Method and device for checking electrode abnormity

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a method and apparatus for inspecting an electrode abnormality may be provided. The method for inspecting an electrode abnormality includes the steps of: photographing a surface of an inspection object on which a plurality of electrodes are stacked, and generating at least one visual photographed image; generating at least one tomographic image in which tomographic is performed on a side portion of at least one corner region of the examination object based on the at least one visual photographic image of the examination object; generating a three-dimensional image of the examination object based on the at least one visual photographic image and the at least one tomographic image; and performing an electrode abnormality check on the plurality of electrodes based on the three-dimensional image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a device for detecting electrode abnormality. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a battery pack for a vehicle is manufactured in the form of a battery module composed of multiple battery cells, which is then assembled into a battery pack that is finally installed in a vehicle. This battery module is assembled by stacking and joining a certain number of battery cells to meet the required voltage and capacity standards.

[0003] However, when stacking multiple battery cells, battery cell stack alignment management is critical to ensure additional component assembly, electrical connection quality, and cooling performance in subsequent processes.

[0004] The battery cell is composed of a negative electrode plate, a positive electrode plate, and a separator inserted between the negative electrode plate and the positive electrode plate. The negative electrode plate is provided with a negative electrode lead, and the positive electrode plate is provided with a positive electrode lead. This battery cell is composed of a structure in which the negative electrode plate, the separator, and the positive electrode plate are stacked in sequence, that is, a multi-layer structure wrapped in a pouch.

[0005] Batteries constructed in this form store and release electrical energy through chemical reactions that occur on electrodes during charging and discharging. If the position of the electrodes is not accurate, problems may occur during the charging and discharging process. Therefore, measuring and checking the accurate position of the electrodes is one of the important processes to ensure the performance of secondary batteries.

[0006] As a device for inspecting whether the positions of the electrodes are accurately aligned, an inspection machine is used. The inspection machine uses radiation such as X-rays to accurately measure the positions of the electrodes inside the battery and analyzes the measured radiation to determine the positional accuracy of the electrodes.

[0007] In order to check the alignment of the electrodes of these battery cells, whether a gap is generated between the electrodes is measured at the edge area of ​​the jelly-roll. However, only measuring the gap in the diagonal direction of the jelly-roll may cause errors in the alignment check.

[0008] As a solution to this problem, a battery cell electrode alignment inspection method is disclosed, which is capable of measuring the gap size data between the negative plate and the positive plate at two points in the edge area of ​​the battery cell and reflecting it in an image obtained by X-ray photography, calculating the precise gap between the nearest electrode plates, and checking whether it is good or not based on the calculated alignment information.

[0009] However, this disclosure still cannot detect electrode abnormalities occurring in blind spots because it uses tomographic images taken at two different points of the battery cell, ie, partial areas of the battery, to determine the electrode alignment state. Summary of the invention

[0010] 1. Technical issues to be resolved

[0011] The present disclosure can provide a method and device for detecting electrode abnormalities, so as to improve the reliability of abnormality judgment detection results of multi-layer structure battery electrodes.

[0012] Problems to be solved by various embodiments are not limited to the mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0013] The method and device for judging electrode abnormality disclosed in the present invention can be widely used in electric vehicles, battery charging stations and other green technology fields such as solar power generation and wind power generation using batteries.

[0014] The method and device for determining electrode abnormality disclosed in the present invention can be used in eco-friendly electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc., which prevent climate change by suppressing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0015] (II) Technical solution

[0016] According to one embodiment, a method for inspecting electrode abnormalities may be provided, the method comprising the following steps: photographing one side of an inspection object having a plurality of electrodes stacked thereon, and generating at least one visual photographic image; generating at least one tomographic image by performing tomography on a side portion of at least one angular region of the inspection object based on the at least one visual photographic image of the inspection object; generating a three-dimensional image of the inspection object based on the at least one visual photographic image and the at least one tomographic image; and performing an electrode abnormality inspection on the plurality of electrodes based on the three-dimensional image.

[0017] In the step of generating the at least one visual photographic image, a center point of the one surface may be determined in the visual photographic image, and setting information of the first electrode extracted from the visual photographic image may be determined based on the center point.

[0018] In the step of generating the at least one tomographic image, tomography may be performed on a side portion of the at least one angular region of the inspection object with reference to the central point.

[0019] In the step of generating the three-dimensional image of the inspection object, the three-dimensional image of the inspection object may be generated based on electrode arrangement information included in the at least one tomographic image of the side of the at least one corner region.

[0020] In the step of generating a three-dimensional image of the inspection object, a predicted electrode arrangement image of the side portions of other angular regions among the plurality of electrodes of the inspection object excluding the side portion of the at least one angular region where tomography is performed may be generated based on the electrode arrangement information.

[0021] In the step of generating a three-dimensional image of the inspection object, the setting information of each of the multiple electrodes can be determined based on the electrode arrangement information and with the determined center point of the one surface as a reference, and the three-dimensional image may include an overall image of each of the multiple electrodes reconstructed based on the setting information of each of the multiple electrodes.

[0022] Here, when the at least one angular region is two angular regions, the at least one angular region may be two angular regions that are not adjacent to each other.

[0023] According to another embodiment, a device for inspecting electrode abnormalities may be provided, the device comprising: a photographic control unit, which photographs one side of an inspection object having a plurality of stacked electrodes and generates at least one visual photographic image, and generates at least one tomographic image for performing tomography on a side portion of at least one angular region of the inspection object based on the at least one visual photographic image of the inspection object; an inspection object image generating unit, which generates a three-dimensional image of the inspection object based on the at least one visual photographic image and the at least one tomographic image; and an electrode inspection unit, which performs electrode abnormality inspection on the plurality of electrodes based on the three-dimensional image.

[0024] The photography control unit may determine a center point of the one surface in the visual photography image, and may determine the setting information of the first electrode extracted from the visual photography image based on the center point.

[0025] The imaging control unit may perform tomography on a side portion of the at least one angular region of the inspection object with reference to the central point.

[0026] The inspection object image generation unit may generate the three-dimensional image of the inspection object based on electrode arrangement information included in the at least one tomographic image of the side portion of the at least one corner region.

[0027] The inspection object image generation unit may generate a predicted electrode arrangement image of side portions of other angular regions excluding the side portion of the at least one angular region where tomography is performed among the plurality of electrodes of the inspection object based on the electrode arrangement information.

[0028] The inspection object image generating unit can determine the setting information of each of the multiple electrodes based on the electrode arrangement information and with the determined center point of the one surface as a reference, and the three-dimensional image can include an overall image of each of the multiple electrodes reconstructed based on the setting information of each of the multiple electrodes.

[0029] Here, when the at least one angular region is two angular regions, the at least one angular region may be two angular regions that are not adjacent to each other.

[0030] (III) Beneficial effects

[0031] According to various embodiments, the alignment state of the corner region of the electrode not photographed can be accurately predicted based on the visual photographic image and the tomographic image photographing a portion of the inspection object.

[0032] According to various embodiments, by performing electrode abnormality inspection using a three-dimensional image that accurately reflects the inspection object, the speed and accuracy of judging the state of the inspection object can be improved, thereby reducing the consumption of materials used for defective batteries and reducing the manpower invested in maintaining battery production quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 2 : is a diagram schematically showing a partial configuration of an imaging system for imaging an inspection object in an apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0035] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an imaging direction of an imaging system for an inspection object in an electrode inspection apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0036] Figure 4 2 is a diagram schematically dividing the configuration of a processing unit for determining an electrode state of a battery in a device according to one embodiment according to functions.

[0037] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an operation of extracting a diaphragm and a cathode electrode of an inspection object to be photographed by an apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0038] Figure 6FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing electrode arrangement information acquired from a side portion of an imaged inspection object by an apparatus according to an embodiment and electrode arrangement information predicted based on the electrode arrangement information.

[0039] Figure 7 is a diagram schematically showing electrodes reconstructed in a three-dimensional image generated by an apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0040] Figure 8 1 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of an apparatus according to one embodiment generating a three-dimensional image of an inspection object and performing an electrode abnormality inspection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Below, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, since various changes can be made to the embodiments, the scope of the rights of this patent application is not limited or defined by these embodiments. It should be understood that all changes, equivalents or substitutes to the embodiments are included in the scope of rights.

[0042] The terms used in the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions. It should be understood that in this specification, terms such as "including" or "having" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof recorded in the specification, and do not preclude the presence or possibility of adding more than one other feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as those generally understood by ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the embodiments belong. Commonly used terms such as those defined in dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or overly formal meaning unless clearly defined in this application.

[0044] In addition, when describing with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the figure numbers, and their repeated descriptions will be omitted. When describing the embodiments, when it is judged that the detailed description of the related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiments, its detailed description will be omitted.

[0045] In addition, when describing the components of the embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by these terms.

[0046] It should be understood that when one component is described as being “connected,” “coupled” or “coupled” to another component, the one component may be directly connected or coupled to the other component, but other components may also be “connected,” “coupled” or “coupled” between the components.

[0047] In addition, it should be understood that when a component is described as being “connected” or “coupled” to another component through communication, one component may be connected or coupled to another component through wireless or wired communication, but each component may also be “connected” or “coupled” to other components.

[0048] In other embodiments, the same names are used to describe components having common functions with components included in one embodiment. Unless otherwise stated, the description described in one embodiment may be applicable to other embodiments, and detailed description will be omitted within the scope of duplication.

[0049] The “data” processed in the device and / or the device may be expressed by the term “information.” Here, information may be used as a concept including data.

[0050] The present disclosure relates to a method and device for checking electrode abnormality. More specifically, it relates to a method and device for checking electrode abnormality of a multilayer structure battery with stacked positive and negative electrodes, and can provide a method and device for checking electrode alignment, obtaining an image of at least a portion of a battery inspection object having electrodes by visual photography and tomography, and generating a three-dimensional image of the inspection object based on the obtained image.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment, a battery cell may include an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a separator are repeatedly arranged, and the electrode assembly may be referred to as a jelly roll (J / R). The battery cell may further include a shell for accommodating the electrode assembly. The shell may be a pouch-type shell, but is not limited thereto, and may have various forms, such as a prismatic shell, a cylindrical shell, and the like. In this specification, a multilayer structure battery may refer to the electrode assembly or an unfinished electrode assembly in which the stacking process for forming the electrode assembly is not yet completed.

[0052] Here, the battery electrode abnormality may include at least a portion of, for example, poor electrode alignment, missing electrodes, duplicate electrodes, and electrode deformation (eg, twisting or bending, etc.).

[0053] According to various embodiments, visual photography refers to photography of the appearance of the inspection object, and may include photography using a camera including an image sensor (or video sensor).

[0054] Tomography refers to photographing a cross section (or cut surface) of an object under examination. For example, a tomography method may include computed tomography (CT).

[0055] According to various embodiments, a method and apparatus for performing CT imaging of an inspection object using X-rays may be described, but the invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to a method and apparatus for imaging an inspection object using various methods such as gamma-rays and lasers.

[0056] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings attached to this specification together with the specific implementation are used to further understand the technical concept, and therefore the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to the matters shown in these drawings.

[0057] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0058] Reference Figure 1 , the device 100 may include a processing unit 110 , a storage unit 120 and a communication unit 130 .

[0059] The processing unit 110 can process control commands related to performance judgment of the electrode inspection instrument through at least one program (app, application, tool, plug-in, software, etc., hereinafter referred to as an electrode abnormality judgment program). At this time, the electrode abnormality judgment program can be stored in the storage unit 120 of the device 100 and / or the storage unit of a device connected to the device 100.

[0060] The processing unit 110 may share processing data and / or processing results with at least one device (eg, a user device) connected to the device 100 through the electrode abnormality determination program.

[0061] In various embodiments below, the device 100 performing an operation according to a control command may be understood as performing a designated operation through at least one program of the device 100 related to processing at least one control command and / or an electrode abnormality determination program.

[0062] Here, the processing control command is described as being executed by the at least one program and / or electrode abnormality determination program installed in the device 100, but is not limited thereto and may be provided by other programs pre-installed in the storage unit 120 or a temporarily installed program.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the process control command may be executed by at least a portion of a database provided for free or for a fee in an external device connected to the device 100 .

[0064] The operation of the device 100 can be performed based on data processing and device control of the processing unit 110, and the processing unit 110 can perform a designated function based on a control command received through an input / output unit (not shown) and / or a communication unit of the device 100.

[0065] In addition, the processing unit 110 can process based on the identified user when processing the data acquired through the communication unit 130. For example, the processing unit 110 can identify the user based on the user device and / or user information connected through the communication unit 130, and can perform an operation based on a control command input by the identified user.

[0066] The storage unit 120 may store various data processed by at least one component of the device 100 (e.g., the processing unit 110 or the communication unit 130). The data may include, for example, a program for processing a control command, data processed by the program, and / or input data and output data related thereto.

[0067] The storage unit 120 may include an algorithm including at least a portion of an artificial neural network algorithm, a blockchain algorithm, a deep learning algorithm, a regression analysis algorithm, and mechanisms, operators, language models, and big data related thereto for processing control commands.

[0068] For example, the storage unit 120 may store at least one algorithm configured to extract a preset parameter value from an image photographing the inspection object and calculate the extracted parameter value to detect abnormalities of electrodes forming the inspection object.

[0069] The storage unit 120 may include data for confirming and processing designated control and operation through a signal received by each device included in the input / output unit.

[0070] The operations described as functions of the storage unit 120 are processed by the processing unit 110 , and data for processing related operations, data in process, processed data, preset data, etc. are stored in the storage unit 120 as a database.

[0071] For the data stored in the storage unit 120 , the processing unit 110 may change, modify, delete, and / or generate new data based on the user input of the identified user.

[0072] The storage unit 120 may store device setting information of the device 100. The device setting information may be setting information about the device 100 and at least a part of functions and services provided by the device 100.

[0073] The storage unit 120 may store user information (or a user account) of at least one user. Here, the user may include an administrator having control authority over the device 100.

[0074] The storage unit 120 may include a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory and / or a computer-readable recording medium such as the above. In this case, the computer-readable recording medium may store a computer program for executing the operation of determining battery electrode abnormality based on the apparatus 100 of various embodiments.

[0075] The communication unit 130 may support establishing a wired communication channel, establishing a wireless communication channel, and performing communication through the established communication channel between the device 100 and at least one other device (eg, a user device or a server).

[0076] The communication unit 130 may perform operations such as modulation / demodulation and encryption / decoding in the process of performing communication, which is obvious to those skilled in the art, and thus a detailed description will be omitted.

[0077] The communication unit 130 may operate dependently on or independently of the processing unit 110 and may include one or more communication processors that support wireless communication and / or wired communication.

[0078] According to one embodiment, when the communication unit 130 supports wireless communication, the communication unit 130 may include a wireless communication module, such as at least a portion of a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module.

[0079] When the communication unit 130 supports wired communication, the communication unit 130 may include a wired communication module, such as at least a portion of a local area network (LAN) communication module, a power line communication module, and a controller area network (CAN) communication module.

[0080] More specifically, the communication unit 130 can conduct wired and / or wireless communication with external devices through short-range communication networks such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), WiFi, WiFi direct, infrared data association (IrDA), ZigBee, UWB and Radio Frequency (RF) and / or long-range communication networks such as cellular networks, the Internet or computer networks (e.g., LAN or WAN).

[0081] Various types of communication modules constituting the communication unit 130 may be integrated into one component (eg, a single chip) or may be implemented as separate multiple components (eg, multiple chips).

[0082] According to various embodiments, the device 100 or user device may include at least a portion of the functions of all information communication devices such as mobile communication terminals, multimedia terminals, wired terminals, fixed terminals and Internet protocol (IP) terminals.

[0083] The apparatus 100 is an apparatus for processing a control command, which may be configured to include at least a part of the functions in a workstation or a large-capacity database or through a communication connection.

[0084] User devices connected to the device 100 may include mobile phones, personal computers (PCs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), mobile internet devices (MIDs), smartphones, tablet PCs, phablet PCs, notebooks, etc.

[0085] According to various embodiments, the user device may be described as a device connected to and communicating with the device 100. For example, although not shown in the drawings, the user device may be a user smartphone that is connected to the device 100 through wireless communication and sends user input so that the device 100 processes operations related to performance determination of the electrode inspection instrument.

[0086] The user device may be connected to the device 100 through at least one installed program, or may be connected to the device 100 through at least one online web page provided by the device 100. To this end, the device 100 may include at least a part of the functions of a terminal for processing operations for performance judgment of the electrode inspection instrument.

[0087] The server is an entity existing on the network, performing the role of a web server, a database server and an application server. According to a preferred embodiment, the server can provide various services to the device 100 and / or the user device based on the processing of the device 100.

[0088] In connection with this, Figure 2 : is a diagram schematically showing a partial configuration of an imaging system for imaging an inspection object in an apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 3 Schematically shows the imaging direction of the imaging system of the inspection object in the electrode inspection apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 4 2 is a diagram schematically dividing the configuration of a processing unit for determining an electrode state of a battery in a device according to one embodiment according to functions.

[0089] First, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The apparatus 100 may include a photographic system for photographing the inspection object 21, and the photographic system may include a visual photographic system for photographing the outer shape of the inspection object 21 and a tomographic system for photographing a cross-section (or cutting surface) of the inspection object.

[0090] Here, the inspection object 21 is a multilayer structure battery formed by stacking multiple electrodes (or electrode layers), and the photographic system can be configured to photograph one side of the inspection object 21 during the process of stacking the electrodes of the inspection object 21 or at the time point when the electrode stacking process is completed.

[0091] The electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 are composed of a thin film-shaped diaphragm, a negative (-) electrode, and a positive (+) electrode stacked in a state. More specifically, the electrodes may be composed of a state in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are cross-stacked between diaphragms, such as a diaphragm, a negative (-) electrode, a diaphragm, a positive (+) electrode, a diaphragm, a negative (-) electrode, ..., a diaphragm, a negative (-) electrode, and a diaphragm. At this time, an electrolyte may exist between the positive (+) and negative (-) electrodes. Here, the arrangement order of the negative and positive electrodes may be changed.

[0092] Hereinafter, when describing various embodiments, one of a positive electrode (+) and a negative electrode (−) may be expressed as a first electrode, and the other may be expressed as a second electrode.

[0093] At this time, the photographing unit of the visual photographing system may be configured to photograph the surface of the separator, the cathode electrode, or the cathode electrode of the inspection object 21 .

[0094] For example, the photographing unit of the visual photographing system may be configured to photograph the inspection object 21 and include the entire side (eg, the upper surface) of the inspection object 21 in the image. To this end, the photographing unit of the visual photographing system may be configured to include at least one camera 201 .

[0095] In addition, the imaging unit of the tomography system may be configured to image the arrangement state of the diaphragm and / or the electrodes of the inspection object 21 .

[0096] For example, the imaging unit of the tomography system may be configured to image the inspection object 21 and to image a part of the side of the inspection object 21. To this end, the imaging unit of the tomography system may include a source unit 211 and a detection unit 213.

[0097] The source unit 211 may include a device for generating and emitting X-rays, and the detection unit 213 may include a device for detecting the X-rays emitted from the source unit 211. In this case, the electrode inspection apparatus may include more than two source units 211 or detection units 213.

[0098] The visual photography system and the tomography system are controlled by the processing unit 110, which can generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 based on the photographed image, and determine whether the electrode of the inspection object 21 is abnormal based on the generated three-dimensional image.

[0099] For this reason, Figure 4 As shown, the processing unit 110 may include a photography control unit 401, an inspection object image generation unit 403, and an electrode inspection unit 405. Figures 5 to 7 , the operation of the imaging control unit 401, the inspection object image generating unit 403, or the electrode inspection unit 405 can be explained.

[0100] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an operation of extracting a diaphragm and a cathode electrode of an inspection object to be photographed by an apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 6 Schematically illustrates electrode arrangement information acquired from the side of an inspection object photographed by a device according to one embodiment and electrode arrangement information predicted based on the electrode arrangement information. Figure 7 is a diagram schematically showing electrodes reconstructed in a three-dimensional image generated by an apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0101] The photography control unit 401 can photograph the upper surface of the inspection object 21 through a visual photography system at at least one time point during the process of stacking the membrane or electrode of the inspection object 21 (stacking process) or at a time point after the stacking process of the inspection object 21 is completed.

[0102] For example, the photographing control unit 401 may acquire a visual photographic image photographing the upper surface of the inspection object 21 at a point in time after the stacking process of the inspection object 21 is completed.

[0103] Thereafter, the photographing control unit 401 can extract the shape of the upper surface of the inspection object 21 from the acquired visual photographing image. For example, the upper surface of the inspection object 21 may be a semi-transparent diaphragm 501 having transparency, and the photographing control unit 401 can extract the shape of the diaphragm 501 constituting the upper surface of the inspection object 21 from the acquired visual photographing image.

[0104] More specifically, the photographing control unit 401 may detect the upper surface boundary (for example, edge) of the inspection object 21 from the acquired visual photographing image, and extract the shape of the diaphragm 501 based on the detected edge.

[0105] The photographing control unit 401 may determine the center point 51 of the diaphragm 501 based on the extracted shape of the diaphragm 501. More specifically, the photographing control unit 401 may determine the center point of the diaphragm 501 based on a line connecting two vertices of the extracted diaphragm 501.

[0106] To this end, the photography control unit 401 can set at least one three-dimensional coordinate system for the inspection object 21. For example, the photography control unit 401 can set a three-dimensional coordinate system represented by an X-axis (or an X-axis direction), a Y-axis (or a Y-axis direction), and a Z-axis (or a Z-axis direction), wherein the X-axis is parallel to the edge of the long side direction (or the long axis direction) of the diaphragm 501, the Y-axis is parallel to the edge of the short side direction (or the short axis direction) of the diaphragm 501, and the Z-axis is a direction perpendicular to the surface of the diaphragm 501 (or the thickness direction of the inspection object 21).

[0107] In the following description, the processing unit 110 uses the three-dimensional coordinate system generated for the inspection object 21 as a reference coordinate system to process information of various objects included in an image related to the inspection object, such as information related to the setting of a diaphragm, a cathode electrode, or a cathode electrode.

[0108] In addition, the photography control unit 401 can extract the shape of the electrode (e.g., the cathode electrode 511) stacked under the diaphragm 501 of the inspection object 21 from the acquired visual photography image. For example, the photography control unit 401 can detect the boundary (e.g., edge) of the electrode stacked under the diaphragm 501 of the inspection object 21 from the acquired visual photography image, and can extract the shape of the cathode electrode 511 based on the detected edge.

[0109] For the detected cathode electrode 511 , the photography control unit 401 may determine the length from the center point 51 to the edge of the cathode electrode 511 .

[0110] For example, for the detected cathode electrode 511 , the photographing control unit 401 may measure the length from the center point 51 to the edge of the cathode electrode 511 in a direction parallel to (or perpendicular to) the X-axis or the Y-axis.

[0111] More specifically, if Figure 5 As shown, the imaging control unit 401 may set the regions of the inspection object 21 where two non-adjacent vertices used in the operation of determining the center point 51 of the diaphragm 501 are located as the first corner region (corner 1) and the second corner region (corner 2).

[0112] At this time, the photographing control unit 401 can specify the length of the edge of the first angular area and the second angular area from the center point 51 to the negative electrode 511. Taking the first angular area as an example, for the first angular area, the photographing control unit 401 can measure the length a mm from the center point 51 to the edge in the X-axis direction and the length b mm from the center point 51 to the edge in the Y-axis direction.

[0113] Thereafter, for at least one angular region, the photography control unit 401 may perform tomography. For example, for each of the first angular region and the second angular region, the photography control unit 401 may perform tomography on a cut surface of the inspection object 21, wherein the cut surface is formed within a range from the center point 51 to a distance of 51a'mm from the center point in the X-axis direction (positive or negative direction) and / or from the center point 51 to a distance of 51b'mm from the center point in the Y-axis direction (positive or negative direction).

[0114] More specifically, when the inspection object 21 is set between the source unit 211 and the detection unit 213, the photographic control unit 401 controls the source unit 211 to emit X-rays in the side direction of the inspection object 21 through the source unit 211, and the detection unit 213 receives the emitted X-rays, so that the photographic control unit 401 can process to generate a two-dimensional tomographic image.

[0115] At this time, the source unit 211 or the detection unit 213 constituting the tomographic imaging system is configured to be movable around the inspection object, and the movement of the source unit 211 or the detection unit 213 can be controlled by the imaging control unit 401 .

[0116] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 The tomographic image photographed by the photographing control unit 401 may include a photographing cross section (or cutting surface) to show a tomographic image (or cutting surface image) of the setting and arrangement of electrodes set on the side of the inspection object 21.

[0117] At this time, the imaging control unit 401 may control to image tomographic images of two or more different cut surfaces within a predetermined area (eg, the first angular area or the second angular area) of the inspection object 21 .

[0118] More specifically, the photographic control unit 401 can perform processing to photograph a tomographic image of a ZY-axis cutting surface formed by the Z-axis and the Y-axis in the first angular region or the second angular region (ZY plane tomographic image), or to photograph a tomographic image of a ZX-axis cutting surface formed by the Z-axis and the X-axis in the first angular region or the second angular region (ZX plane tomographic image).

[0119] For example, for the first angular area of ​​the inspection object 21, the photographic control unit 401 can be controlled to photograph the cutting surface parallel to the Z axis in the intersection area formed by the range from the center point 51 to the range from the center point 51 to the range from the center point 51a mm in the X-axis direction and the range from the center point 51 to the range from the center point 51 to the range from the center point 51b mm in the Y-axis direction of the first angular area of ​​the inspection object 21.

[0120] Similarly, for the second angular area of ​​the inspection object 21, the photographic control unit 401 can be controlled to photograph the cutting surface parallel to the Z axis in the intersection area formed by the range from the center point 51 to the range of 51a'mm away from the center point in the X-axis direction and the range from the center point 51 to the range of 51b'mm away from the center point in the Y-axis direction.

[0121] More specifically, if Figure 6 As shown, the photography control unit 401 can control the tomography system to take a ZY plane tomography image or a ZX plane tomography image, wherein the ZY plane tomography image is an image of a ZY axis cutting surface (Y axis cutting surface) of the first angular region or the second angular region at a distance of 51x mm from the center point in the X axis direction, and the ZX plane tomography image is an image of a ZX axis cutting surface (X axis cutting surface) of the first angular region or the second angular region at a distance of 51y mm from the center point in the Y axis direction.

[0122] However, not limited to this, for each of the first angular area and the second angular area, the photography control unit 401 can photograph a tomographic image of the cutting surface parallel to the Z axis that satisfies the range of a mm or a'mm in the X-axis direction and b mm or b'mm in the Y-axis direction.

[0123] Reference Figure 6 As described above, in the tomographic image of the inspection object 21, it can be confirmed that the cathode electrodes and the anode electrodes are alternately stacked.

[0124] The photographing control unit 401 may store at least one visual photographing image and a tomographic image acquired as described above in the storage unit 120 .

[0125] The inspection object image generating unit 403 can generate a three-dimensional (3D) image of the inspection object 21 based on the visual imaging image and the tomographic image.

[0126] At this time, the inspection object image generating unit 403 may generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 by electrode arrangement reconstruction (construction, reconstruction) based on electrodes included in the tomographic image or generating an image of the electrodes.

[0127] More specifically, the inspection object image generation unit 403 may confirm the setting information of the cathode electrode 511 confirmed from the visual photographic image. For example, the inspection object image generation unit 403 may determine the setting information of the cathode electrode 511 confirmed from the visual photographic image on the corresponding reference coordinate system.

[0128] Here, the arrangement information of the electrode may include coordinates corresponding to at least a portion of an edge of the cathode electrode 511 on the reference coordinate system.

[0129] For each of the first angular area and the second angular area of ​​the negative electrode 511 confirmed from the visual photographic image, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can confirm the coordinates on the reference coordinate system corresponding to the length from the center point 51 to the edge in the X-axis direction and the length from the center point 51 to the edge in the Y-axis direction, and can generate setting information of the negative electrode 511 including the confirmed coordinates.

[0130] Thereafter, the inspection object image generation unit 403 may determine the arrangement information of each electrode constituting the inspection object 21 on the reference coordinate system based on the arrangement information of the cathode electrode 511 and the cut surface images acquired for the first angular region and the second angular region.

[0131] More specifically, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can extract electrode arrangement information of each of the negative electrode and the positive electrode from the X-axis cut surface image and the Y-axis cut surface image acquired for each of the first angular region and the second angular region.

[0132] Here, the electrode arrangement information may include at least a portion of information on an electrode end point, an electrode length, and a spacing (or gap) between electrodes adjacent to each other of at least one of the electrodes included in the cutting surface image.

[0133] At this time, in a state where the setting information of the negative electrode 511 in the reference coordinate system has been confirmed, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can determine the endpoint (or length) of the negative electrode 511 in the X-axis cutting surface image and the Y-axis cutting surface image of the inspection object 21 obtained for each area in the first angular area and the second angular area as reference information.

[0134] The inspection object image generation unit 403 can calculate the difference between the endpoint (or length) of the negative electrode 511 and the endpoint (or length) of another negative electrode or the positive electrode in each of the X-axis cutting surface images and the Y-axis cutting surface images of the inspection object 21 acquired for each of the first angular area and the second angular area.

[0135] The inspection object image generation unit 403 can determine a coordinate point on a reference coordinate system corresponding to the difference between the endpoint (or length) of the negative electrode 511 and the endpoint (or length) of another negative electrode or a positive electrode calculated for the first angular area and the second angular area, and can determine setting information of the image of the negative electrodes (the remaining negative electrodes except the negative electrode 511) and the positive electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 based on the coordinate point on the reference coordinate system corresponding to the setting information of the negative electrode 511 on the reference coordinate system and the difference.

[0136] At this time, it can be assumed that the shapes and sizes of all the negative electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 are the same, and the shapes and sizes of all the positive electrodes are the same.

[0137] That is, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can determine the setting information of each of the remaining electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 (for example, the nth electrode 711) based on the negative electrode 511 whose setting information on the reference coordinate system has been confirmed. In addition, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can generate (or reconstruct) an electrode image of each electrode based on the setting information of each electrode constituting the inspection object 21.

[0138] That is, the inspection object image generating unit 403 can reflect the overall electrode image of each electrode based on the partial image of the electrode included in the cutting surface image, and reflect the stacking state of the electrodes based on the setting information of each electrode, thereby generating a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21.

[0139] Therefore, the three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 can not only provide a rotatable image of the inspection object 21, extract and provide an image of electrodes constituting the inspection object 21, but also provide a cut plane inside the inspection object 21 determined according to a user input.

[0140] The inspection object image generating unit 403 may generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 based on the arrangement information of the cathode electrodes and the anode electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 .

[0141] In addition, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can measure the spacing information between adjacent electrodes, for example, the negative electrode 511 and the positive electrode 601, in each of the X-axis cutting surface images and the Y-axis cutting surface images of the inspection object 21 obtained for each of the first angular area and the second angular area.

[0142] For example, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can obtain spacing information from each of the X-axis cutting surface images and the Y-axis cutting surface images of the inspection object 21 obtained for each area in the first angular area and the second angular area, and the spacing information includes at least part of the information of more than two spacings parallel to the Z axis and the average spacing between the negative electrode 511 and the positive electrode 601.

[0143] The inspection object image generation unit 403 can predict the cutting surface electrode arrangement of the side of the inspection object 21 in at least one angular region where tomography is not performed, for example, the third angular region (corner 3) or the fourth angular region (corner 4), based on the acquired spacing information of adjacent electrodes in each of the X-axis cutting surface images and the Y-axis cutting surface images of the inspection object 21 acquired for each of the first angular region and the second angular region and the generated three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21.

[0144] That is, the inspection object image generating unit 403 can generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 embodying the arrangement information of each electrode constituting the inspection object 21 and the interval information between electrodes adjacent to each other.

[0145] The electrode inspection unit 405 may perform an electrode abnormality inspection on a plurality of electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 based on a three-dimensional image generated with respect to the inspection object 21 .

[0146] For example, the electrode inspection unit 405 can perform electrode abnormality inspection such as poor alignment, electrode missing, electrode duplication, or electrode deformation based on an image of each of a plurality of electrodes (electrode image) represented in a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 .

[0147] When an electrode abnormality (or abnormal state) is determined as a result of performing an electrode abnormality inspection on a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21, the electrode inspection unit 405 can record the cause of the electrode abnormality (for example, at least a portion of poor alignment, missing electrode, electrode duplication, and electrode deformation), and can output the electrode abnormality of the inspection object 21.

[0148] When it is determined that the inspection object 21 is in an abnormal state, the processing unit 110 may perform processing to exclude the inspection object 21 determined to be in an abnormal state from the battery production process.

[0149] Figure 8 1 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of an apparatus according to one embodiment generating a three-dimensional image of an inspection object and performing an electrode abnormality inspection.

[0150] As described above, the photography control unit 401 can photograph one side of the inspection object 21 stacked with multiple electrodes and generate at least one visual photography image (801). In this case, the side is a diaphragm 501 disposed on the upper surface of the inspection object 21, and the acquired visual photography image shows the diaphragm 501 of the inspection object 21 and the negative electrode 511 stacked under the diaphragm.

[0151] The photography control unit 401 may determine the center point 51 of the surface in the visual photography image, and may determine the setting information of the negative electrode 511 extracted from the visual photography image based on the center point.

[0152] The photography control unit 401 may generate at least one tomographic image (803) for performing tomography on a side portion of at least one angular region of the inspection object 21 based on the at least one visual photography image of the inspection object. At this time, the photography control unit 401 may perform tomography on a side portion of the at least one angular region of the inspection object with the center point 51 as a reference.

[0153] At this time, as described above, the photography control unit 401 can perform tomography on the cut surface of the inspection object 21 within a specified range from the center point 51. More specifically, the photography control unit 401 can obtain a tomographic image that photographs at least one cut surface parallel to the Z axis in the surface of the negative electrode 511 in at least a part of the first angular region and the second angular region.

[0154] Thereafter, the inspection object image generating unit 403 may generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 based on the at least one visual imaging image and the at least one tomographic image (805).

[0155] At this time, the inspection object image generation unit 403 may generate the three-dimensional image of the inspection object based on the electrode arrangement information included in the at least one tomographic image of the side portion of the at least one corner region.

[0156] More specifically, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can determine the arrangement information of the cathode electrode 511 on the reference coordinate system based on the visual photography image.

[0157] The inspection object image generating unit 403 may determine (or predict) the setting information of each of the plurality of electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 on the reference coordinate system based on the setting information of the cathode electrode 511 on the reference coordinate system and the electrode arrangement information of the plurality of electrodes included in each tomographic image. Here, the inspection object image generating unit 403 may determine the setting information of each of the plurality of electrodes with the center point 51 as a reference.

[0158] In addition, the inspection object image generation unit 403 may generate a predicted electrode arrangement image of the side portions of other angular regions among the plurality of electrodes of the inspection object except the side portion of the at least one angular region where tomography is performed based on the electrode arrangement information.

[0159] That is, the inspection object image generation unit 403 can use the electrode arrangement information of multiple electrodes included in the tomographic image of the angular area where tomography is performed and the setting information of the negative electrode 511 in the visual photography image to predict the electrode arrangement information of multiple electrodes constituting the inspection object 21 in at least one remaining angular area where tomography is not performed.

[0160] The inspection object image generating unit 403 can generate a three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 provided with multiple electrodes based on the setting information of each of the multiple electrodes constituting the inspection object on the reference coordinate system, the electrode arrangement information of the multiple electrodes, and the predicted electrode arrangement information.

[0161] The electrode inspection unit 405 may perform an electrode abnormality inspection on the plurality of electrodes based on the three-dimensional image ( 807 ).

[0162] The electrode inspection unit 405 can determine whether there are electrode abnormalities such as poor alignment, electrode missing, electrode duplication or electrode deformation based on the images of multiple electrodes constituting the three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21. When at least one electrode abnormality is detected, the electrode abnormality state of the inspection object 21 can be determined.

[0163] When an electrode abnormality is determined, the electrode inspection unit 405 can record the reason for determining the electrode abnormality (for example, at least a portion of poor alignment, electrode missing, electrode duplication, and electrode deformation), and can process to output the electrode abnormality of the inspection object 21 and / or exclude the inspection object 21 determined to be in an abnormal state from the battery production process.

[0164] On the other hand, when no electrode abnormality is detected, the electrode inspection unit 405 may perform step 801 on the next inspection object, and may perform step 802 on the next inspection object. Figure 8 Embodiment of the invention.

[0165] According to various embodiments, the electrode inspection unit 405 can compare the visual photographic images of more than two electrodes and diaphragms photographed by the photographic control unit 401 during the electrode stacking process of the inspection object 21 and the corresponding electrode images of the inspection object 21 to improve the accuracy of electrode abnormality inspection.

[0166] More specifically, the three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21 generated as described above may include an electrode image of each of the multiple electrodes constituting the inspection object 21, and reflect the electrode alignment and the spacing between electrodes adjacent to each other based on the setting information of each of the multiple electrodes.

[0167] That is, the electrode inspection unit 405 can extract electrode images corresponding to the electrodes included in the visual photographic image from the visual photographic image obtained for more than two electrodes during the electrode stacking process of the inspection object and the electrode image constituting the three-dimensional image of the inspection object 21, and perform electrode abnormality inspection by comparing the setting information and the electrode arrangement information.

[0168] According to various embodiments, the alignment state of the corner region of the electrode that is not photographed can be accurately predicted based on the visual photographic image and the tomographic image of a portion of the examination object photographed.

[0169] In addition, according to various embodiments, by performing electrode abnormality inspection using a three-dimensional image that accurately reflects the inspection object, the speed and accuracy of judging the state of the inspection object can be improved, thereby reducing the consumption of materials used for defective batteries and reducing the manpower invested in maintaining battery production quality.

[0170] According to the detailed description, the functions of various embodiments described as being performed by the device 100 are operations processed by the processing unit 110 of the device 100, which may be performed by being organically connected to components of the device 100 and / or devices connected to the device 100.

[0171] Although the embodiments are described above with reference to limited drawings, those skilled in the art may make various technical modifications and variations based on the various embodiments.

[0172] For example, even if the described techniques are performed in an order different from that of the described methods, and / or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. are combined or combined in a form different from that of the described methods, or are replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents, appropriate results can be achieved.

[0173] In particular, although the description is given with reference to a flowchart and a plurality of steps are described as being included and the steps are sequentially executed in a specified order, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the described order.

[0174] In other words, the embodiment can be implemented by changing or deleting at least a part of the steps recorded in the flowchart, or the embodiment can be implemented by adding at least one step, and the embodiment can also implement one or more steps in parallel. That is, the steps are not necessarily limited to operating in chronological order, and should be included in various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0175] Therefore, other implementations, other examples and contents equivalent to the claims should also fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for checking electrode abnormality, comprising the following steps: photographing one side of the inspection object where the plurality of electrodes are stacked, and generating at least one visual photographic image; generating at least one tomographic image that performs tomography on a side portion of at least one angular region of the inspection object based on the at least one visual photographic image of the inspection object; generating a three-dimensional image of the examination object based on the at least one visual photographic image and the at least one tomographic image; as well as An electrode abnormality inspection is performed on the plurality of electrodes based on the three-dimensional image.

2. The method for detecting electrode abnormality according to claim 1, wherein: In the step of generating the at least one visual photographic image, a center point of the one surface is determined in the visual photographic image, and setting information of the first electrode extracted from the visual photographic image is determined based on the center point.

3. The method for detecting electrode abnormality according to claim 2, wherein: In the step of generating the at least one tomographic image, tomography is performed on a side portion of the at least one angular region of the inspection object with reference to the center point.

4. The method for detecting electrode abnormality according to claim 1, wherein: In the step of generating the three-dimensional image of the inspection object, the three-dimensional image of the inspection object is generated based on electrode arrangement information included in the at least one tomographic image of the side of the at least one corner region.

5. The method for detecting electrode abnormality according to claim 4, wherein: In the step of generating a three-dimensional image of the inspection object, a predicted electrode arrangement image of the side portions of the other angular regions among the plurality of electrodes of the inspection object excluding the side portion of the at least one angular region where tomography is performed is generated based on the electrode arrangement information.

6. The method for detecting electrode abnormality according to claim 4, wherein: In the step of generating the three-dimensional image of the inspection object, the setting information of each of the plurality of electrodes is determined based on the electrode arrangement information and with the determined center point of the surface as a reference. The three-dimensional image includes an overall image of each of the plurality of electrodes reconstructed based on setting information of each of the plurality of electrodes.

7. The method for detecting electrode abnormality according to claim 1, wherein: When the at least one angular region is two angular regions, the at least one angular region is two angular regions that are not adjacent to each other.

8. A device for detecting electrode abnormality, comprising: a photographing control unit that photographs one side of an inspection object on which a plurality of electrodes are stacked and generates at least one visual photographing image, and generates at least one tomographic image that performs tomography on a side portion of at least one corner region of the inspection object based on the at least one visual photographing image of the inspection object; an inspection object image generating unit that generates a three-dimensional image of the inspection object based on the at least one visual imaging image and the at least one tomographic imaging image; as well as An electrode inspection unit performs an electrode abnormality inspection on the plurality of electrodes based on the three-dimensional image.

9. The device for inspecting electrode abnormality according to claim 8, wherein: The photography control unit determines a center point of the one surface in the visual photography image, and determines arrangement information of the first electrode extracted from the visual photography image based on the center point.

10. The device for inspecting electrode abnormality according to claim 9, wherein: The imaging control unit performs tomographic imaging on a side portion of the at least one angular region of the inspection object with reference to the central point.

11. The device for inspecting electrode abnormality according to claim 8, wherein: The inspection object image generation unit generates the three-dimensional image of the inspection object based on electrode arrangement information included in the at least one tomographic image of the side portion of the at least one corner region.

12. The device for inspecting electrode abnormality according to claim 11, wherein: The inspection object image generation unit generates a predicted electrode arrangement image of side portions of other angular regions excluding the side portion of the at least one angular region where tomography is performed among the plurality of electrodes of the inspection object based on the electrode arrangement information.

13. The device for inspecting electrode abnormality according to claim 11, wherein: The inspection object image generation unit determines the setting information of each of the plurality of electrodes based on the electrode arrangement information and taking the determined center point of the one surface as a reference. The three-dimensional image includes an overall image of each of the plurality of electrodes reconstructed based on setting information of each of the plurality of electrodes.

14. The device for inspecting electrode abnormality according to claim 8, wherein: When the at least one angular region is two angular regions, the at least one angular region is two angular regions that are not adjacent to each other.

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