multiple regions (A) of the electrode 10, the deviation of grayscale levels (grayscale values ​​from 0 to 255) between pixels can be approximately 5% or less. Each image of the multiple regions (A) of the electrode 10—which is a grayscale image—can be formed by converting a color image to grayscale, but is not limited to this.

[0041] Camera 130 may include a first camera 131 and a second camera 132. The first camera 131 acquires an image of each of a plurality of adjacent regions (A) along the longitudinal direction L of electrode 10 on one side of electrode 10. The second camera 132 acquires an image of each of a plurality of adjacent regions (A) along the longitudinal direction L of electrode 10 on the opposite side of one side of electrode 10. Therefore, camera 130 can acquire an image of each of the plurality of regions (A) on each side of electrode 10. Thus, an image of the entire region on both sides of electrode 10 can be acquired and examined.

[0042] Light emanating from the illumination device 120 is incident on the mirror 140, and the light incident on the mirror 140 can be reflected on at least one side of the electrode 10. However, the mirror 140 may not be necessary when the illumination device 120 can directly illuminate at least one side of the electrode 10.

[0043] Mirror 140 can be tilted between electrode 10 and camera 130. Illumination device 120 can then be positioned on mirror 140 in the region between electrode 10 and camera 130. That is, in this case, illumination device 120 can be a coaxial illumination device. Specifically, mirror 140 can be positioned between electrode 10 and illumination device 120 at a predetermined angle to each of electrode 10 and illumination device 120. For example, mirror 140 can be positioned between electrode 10 and illumination device 120 at approximately 45° angles to both electrode 10 and illumination device 120. Mirror 140 can be camera 130, etc., and can be a semi-transparent mirror to transmit light to camera 130. In this case, light incident from illumination device 120 can be reflected after hitting mirror 140, and can be incident on electrode 10 and then reflected before hitting camera 130.

[0044] Mirror 140 may include a first mirror 141 and a second mirror 142. Light irradiated from the first illumination device 121 is incident on the first mirror 141 and reflected from the first mirror 141 onto one side of the electrode 10. Light irradiated from the second illumination device 122 is incident on the second mirror 142 and reflected from the second mirror 142 onto the opposite side of one side of the electrode 10. Therefore, light irradiated from each of the first illumination device 121 and the second illumination device 122 can reach both sides of the electrode 10 via the first mirror 141 and the second mirror 142, respectively. The first mirror 141 and the second mirror 142 may be tilted to face each other, with the electrode 10 inserted between them. In this case, the first mirror 141 and the second mirror 142 may be tilted in directions opposite to each other.

[0045] The merging unit 150 forms an image in which images of multiple regions (A) of the electrode 10 acquired by the camera 130 are sequentially joined. That is, the merging unit 150 forms an image in which images of the first region (A1) to the nth region (An) of the electrode 10 acquired by the camera 130 are sequentially joined. Therefore, the merging unit 150 can form an image corresponding to at least one side of the electrode 10. When the camera 130 includes a first camera 131 and a second camera 132, the merging unit 150 can form corresponding images corresponding to both sides of the electrode 10. The image formed by the merging unit 150 can be structurally similar to... Figure 1 The surfaces of the electrodes 10 shown are substantially the same. However, since the image formed by the merging unit 150 is in the form of multiple images being joined together, boundaries may exist between the images in the multiple regions (A) of the electrode 10.

[0046] The merging unit 150 can be located inside or outside the camera 130. In other words, the merging unit 150 can be a device embedded in the camera 130 or another device that receives images from the camera 130.

[0047] On the other hand, when inspecting the surface of electrodes—especially those used in cylindrical batteries—there are instances where only a portion of the electrode containing electrode contacts and tape is inspected, rather than the entire surface area of ​​the electrode. Furthermore, since image quality is affected by the uniformity of brightness and the degree of image distortion measured during inspection, there is a potential problem of reduced detection capability.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the present invention, camera 130 captures multiple images of each of a plurality of adjacent regions (A) along the longitudinal direction L of electrode 10, and cropes an image of each of the plurality of regions (A) of electrode 10 from each of the multiple captured images to obtain an image of each of the plurality of regions (A) of electrode 10. Furthermore, the images of each of the plurality of regions (A) of electrode 10 acquired by camera 130 can be sequentially merged into a single image by merging unit 150. Therefore, an electrode surface inspection apparatus capable of inspecting the entire area of ​​the electrode surface can be provided.

[0049] Furthermore, the camera 130 can crop only areas of uniform brightness, and the brightness between each area in the cropped image can be substantially uniform. This can be achieved by setting the cropping line c to crop only areas of uniform brightness. Therefore, an electrode surface inspection device with improved detection capability can be provided, which performs inspection through an image with improved brightness uniformity.

[0050] Figure 4 The area captured and cropped by the camera of the electrode surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0051] The image captured by camera 130 includes one of a plurality of regions (A) on at least one side of electrode 10. However, as shown, the image captured by camera 130 may further include one or more other regions (e.g., two more regions (A) of electrode 10). Accordingly, camera 130 crops the captured image along cropping line c to obtain an image that includes only one of the plurality of regions (A) of electrode 10. That is, the image acquired by camera 130 includes only one of the plurality of regions (A) and does not include one or more other regions (A) of electrode 10. However, the image acquired by camera 130 may include an image of the region surrounding electrode 10. Cropping line c is parallel to the width direction W, and therefore, an image can be acquired including only one of the plurality of adjacent regions (A) of electrode 10 along the longitudinal direction L after cropping.

[0052] In the foregoing, although the invention has been described with reference to limited embodiments and accompanying drawings, the invention is not limited thereto, and it is also apparent that those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can make various modifications and variations within the scope of the technical spirit of the invention and the equivalents of the claims described above.

[0053] In this specification, the order of "first," "second," etc., is for the purpose of distinguishing components from one another and does not imply any priority or absolute order between components. In some parts of this specification, the first component may be referred to as the second component in other parts.

[0054] The terminology and expressions used herein should be interpreted broadly rather than restrictively. As used herein, the term "comprising" does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components besides those described.

[0055] In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form includes the plural form.

[0056] Each embodiment described herein by way of example can be combined with one another, and unless inconsistent, what is described in one embodiment can be similarly applied to other embodiments, even if not described in other embodiments.

[0057] [Symbol Explanation]

[0058] 10: Electrodes

[0059] 11: Electrode plates,

[0060] 12: Electrode connector,

[0061] 13: Insulating components,

[0062] A: Multiple regions of the electrode.

[0063] 100: Electrode surface inspection equipment

[0064] 110: Transmission unit,

[0065] 120, 121, 122: lighting device,

[0066] 130, 131, 132: Camera,

[0067] 140, 141, 142: Mirrors

[0068] 150: Merging unit.

Claims

1. An electrode surface inspection device, comprising: The transmission unit transmits electrodes; A lighting device that illuminates at least one side of the electrode; as well as A camera that captures multiple images of each of a plurality of adjacent regions along the longitudinal direction of the electrode on at least one side of the electrode, and cropps an image of each of the plurality of adjacent regions of the electrode from each of the plurality of images to obtain an image of each of the plurality of adjacent regions of the electrode. The camera is configured with cropping lines to crop only regions with uniform brightness from each of the plurality of images, and only regions with uniform brightness are cropped along the cropping lines. Wherein, each of the images in each of the plurality of adjacent regions of the electrode is a grayscale image, and Within the image of each of the plurality of adjacent regions of the electrode, the gray level deviation between pixels is equal to or less than 5%.

2. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A mirror on which light emanating from the lighting device is incident, and the incident light is reflected from the mirror onto at least one side of the electrode.

3. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A merging unit that forms an image in which images of each of the plurality of adjacent regions of the electrodes are sequentially joined together.

4. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 1, in, The camera is a region scanning camera.

5. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 1, in, The camera uses an adjustable ROI function to crop the image of each of the plurality of adjacent regions of the electrode.

6. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 1, in, The lighting device includes a first lighting device and a second lighting device, the first lighting device and the second lighting device illuminating each of the two sides of the electrode, and The camera includes a first camera and a second camera. The first camera acquires an image of each of a plurality of adjacent regions along the longitudinal direction of the electrode on one side of the electrode, and the second camera acquires an image of each of a plurality of adjacent regions along the longitudinal direction of the electrode on the opposite side of the electrode.

7. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 2, in, The camera is mounted on at least one side of the electrode. The mirror is obliquely positioned between the electrode and the camera, and The lighting device is positioned on the mirror in the area between the electrode and the camera.

8. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 1, in, The electrode includes an electrode sheet, an electrode terminal piece disposed on the electrode sheet and having a region protruding from the electrode sheet, and an insulating member covering the region of the electrode terminal piece disposed on the electrode sheet.

9. The electrode surface inspection device according to claim 8, in, The image acquired by the camera includes an image of the entire surface of the electrode, including the electrode sheet, the electrode terminal block, and the insulating member.

Images