Active tension control architecture and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides an active tension control architecture and a control method thereof. The active tension control architecture comprises at least one idler, a motor power set and a tension sensor. The tension sensor is directly connected to the motor power set through a hardware circuit. The idler is driven by a material to be wound to adjust the winding direction of the material to be wound. The motor power set comprises a motor and a driver electrically connected to the motor. The driver controls the rotation of the motor to drive the idler through output current. The tension sensor detects the tension of the material to be wound to generate a tension signal and transmits the tension signal back to the driver through the hardware circuit. The driver is configured to compare the tension signal with a target tension value and control the rotation of the motor according to the comparison result to achieve tension balance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a tension control architecture and control method, and more particularly to an active tension control architecture and an active tension control method. Background Technology

[0002] Lithium-ion battery cells are typically non-cylindrical (e.g., elliptical or rhomboid), causing significant fluctuations in material tension during winding onto the cells on the production line. This inconsistent tension during cell wrapping leads to a decrease in the quality of the finished lithium-ion battery. Therefore, a tension control architecture to improve the winding process of lithium-ion batteries has been proposed, aiming to increase the frequency and stability of tension control.

[0003] The tension control architecture is mainly used to control the tension of the material when it is wound, so as to ensure the quality of the finished lithium battery by keeping the tension of the material constant.

[0004] In the tension control architecture of related technologies, a host controller (such as a computer or processor) typically sets a target tension value and generates a corresponding torque command based on the target tension value. The motor driver provides a constant output current to the motor based on the torque command, so that the motor, in conjunction with at least one passive wheel used to adjust the winding direction of the wound material, generates a constant thrust, thereby achieving tension balance with the tension on the wound material.

[0005] When the tension of the wound material changes, based on the tension balance relationship, the driven wheel will be pulled by the wound material and change position, thus causing a change in the motor's feedback position. At this time, the motor transmits the feedback position to the upper controller via the communication line. After performing closed-loop calculation based on the feedback position, the upper controller will correspondingly control the release speed of the wound material to restore the tension of the wound material to the desired value. Based on the tension balance relationship, the positions of the driven wheel and the motor's feedback position can both return to their initial position range after the tension of the wound material recovers to the desired value.

[0006] In the tension control architecture described above, the host controller (such as a PLC or PID controller) communicates with the motor and driver via a communication line. Therefore, the transmission of signals and commands is affected by the scanning cycle of the host controller (such as 1ms or 2ms), resulting in communication delays, which in turn affect the accuracy of tension control.

[0007] On the other hand, the upper-level controller controls tension based on the difference between the motor's feedback position and the target position. However, the position change lags behind the tension change to a certain extent. Therefore, adjusting the effect of tension fluctuations on the wound material by the motor's feedback position is not timely enough. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The main objective of this invention is to provide an active tension control architecture and its control method, which transmits signals in real time through hardware circuitry and directly controls tension through tension comparison.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the active tension control architecture is adapted for use with a wound material and includes:

[0010] At least one driven wheel is provided, which is used to pull the wound material to rotate and adjust the winding direction of the wound material.

[0011] A first motor power unit includes a first motor and a first driver electrically connected to the first motor, the first driver being configured to control the rotation of the first motor via an output current to drive the at least one driven wheel; and

[0012] A force sensor, connected to the first motor power unit via a hardware circuit, is configured to detect the tension of the rolled material to generate a force signal, and transmit the tension signal to the first driver via the hardware circuit.

[0013] The first driver is configured to compare the tension signal with a target tension value and generate a comparison result, and control the first motor according to the comparison result to achieve tension balance.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the active tension control method includes:

[0015] a) A first driver controls a first motor to rotate via an output current and drives at least one passive wheel, wherein the at least one passive wheel is rotated by a wound material and is used to adjust the winding direction of the wound material;

[0016] b) A force sensor detects the tension of the rolled material to generate a force signal;

[0017] c) The tension sensor transmits the tension signal to the first driver, wherein the tension sensor is connected to the first driver via a hardware circuit;

[0018] d) The first driver compares the tension signal with a target tension value and generates a comparison result; and

[0019] e) The first driver controls the first motor to achieve tension balance based on the comparison result.

[0020] The technical advantages of this invention compared to related technologies are that it eliminates the communication delay caused by the upper controller to achieve real-time tension control, and directly controls tension based on the tension fluctuation of the wound material, making tension control more immediate. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is an embodiment of the tension control architecture of the present invention (block diagram).

[0022] Figure 2 This is a first embodiment of the tension control architecture of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a first embodiment of the flowchart of the tension control method of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a second embodiment of the flowchart of the tension control method of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 The second embodiment is a schematic diagram of the tension control architecture of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 The third embodiment is a schematic diagram of the tension control architecture of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 The fourth embodiment is a schematic diagram of the tension control architecture of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is an embodiment of a schematic diagram showing the installation position of the tension sensor of the present invention.

[0029] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0030] 1…First Motor Power Unit

[0031] 11…First Motor

[0032] 12…First Driver

[0033] 121…Target tension value

[0034] 13… Third Motor

[0035] 2. 21-28… Passive Wheel

[0036] 3…Tension sensor

[0037] 4…mobile mechanism

[0038] 5…Hardware circuit

[0039] 6…Second Motor Power Unit

[0040] 60…Target Location

[0041] 61…Second Motor

[0042] 62…Second Driver

[0043] 7…received materials

[0044] 8…Host controller

[0045] 9…communication lines

[0046] S10~S24, S30~S36… Control steps Detailed Implementation

[0047] The following is a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Please see Figure 1 This is an embodiment of the block diagram of the tension control architecture of the present invention. The present invention discloses an active tension control architecture (hereinafter referred to as the control architecture), such as... Figure 1 As shown, the control architecture has a first motor power unit 1, at least one passive wheel 2, and a tension sensor 3, wherein the first motor power unit 1 has a first motor 11 and a first driver 12 electrically connected to the first motor 11.

[0049] On the production line, the material to be wound (such as the positive electrode material, negative electrode material, and separator material of a lithium battery) is conveyed from the input end to the assembly equipment. The assembly equipment adjusts the conveying direction of the material through one or more passive rollers 2, allowing the material to move towards the output end and be wound onto the battery cell. During the conveying process, the tension of the material fluctuates due to various factors. One technical feature of this invention is that when a change in the tension of the material is sensed, the first motor power unit 1 can control the thrust applied to at least one passive roller 2 wrapped with the material, thereby keeping the tension of the material constant. In this way, the production quality of related products (such as lithium batteries) can be effectively improved.

[0050] Specifically, the passive wheel 2 is used to adjust the winding direction of the wound material (e.g., Figure 2 As shown, the passive wheel 2 is wrapped with the wound material and rotates under the traction of the wound material. The first driver 12 is connected to the first motor 11 and controls the rotation of the first motor 11 by outputting current. When the first motor 11 rotates, it can drive at least one passive wheel 2, causing the passive wheel 2 to move. The passive wheel 2 can only rotate passively to change the direction of the wound material, but the passive wheel itself does not have active power.

[0051] Tension sensor 3 is positioned at a specific location within the control architecture to continuously detect the tension of the wound material during its transport and generate a corresponding tension signal. In this invention, tension sensor 3 is connected to the first motor power unit 1 via hardware circuitry 5 and transmits the tension signal to the first motor power unit 1 in real time (primarily to the first driver 12). In one embodiment, hardware circuitry 5 may be copper wire.

[0052] The tension sensor 3 may be, for example, a load cell. In one embodiment, the tension sensor 3 may be a load cell in analog voltage form or a load cell in communication form, and transmits the tension signal to the first motor power unit 1 via hardware line 5. Both the first driver 12 and the tension sensor 3 are provided with interfaces corresponding to the hardware line 5 (not shown in the figure), and can be connected via the hardware line 5.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the first driver 12 records a target tension value 121. Specifically, the production line manager can set a reasonable target tension value 121 based on the composition or characteristics of the material being wound, and directly write the target tension value 121 into the memory of the first driver 12. During production line operation, the first driver 12 continuously receives tension signals from the tension sensor 3 via hardware circuitry 5, continuously compares the tension signals with the target tension value 121, and generates a comparison result. The comparison result indicates whether the current tension on the material being wound is greater than, equal to, or less than the expected value (i.e., the target tension value 121).

[0054] One technical feature of this invention is that the first actuator 12 can control the first motor 11 based on the aforementioned comparison results, thereby changing the thrust applied by the first motor 11 to at least one driven wheel 2. The at least one driven wheel 2 is wound with material; when the thrust on the driven wheel 2 changes, it pulls on the wound material, correspondingly changing the tension of the wound material. When the tension of the wound material returns to the desired value due to the pulling of the driven wheel 2, tension balance is achieved.

[0055] In the control architecture of this invention, the tension sensor 3 feeds back the tension value of the wound material to the first driver 12 via hardware circuit 5. Since it is not limited by the communication cycle of the upper controller (e.g., a computer or processor), the signal delay is minimal and can be omitted. Furthermore, the first driver 12 controls the first motor 11 based on the tension value of the wound material to achieve tension balance. Compared to conventional tension control solutions that rely on the feedback position of the first motor 11, this approach achieves a more immediate control effect because it eliminates phase lag.

[0056] Please also refer to Figure 2 This is a first embodiment of the tension control architecture of the present invention. Figure 2 The revealed tension control architecture is mainly applied to production lines.

[0057] The control architecture can have multiple driven wheels 2 based on the actual state of the production line, including at least one movable driven wheel and at least one fixed driven wheel. Specifically, Figure 2 In this embodiment, seven passive wheels 21-27 are used as an example. Passive wheels 21 and 24-27 are fixed passive wheels that can only rotate but cannot move, while passive wheels 22 and 23 are movable passive wheels that can rotate and be displaced by force under the control of the first motor 11. The number and arrangement of the plurality of passive wheels 2 are not fixed. Figure 2 The above is the limit.

[0058] In this embodiment, the tension sensor 3 can be disposed on one of the target passive wheels 2 to detect the tension of the wound material 7 on the target passive wheel. The target passive wheel refers to a passive wheel that meets the setting conditions. In other words, the tension sensor 3 of the present invention cannot be arbitrarily disposed on every passive wheel 2 (details to follow).

[0059] At Figure 2 In this embodiment, the first driver 12 is electrically connected to the first motor 11, and the first motor 11 is connected to the driven wheels 22 and 23 via the moving mechanism 4. In this embodiment, the first driver 12 provides output current to the first motor 11. The first motor 11 rotates based on the output current, and during rotation, it drives the driven wheels 22 and 23 to generate thrust in a fixed direction via the moving mechanism 4. Figure 2 In this embodiment, the passive wheels 22 and 23 can be controlled by the first motor 11 to generate a thrust to the right. At this time, the wound material 7 on the passive wheel 2 is tightened and tension balance is achieved.

[0060] The first driver 12 receives the tension signal transmitted by the tension sensor 3 and adjusts the output current accordingly based on the comparison result between the tension signal and the target tension value 121. In one embodiment, the larger the output current, the greater the thrust generated by the passive wheels 22 and 23; conversely, the smaller the output current, the smaller the thrust generated by the passive wheels 22 and 23. By adjusting the output current through the comparison result between the tension signal and the target tension value 121, the first driver 12 can control the first motor 11 to adjust the thrust on the wound material 7 in conjunction with the passive wheels 22 and 23, thereby restoring the tension on the wound material 7 to the desired value and achieving tension balance.

[0061] For example, the production line manager can set the target tension value 121 to 10 Newtons and record it in the first actuator 12. During production, the tension sensor 3 detects that the tension of the wound material 7 is 9 Newtons, which means that the current state of the wound material 7 is slightly loose (because the tension is less than the target tension value 121). The tension sensor 3 transmits a tension signal to the first actuator 12. The first actuator 12 performs closed-loop control based on the tension signal of 9 Newtons and the target tension value 121 of 10 Newtons, and increases the output current supplied to the first motor 11. After the output current is increased, the first motor 11 drives the driven wheels 22 and 23 to output a thrust higher than the target tension of 10 Newtons to the right to tighten the wound material 7. By being tightened, the tension of the wound material 7 can be restored to the target tension value 121 of 10 Newtons.

[0062] Please also refer to Figures 1 to 3 ,in Figure 3 This is a first embodiment of the flowchart of the tension control method of the present invention. Figure 3 The present invention discloses an active tension control method (hereinafter referred to as the control method), which can be mainly applied to, for example... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The control architecture shown is not limited to this.

[0063] First, the control architecture releases the wound material 7 into the production line from the input end (step S10). Figure 2 In this embodiment, driven wheels 26 and 27 are positioned at the input end of the production line, serving as input driven wheels in the control architecture. More specifically, driven wheels 26 and 27 can be rotated under motor control, thereby conveying the wound material 7 into the production line at a specified speed. Furthermore, the rotational speed of driven wheels 26 and 27 is positively correlated with the speed at which the wound material 7 is conveyed in the production line. To increase the tension of the wound material 7 (tighten the wound material 7), the control architecture can reduce the rotational speed of driven wheels 26 and 27; to reduce the tension of the wound material 7 (unwind the wound material 7), the control architecture can increase the rotational speed of driven wheels 26 and 27.

[0064] When the winding material 7 is input, the control architecture continuously provides output current to the first motor 11 via the first driver 12 (step S12), thereby causing the first motor 11 to rotate and drive the passive wheels 22 and 23 connected to the first motor 11 via the moving mechanism 4, so as to provide thrust to the winding material 7 (step S14). The passive wheels 22 and 23 are rotated by the traction of the winding material 7 and are mainly used to adjust the winding direction of the winding material 7.

[0065] At Figure 2In this embodiment, the driven wheels 22 and 23 are wound around the wound material 7 and bear the pulling force of the wound material 7 towards the left. At the same time, the driven wheels 22 and 23 are controlled by the first motor 11 via the moving mechanism 4, generating a thrust towards the right. Through the provision of the thrust, the tension of the wound material 7 is kept constant.

[0066] When the control architecture is conveying the winding material 7, it continuously detects the tension of the winding material 7 through the tension sensor 3 and generates a corresponding tension signal (step S16). The tension sensor 3 transmits the tension signal to the first driver 12 via the hardware line 5 (step S18). Since the hardware line 5 is not limited by the communication cycle, it can achieve the effect of real-time transmission.

[0067] After receiving the tension signal, the first driver 12 compares the tension signal with the preset target tension value 121 and generates a corresponding comparison result (step S20). Furthermore, the first driver 12 controls the first motor 11 based on the comparison result so that the wound material 7 can maintain tension balance (step S22).

[0068] Specifically, in step S20, the first driver 12 performs closed-loop calculation based on the tension signal and the target tension value 121 to calculate an output current value that can achieve tension balance by moving the passive wheels 22 and 23, and provides this output current value to the first motor 11 so that the first motor 11 performs the corresponding action.

[0069] In one embodiment, the first motor 11 rotates based on the output current provided by the first driver 12 and applies a thrust in a fixed direction to the driven wheels 22 and 23, causing the driven wheels 22 and 23 to displace in that direction and transmit the thrust. After the first driver 12 adjusts the output current, the first motor 11 can control the thrust on the driven wheels 22 and 23 according to the adjusted output current, thereby achieving tension balance.

[0070] After step S22, the control architecture continuously determines whether the conveying of the coiled material 7 is complete (step S24), that is, whether tension control is no longer required. If the determination is no in step S24, the control architecture returns to step S16 to continuously control the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23 through the tension signal detected by the tension sensor 3, so as to maintain the tension of the coiled material 7 constant during the conveying process.

[0071] As described above, one of the technical features of this invention is that the thrust applied by the first motor 11 to the driven wheels 22 and 23 is transmitted by the driven wheels 22 and 23 to adjust the tension of the wound material 7, thereby adjusting the tension of the wound material 7 to the desired value. However, the positions of the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23 cannot be infinitely offset; that is, their movement cannot exceed hardware limitations. Therefore, after achieving tension balance through the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23, a suitable reset mechanism is needed to reset the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23. Only by maintaining the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23 in a roughly constant position can the control architecture of this invention continue to operate.

[0072] Please see Figure 2 In addition to the first motor power unit 1, the control architecture of the present invention may also include a second motor power unit 6. The second motor power unit 6 includes a second motor 61 and a second driver 62 electrically connected to the second motor 61, wherein the second motor 61 and the second driver 62 may be a feed-off spindle motor and a feed-off spindle motor driver used on a production line to control the conveying speed of the wound material 7.

[0073] like Figure 2 As shown, the control architecture includes multiple passive wheels 2, including passive wheels 26 and 27 (which can be referred to as input passive wheels) located at the input end of the production line, and a second motor 61 connected to passive wheels 26 and 27. In this embodiment, the rotational speed of the second motor 61 is positively correlated with the rotational speed of passive wheels 26 and 27, and the rotational speed of passive wheels 26 and 27 is positively correlated with the conveying speed of the coiled material 7. A faster conveying speed of the coiled material 7 results in lower tension; a slower conveying speed of the coiled material 7 results in higher tension.

[0074] The second driver 62 is directly connected to the first motor power unit 1 via hardware line 5 to receive feedback position from the first motor 11. Specifically, the second driver 62 can connect to and receive the feedback position from the first motor 11 via hardware line 5, or it can connect to and receive the feedback position from the first motor 11 via hardware line 5, without limitation. Since hardware line 5 is not limited by communication cycle, the second driver 62 can receive the feedback position instantly and execute the reset procedure of the first motor 11 (and the driven wheels 22 and 23) instantly without delay.

[0075] The production line manager can set a target position 60 based on the actual condition of the first motor 11 and write this target position 60 into the memory of the second driver 62. In this embodiment, the second driver 62 is configured to calculate the position error between the feedback position of the first motor 11 and the target position 60, and adjust the rotational speed of the second motor 61 based on this position error. By adjusting the rotational speed of the second motor 61, the control architecture can adjust the rotational speed of the driven wheels 26 and 27, thereby adjusting the conveying speed of the wound material 7 in the control architecture. After the conveying speed of the wound material 7 changes, the tension it experiences also changes; after the tension of the wound material 7 changes, the positions of the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23 will also be forced to change in order to achieve tension balance. Through the above-mentioned tension adjustment action, the technical effect of resetting the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23 can be achieved.

[0076] Please also refer to Figure 4 This is a second embodiment of the tension control method flowchart of the present invention. During the process of conveying the winding material 7 and controlling the tension change, the control architecture continuously detects changes in the feedback position of the first motor 11 (step S30) and transmits the feedback position to the second driver 62 (step S32). Next, the second driver 62 calculates the position error between the feedback position and the target position 60 (step S34) and adjusts the rotational speed of the second motor 61 based on the position error (step S36). When the rotational speed of the second motor 61 changes, it can drive the input-end driven wheel (e.g., [missing information]) connected to the second motor 61. Figure 2 The passive wheels 26 and 27 are used to adjust the conveying speed of the wound material 7 in the control structure, thereby adjusting the tension (loosening or tightening) of the wound material 7.

[0077] Specifically, in step S34, the second driver 62 performs closed-loop calculation based on the feedback position of the first motor 11 and the preset target position 60 to calculate a motor speed that can adjust the tension of the wound material 7 to a specific value so that the first motor 11 and the passive wheels 22 and 23 can be reset, and provides a corresponding output current value to the second motor 61 based on this motor speed so that the second motor 61 can perform the corresponding action.

[0078] In this embodiment, the second driver 62 is connected to the first motor 11 and the first driver 12 through the hardware line 5, so there is no delay in the transmission of feedback position.

[0079] After step S36, the control architecture returns to normal. Figure 3In step S24, it is continuously determined whether the feeding of the wound material 7 is completed. Similarly, before the feeding of the wound material is completed, the control architecture continuously controls the tension of the wound material 7 through the first driver 12, the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23, and continuously executes the reset procedure of the first motor 11 and the driven wheels 22 and 23 through the second driver 62, the second motor 61 and the driven wheels 26 and 27.

[0080] In other embodiments, the control architecture may also receive the feedback position of the first motor 11 from other devices, and perform closed-loop calculations to obtain speed commands and send speed commands to the second driver 62, without the second driver 62 performing closed-loop calculations (details to follow).

[0081] At Figure 2 In this embodiment, the first motor 11 is a linear motor, and the first driver 12 is a linear motor driver. In this embodiment, the first motor 11 can only apply thrust along a straight line to the movable driven wheel among the plurality of driven wheels 2, causing the movable driven wheel to displace along a straight line to transmit this thrust. Figure 2 In this embodiment, the passive wheels 22 and 23 can only be displaced to the right along a straight line under the control of the first motor 11, thereby adjusting the thrust and achieving tension balance in the wound material 7. However, in the control architecture of this invention, the first motor 11 is not limited to a linear motor.

[0082] Please see Figure 5 This is a second embodiment of the tension control architecture of the present invention. Figure 5 Another embodiment of the control architecture of the present invention is disclosed. (Compared to...) Figure 2 The difference in the embodiments is that, Figure 5 The control architecture includes passive wheels 21-28, which are replaced by a third motor 13. Figure 2 The first motor 11, wherein the third motor 13 is a rotary motor.

[0083] like Figure 5 As shown, the third motor 13 is connected to one of the multiple passive wheels 2, a fixed passive wheel (passive wheel 25 is used as an example in the figure), and is connected to one of the multiple passive wheels 2, a movable passive wheel (passive wheel 24 is used as an example in the figure), through the passive wheel 25 and the moving mechanism 4.

[0084] In this embodiment, the passive wheel 24 (i.e., the movable passive wheel) is wound around the coiled material 7 and is pulled clockwise by the tension of the coiled material 7. Furthermore, the passive wheel 24 can be controlled by the third motor 13 to generate a thrust in the counterclockwise direction, thereby counteracting the tension of the coiled material 7 and achieving tension balance. When the output current supplied by the first driver 12 to the third motor 13 changes, the torque generated by the passive wheel 24 in the counterclockwise direction under the control of the third motor 13 changes accordingly, thereby keeping the tension of the coiled material 7 constant.

[0085] Like linear motors, rotary motors cannot shift their position indefinitely. Therefore, in... Figure 5 In this embodiment, the control architecture also needs to implement the reset mechanism for the third motor 13 and the driven wheels 24 and 25 through the second motor 61 and the second driver 62. The operating principle of the reset mechanism is the same as... Figure 2 The embodiments are the same and will not be described again here.

[0086] As described above, the linear motor (i.e., the first motor 11) and the rotary motor (i.e., the third motor 13) have their hardware limitations; however, as long as the motor's position deviation does not exceed the hardware limitations, there is no need for immediate reset. In this case, even if the execution of the reset procedure is slightly delayed, it will not affect the overall control architecture. Therefore, in other embodiments, the control architecture may not be operated by the second driver 62 connected to the first motor power unit 1 via hardware line 5.

[0087] Please also refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 ,in Figure 6 This is a third embodiment of the tension control architecture of the present invention, and... Figure 7 This is a fourth embodiment of the tension control architecture of the present invention.

[0088] At Figure 6 and Figure 7 In one embodiment, the control architecture further includes a host controller 8. In one embodiment, the host controller 8 may be, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a PID controller, and the host controller 8 is connected to the first motor power unit 1 and the second motor power unit 6 via a communication line 9. The communication line 9 may be, for example, a line enabling Ethernet Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT), but is not limited thereto.

[0089] It is worth mentioning that a production line may contain multiple control architectures to respectively realize the conveying and tension control of multiple coiled materials 7. In other words, multiple control architectures can be connected to the first motor power group 1 and the second motor power group 6 of multiple control architectures through the same host controller 8, thereby synchronizing the control programs of multiple control architectures.

[0090] In this embodiment, the control architecture involves the host controller 8 receiving feedback positions from the first motor power group 1 (i.e., the first motor 11, the first driver 12, or the third motor 13) via communication line 9, and performing closed-loop calculations based on the feedback positions and the target position 60 to generate corresponding speed commands. In this embodiment, the production line manager writes the target position 60 of the first motor 11 or the third motor 13 into the memory of the host controller 8.

[0091] More specifically, the above Figure 4 Step S32 can be performed by the first motor 11, the first driver 12, or the third motor 13 to transmit the feedback position of the motor to the host controller 8. Figure 4 Step S34 can be performed by the host controller 8 calculating the position error between the feedback position and the target position 60, and generating a corresponding speed command based on the position error. In this embodiment, the host controller 8 transmits the speed command to the second driver 62 in the second motor power unit 6 via communication line 9. After receiving the speed command in the next communication cycle, the second driver 62 can adjust the speed of the second motor 61 according to the speed command, thereby adjusting the input passive wheel (e.g., Figure 6 Passive wheels 26 and 27 or Figure 7 The rotational speed of the passive wheels 27 and 28 is adjusted to regulate the conveying speed of the wound material 7.

[0092] Since the host controller 8 receives feedback positions from the first motor 11 or the third motor 13 via communication line 9 and sends speed commands to the second driver 62 via communication line 9, signal transmission is affected by the communication cycle of the host controller 8 (e.g., 1ms or 2ms), resulting in communication delay. However, as mentioned earlier, the reset procedures for the linear motor, rotary motor, and movable passive wheel do not need to be executed immediately, and a slight delay is acceptable. Therefore, even if the host controller 8 used for synchronization control in the production line is used in this embodiment, it will not affect the accuracy of tension control or the quality of the finished lithium battery product.

[0093] In one embodiment, the control architecture may employ a one-dimensional tension sensor 3, meaning that the force sensing direction of the tension sensor 3 is singular; for example, it can only sense force on the X-axis and not on the Y-axis or Z-axis. Therefore, the tension sensor 3 can only be installed on a target passive wheel among multiple passive wheels 2 that meets a specific force sensing condition.

[0094] Please see Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the tension sensor's installation position according to the present invention. The target passive wheel refers to one or more passive wheels 2 on the control architecture that meet the force-sensing condition, and the force-sensing condition refers to the vector sum of the tension of the wound material 7 on this passive wheel being constant.

[0095] When installing the tension sensor 3 onto the control architecture, the installer can first find a target passive wheel that meets the force-sensing conditions. Then, the tension sensor 3 is adjusted so that its force-sensing direction is consistent with the vector sum of the tension of the wound material 7 on this target passive wheel before the tension sensor 3 is installed on the target passive wheel. Thus, the tension sensor 3 can sense the tension of the wound material 7 on the target passive wheel.

[0096] At Figure 2 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the embodiments described, the tension sensor 3 is placed on the passive wheel 21 as an example, but the placement of the tension sensor 3 is not limited to this. For example, the outer side of the passive wheel 25 is wrapped with the wound material 7, and the force it experiences includes a force to the right and a force to the bottom. During the conveying process of the wound material 7, the vector sum of the tensions experienced by the passive wheel 25 is fixed to the lower right. In this embodiment, the passive wheel 25 meets the above-mentioned force sensing conditions and can be used as a target passive wheel, so the tension sensor 3 can be placed on the passive wheel 25.

[0097] For example, the outer side of the passive wheel 24 is wrapped with the wound material 7, and the forces it experiences include upward and rightward forces. During the conveying of the wound material 7, the vector sum of the tensions experienced by the passive wheel 24 is fixed to the upper right. In this embodiment, the passive wheel 24 also meets the above-mentioned force-sensing conditions and can be used as a target passive wheel.

[0098] The control architecture of this invention primarily uses hardware circuitry to transmit necessary signals, achieving real-time tension control by eliminating communication delays caused by the upper-level controller. Furthermore, this invention's control architecture monitors tension fluctuations in the wound material and directly controls the tension, resulting in more immediate tension control compared to techniques that monitor motor position changes.

[0099] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the claims of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent variations made using the content of the present invention are similarly included within the scope of the present invention and are hereby stated.

Claims

1. An active tension control architecture, suitable for use in conjunction with the material being wound, and comprising: At least one driven wheel is provided, which is used to rotate the wound material and adjust the winding direction of the wound material. The first motor power unit includes a first motor and a first driver electrically connected to the first motor, the first driver being configured to control the rotation of the first motor by outputting current to drive the at least one passive wheel; and A tension sensor, connected to the first motor power unit via hardware circuitry, is configured to detect the tension of the wound material to generate a tension signal, and transmit the tension signal to the first driver via the hardware circuitry. The first driver is configured to compare the tension signal with the target tension value and generate a comparison result, and control the first motor according to the comparison result to achieve tension balance. The first motor is configured to rotate based on the output current to drive the at least one passive wheel to generate thrust in a fixed direction, and the first driver is configured to adjust the magnitude of the output current according to the comparison result, so that the first motor drives the passive wheel to adjust the thrust to achieve tension balance. It also includes a second motor power unit, which includes a second motor and a second driver electrically connected to the second motor. The second driver is configured to adjust the rotational speed of the second motor based on the positional error between the feedback position of the first motor and the target position. The second motor is configured to connect to and drive the input end passive wheel used to release the wound material.

2. The active tension control architecture of claim 1, further comprising a moving mechanism, wherein the first motor is connected to the at least one passive wheel via the moving mechanism, and the first motor is configured to rotate based on the output current to change the thrust applied to the at least one passive wheel via the moving mechanism.

3. The active tension control architecture according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of passive rollers, wherein the tension sensor is disposed on a target passive roller among the plurality of passive rollers, the vector sum of the tension of the wound material on the target passive roller is constant, and the sensing direction of the tension sensor is consistent with the vector sum of the tension of the wound material on the target passive roller.

4. The active tension control architecture according to claim 3, wherein the first motor is a linear motor, and the linear motor adjusts the thrust applied to the passive wheel along a straight line.

5. The active tension control architecture according to claim 3, wherein the first motor is a rotary motor, the rotary motor rotates to adjust the thrust applied to the passive wheel, thereby changing the torque generated by the controlled passive wheel.

6. The active tension control architecture according to claim 1, wherein the second driver is connected to the first motor power group via a second hardware line, and receives the feedback position from the first motor power group via the second hardware line.

7. The active tension control architecture according to claim 1, further comprising a host controller connecting the first motor power group and the second motor power group, the host controller being configured to receive the feedback position of the first motor from the first motor power group, calculate the position error based on the feedback position and the target position, calculate a speed command based on the position error, and transmit the speed command to the second motor power group, wherein the second driver is configured to adjust the speed of the second motor based on the speed command.

8. An active tension control method, applied to an active tension control architecture including at least one passive wheel, a first motor, and a first driver electrically connected to the first motor, wherein the active tension control method includes: a) The first driver controls the first motor to rotate by outputting current and drives the at least one passive wheel, wherein the at least one passive wheel is rotated by the traction of the wound material and is used to adjust the winding direction of the wound material; b) The tension of the wound material is detected by the tension sensor of the active tension control architecture to generate a tension signal; c) The tension sensor transmits the tension signal to the first driver, wherein the tension sensor is connected to the first driver via hardware circuitry; d) The first driver compares the tension signal with the target tension value and generates a comparison result; and e) The first driver controls the first motor to achieve tension balance based on the comparison result; f) Detect changes in the feedback position of the first motor; g) Calculate the position error between the feedback position and the target position; and h) Adjust the rotational speed of the second motor of the active tension control architecture according to the position error, wherein the second motor is used to connect to and drive the input passive wheel used to release the wound material.

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