Method and apparatus for controlling sheet thickness, and non-transitory computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a control device for controlling sheet thickness in an electrode plate manufacturing process, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The method is performed by at least one processor and includes: obtaining a thickness measured for each of a plurality of portions of a sheet rolled by a plurality of rollers; calculating a dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the obtained thickness for each of the plurality of portions; determining movement information of at least one target roller from the plurality of rollers based on the calculated dispersion; and controlling the at least one target roller to move based on the determined movement information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for controlling sheet thickness in an electrode plate manufacturing process. Background Art

[0002] Unlike primary batteries, which are not designed to be (re)charged, secondary (or rechargeable) batteries are batteries that are designed to be discharged and recharged. Low-capacity secondary batteries can be used in portable small electronic devices such as smart phones, feature phones, notebook computers, digital cameras and camcorders, while large-capacity secondary batteries can be used as power sources for driving motors in hybrid and electric vehicles and for storing electricity.

[0003] The above information disclosed in this Background section is for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute related (or prior) art. Summary of the invention

[0004] The following aspects and features of the present disclosure will be described in or will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0005] Aspects of an embodiment provide a method for controlling sheet thickness in an electrode plate manufacturing process, the method being performed by at least one processor, the method comprising: obtaining a thickness measured for each of a plurality of portions of a sheet rolled by a plurality of rollers; calculating a discreteness of the sheet thickness based on the obtained thickness for each of the plurality of portions; determining movement information of at least one target roller from the plurality of rollers based on the calculated discreteness; and controlling movement of the at least one target roller based on the determined movement information.

[0006] Furthermore, the movement information may include a movement amount and a movement direction of the at least one target roller, and controlling the at least one target roller to move may include controlling the at least one target roller to move by the movement amount included in the movement information in the movement direction included in the movement information.

[0007] In addition, determining the movement information may include: in response to the calculated discreteness falling within the first range, determining the movement direction of the at least one target roller as a first direction, and in response to the calculated discreteness falling within the second range, determining the movement direction of the at least one target roller as a second direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the first direction may be a direction toward a position where a fixed roller is located among the plurality of rollers, and the second direction may be a direction away from the position where the fixed roller is located.

[0009] In addition, the above method may further include determining at least one roller among the plurality of rollers as the at least one target roller, such that the at least one roller does not include a fixed roller among the plurality of rollers.

[0010] In addition, the at least one roller determined as the at least one target roller may include a first roller spaced apart from a fixed roller by a first distance and a second roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a second distance greater than the first distance, and controlling the movement of the at least one target roller may include controlling the first roller to move first and controlling the second roller to move subsequently based on the determined movement information.

[0011] In addition, the at least one roller determined as the at least one target roller may include a first roller spaced apart from a fixed roller by a first distance and a second roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a second distance greater than the first distance, and controlling the movement of the at least one target roller may include controlling the first roller and the second roller to move together based on the determined movement information.

[0012] In addition, after controlling the movement of at least one target roller, the above method may further include retrieving the thickness measured for each of the multiple parts of the sheet rolled by the multiple rollers; recalculating the discreteness of the sheet thickness based on the retrieved thickness for each of the multiple parts; in response to the discreteness falling outside a threshold range, identifying a pair of rollers that has the greatest impact on generating a thickness difference between a first part of the sheet and a second part of the sheet; and controlling the movement of at least one roller of the identified pair of rollers.

[0013] In addition, the above method may further include: in response to the discreteness falling outside a threshold range, identifying a pair of rollers that have the greatest impact on producing a thickness difference between a first portion of the sheet and a second portion of the sheet; and determining that the at least one target roller includes at least one roller of the identified pair of rollers.

[0014] In addition, the determination of the at least one target roller may include determining that the at least one target roller includes at least one roller located in a second direction relative to the space between the identified pair of rollers. Here, the second direction may be a direction away from a position where a fixed roller among the plurality of rollers is located.

[0015] In addition, obtaining the thickness measured for each of the multiple parts of the sheet may include: measuring, by a distance measuring sensor, a third distance between the distance measuring sensor and a roller serving as a distance measurement target; measuring, by a distance measuring sensor, a fourth distance between the distance measuring sensor and a specific part of the sheet placed on the surface of the roller serving as a distance measurement target; and obtaining the thickness of the specific part of the sheet based on the third distance and the fourth distance.

[0016] In addition, obtaining the thickness measured for each of the multiple parts of the sheet may include: measuring, by a distance measuring sensor, a fifth distance between the distance measuring sensor and a substrate serving as a distance measurement target; measuring, by a distance measuring sensor, a sixth distance between the distance measuring sensor and a specific part of the sheet placed on the surface of the substrate; and obtaining the thickness of the specific part of the sheet based on the fifth distance and the sixth distance.

[0017] In addition, the calculation of the discreteness of the sheet thickness may include calculating the average thickness of the thicknesses of the multiple parts obtained; calculating the difference between the thicknesses of the first part and the second part among the thicknesses of the multiple parts obtained; and calculating the discreteness of the sheet thickness based on the calculated average thickness, the difference between the thicknesses of the first part and the second part, and a predetermined target thickness.

[0018] In addition, before obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of parts, the above method may further include: obtaining the thickness measured for the sheet; calculating the difference between the obtained thickness of the sheet and a predetermined reference thickness of the sheet; and determining a thickness correction value based on the calculated difference. In addition, obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of parts may include correcting at least one of the thicknesses measured for the plurality of parts based on the thickness correction value.

[0019] In addition, before obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of parts, the method may further include: obtaining the thickness measured for the sheet and the thickness measured for the electrode plate having the substrate; calculating the difference between the obtained thickness of the electrode plate and the predetermined reference thickness of the electrode plate; and determining a thickness correction value based on the calculated difference. In addition, obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of parts may include correcting at least one of the thicknesses measured for the plurality of parts based on the thickness correction value.

[0020] According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be provided, in which instructions are stored, and if the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to execute the above method.

[0021] An aspect of the embodiment provides a control device for controlling the thickness of a sheet in an electrode plate manufacturing process, the control device comprising: a memory; and at least one processor connected to the memory and configured to run at least one computer-readable program stored in the memory. In addition, the at least one computer-readable program includes instructions, and if the instructions are run by the at least one processor, the at least one processor performs the following operations: obtaining a thickness measured for each of a plurality of parts of a sheet rolled by a plurality of rollers; calculating a discreteness of the sheet thickness based on the obtained thickness for each of the plurality of parts; determining movement information of at least one target roller from the plurality of rollers based on the calculated discreteness; and controlling the movement of the at least one target roller based on the determined movement information.

[0022] However, aspects and features of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned aspects and features, and other aspects and features not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the detailed description below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description of the present disclosure, further describe aspects and features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to the drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a dry electrode process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 2 2 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the thickness of a sheet based on distance measurement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a dry electrode process according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 4 FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a thickness measurement of a sheet based on a distance according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 5 is an exemplary diagram showing a state in which three sensors are arranged according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a correction value according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 8is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling the thickness of a sheet in an electrode plate manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Fig. 9 1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a state of a roller moving in a first direction based on dispersion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Fig.10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a state of a first roller moved based on a recalculated discreteness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Fig.11 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a state in which a roller moves in the second direction according to a discreteness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Fig.12 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a state of the first roller moved again based on the recalculated discreteness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Fig.13 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a method of determining a target roll according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to the usual meaning or dictionary meaning, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure based on the principle that the inventor can be his / her own lexicon compiler to appropriately define the concept of the term so as to interpret his / her invention in the best manner.

[0038] The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not represent all technical ideas, aspects and features of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that when submitting this application, there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace or modify the embodiments described herein.

[0039] It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "connected to," or "bound to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly connected to, or directly bound to the other element or layer, or there may be one or more intervening elements or layers. When an element or layer is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," or "directly bound to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. For example, when a first element is described as being "bound to" or "connected to" a second element, the first element may be directly bound or connected to the second element, or the first element may be indirectly bound or connected to the second element via one or more intervening elements.

[0040] In the accompanying drawings, for the clarity of the illustration, the sizes of various elements, layers, etc. may be exaggerated. The same reference numerals represent the same elements. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related enumerated items. In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, the use of "may" relates to "one or more embodiments of the present disclosure". Expressions such as "at least one of ..." and "any one of ...", when following a column of elements, modify the entire column of elements without modifying the individual elements in the column. When phrases such as "at least one of A, B, and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", "at least one selected from the group of A, B, and C", or "at least one selected from the group of A, B, and C" are used to specify a column of elements A, B, and C, the phrase may refer to any and all suitable combinations or subsets of A, B, and C, such as A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. As used herein, the terms "use", "use ..." and "being used" may be considered to be synonymous with the terms "utilize", "utilize ..." and "being utilized", respectively. As used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," and similar terms are used as terms of approximation, rather than terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent variations in measurements or calculations that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize.

[0041] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used here to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer or part without departing from the teaching of the example embodiments.

[0042] For ease of description, spatial relational terms such as "under", "below", "below", "above", "on", etc. may be used here to describe the relationship of an element or feature to another element or feature as shown in the figure. It will be understood that in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures, the spatial relational terms are also intended to cover other different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figure is turned over, the elements described as being "below" or "below" other elements or features will be oriented to be "above" or "above" the other elements or features. Therefore, the term "below" can cover both above and below orientations. The device can be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relational descriptors used here should be interpreted accordingly.

[0043] The terms used herein are intended to describe embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular form "a" is also intended to include the plural form, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "include", "includes ...", "includes" and / or "comprising ...", when used in this specification, indicate the existence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their groups.

[0044] In addition, any numerical range disclosed and / or described herein is intended to include all sub-ranges of the same numerical precision included in the described range. For example, the range of "1.0 to 10.0" is intended to include all sub-ranges between the described minimum value 1.0 and the described maximum value 10.0 (and including the described minimum value 1.0 and the described maximum value 10.0), that is, all sub-ranges with a minimum value equal to or greater than 1.0 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10.0, such as, for example, 2.4 to 7.6. Any maximum numerical limit described here is intended to include all lower numerical limits included therein, and any minimum numerical limit described in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limits included therein. Therefore, the applicant reserves the right to modify this specification (including claims) to clearly describe any sub-range included in the scope clearly described here.

[0045] When two compared elements, features, etc. are referred to as "the same" it may mean that they are "substantially the same". Thus, the phrase "substantially the same" may include situations with deviations that are considered low in the art (e.g., 5% or less). In addition, when a parameter is referred to as being uniform in a given area, this may mean that it is uniform with respect to an average value.

[0046] Throughout the specification, unless stated otherwise, each element may be in the singular or in the plural.

[0047] Arranging an arbitrary element “on (or below)” or “upper (lower)” of another element may mean that the arbitrary element may be disposed in contact with the upper (or lower) surface of the element, and another element may also be interposed between the element and any element disposed on (or under) the element.

[0048] Further, it will be understood that when a component is referred to as being “coupled,” “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the elements may be directly “coupled,” “linked” or “connected” to each other or another component may be “interposed” between the components.

[0049] Throughout the specification, when "A and / or B" is stated, it means A, B, or A and B, unless stated otherwise. That is, "and / or" includes any or all combinations of the listed multiple items. When "C to D" is stated, it means C or more and D or less, unless stated otherwise.

[0050] In addition, the terms "section", "module" or "unit" used in this specification refer to software or hardware components that operate to perform one or more functions. However, a "section", "module" or "unit" is not limited to software or hardware. A "section", "module" or "unit" may be configured to be located on an addressable storage medium or to drive one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, a "section", "module" or "unit" may include at least one of the following: a component, such as a software component, an object-oriented software component, a class component, and a task component; a process; a function; an attribute; a program; a subroutine; a program code segment; a driver; firmware; microcode; a circuit; data; a database; a data structure; a table; an array; or a variable. The functions provided by components and "sections", "modules" or "units" may be combined with a small number of components and "sections", "modules" or "units", or further divided into additional components and "sections", "modules" or "units".

[0051] In the present disclosure, “each of the plurality of A’s” may refer to each of all components included in the plurality of A’s, or may refer to each of some components included in the plurality of A’s.

[0052] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a dry electrode process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1As shown, a first powder bag 122, a plurality of sensors 172, 174, 176, and 178, and a plurality of rollers 132, 134, and 136 may be used in a dry electrode process to manufacture a first sheet 162. In addition, a second powder bag 124, a plurality of sensors 182, 184, 186, and 188, and a plurality of rollers 142, 144, and 146 may be used in a dry electrode process to manufacture a second sheet 164. Figure 1 Six rollers are shown in FIG. 1 , but the number of rollers used in the dry electrode process may be determined based on at least one of the length of the target sheets 162 and 164 , the thickness of the target sheets 162 and 164 , or the amount of powder discharged from each of the first powder bag 122 and the second powder bag 124 .

[0054] In an embodiment, various materials for making the first sheet 162 may be mixed and introduced into the first powder bag 122 in a powder form. For example, an active material, a conductive agent, etc. may be mixed and contained in the first powder bag 122. Similarly, various materials for making the second sheet 164 may be mixed and introduced into the second powder bag 124 in a powder form. For example, an active material, a conductive agent, etc. may be mixed and contained in the second powder bag 124. Here, the first sheet 162 may be an anode sheet, and the second sheet 164 may be a cathode sheet. Conversely, the first sheet 162 may be a cathode sheet, and the second sheet 164 may be an anode sheet.

[0055] Among the plurality of rollers 132, 134, 136, 142, 144, and 146, some of the plurality of rollers (e.g., rollers 136 and 146) may be immovable fixed rollers, and some of the plurality of rollers (e.g., rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144) may be movable rollers. The fixed rollers 136 and 146 are rollers placed adjacent to the substrate 150 and may be used as laminating rollers. Each of the rollers 132, 134, 136, 142, 144, and 146 may rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. By this rotational force, the powder material and / or the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 may be rolled. For example, as Figure 1 As shown, the material in powder form supplied from the first powder bag 122 may first be rolled by the first roller 132 and the second roller 134 to form a first sheet 162. Then, the first sheet 162 may be rolled by the second roller 134 and the third roller 136, and then rolled and adhered to one surface of the substrate 150 by the third roller 136. Similarly, the material in powder form supplied from the second powder bag 124 may first be rolled by the fourth roller 142 and the fifth roller 144 to form a second sheet 164. Then, the second sheet 164 may be rolled by the fifth roller 144 and the sixth roller 146, and then rolled and adhered to the other surface of the substrate 150 by the sixth roller 146.

[0056] Through these multiple rolling processes, each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 may be formed to have a desired thickness and attached to the substrate 150 .

[0057] However, the thickness of each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 attached to the substrate 150 may be uneven or may not meet the target value. In an embodiment, the control device 110 may calculate the discreteness (dispersion) of the thickness of each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164. Based on the calculated discreteness, the control device 110 can generate and determine the movement information of at least one target roller to be moved. Here, the discreteness represents the degree of unevenness (dispersion) of the thickness of each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164, and can be expressed in numbers. The method for calculating the thickness will be described later with reference to the following equation 1. In addition, the movement information may include the moving direction and movement amount of the at least one target roller.

[0058] In an embodiment, the control device 110 may determine the movement amount and the movement direction included in the movement information, and control the movement of the at least one target roller based on the determined movement amount and movement direction.

[0059] Each of the plurality of movable rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144 may be movable in a first direction and / or in a second direction. Each of the plurality of movable rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144 may communicate with the control device 110 and receive a control instruction from the control device 110. For example, the rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144 may receive a movement instruction from the control device 110, and the rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144 may move toward a specified direction and position based on the movement direction and movement amount included in the movement instruction. In another example, one or more moving members for moving the rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144 may be coupled to the rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144, and the control device 110 may control the individual movement of the rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144 by moving the moving members in the first direction or the second direction. For example, a plurality of moving members may be coupled to the upper or lower portions of the rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144, and the control device 110 may control the movement of the rollers 132, 134, 142, and 144 by moving at least one of the moving members in a first direction or a second direction. Here, the first direction may be a direction toward a position where the fixed roller 136 or 146 is located, and the second direction may be a direction away from a position where the fixed roller 136 or 146 is located. That is, the first direction is a direction from the roller 132 toward the fixed roller 136 or a direction from the roller 142 toward the fixed roller 146, and the second direction is a direction from the fixed roller 136 toward the roller 132 or a direction from the fixed roller 146 toward the roller 142.

[0060] In order to measure the dispersion of the sheet thickness, a plurality of sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 for measuring the thickness of each of the plurality of portions of each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 may be provided at various positions. The sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 may acquire sensing data related to the thickness of the plurality of portions of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 placed on the surfaces of the rollers 134, 136, 144, and 146. For example, sensing data of the thickness of the portion of the left region on each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 placed on the surfaces of the corresponding rollers 134, 136, 144, and 146 may be obtained, and sensing data of the thickness of the portion of the right region on each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 placed on the surfaces of the corresponding rollers 134, 136, 144, and 146 may be obtained. As another example, sensing data of the thickness of a portion of the left area or the right area on each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 placed on the surface of the corresponding rollers 134, 136, 144 and 146 can be obtained, and sensing data of the thickness of a portion of the center area on each of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 can be obtained.

[0061] For example, Figure 1 As shown, the first sensor 172 and the second sensor 174 can be arranged to measure the thickness of the first sheet 162 placed on the surface of the second roller 134, and the third sensor 176 and the fourth sensor 178 can be arranged to measure the thickness of the first sheet 162 placed on the surface of the third roller 136. Figure 1 As shown, the fifth sensor 182 and the sixth sensor 184 may be arranged to measure the thickness of the second sheet 164 placed on the surface of the fifth roller 144, and the seventh sensor 186 and the eighth sensor 188 may be arranged to measure the thickness of the second sheet 164 placed on the surface of the sixth roller 146. In another example, only one sensor or three or more sensors may be arranged to measure the thickness of the first sheet or the second sheet placed on the surface of each corresponding roller.

[0062] Various sensors capable of measuring the thickness of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 may be used in the electrode plate manufacturing process. For example, sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 may include distance measurement sensors, visual sensors, X-ray thickness measurement sensors, radiation thickness measurement sensors, and the like.

[0063] The control device 110 may communicate with each of the plurality of sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 through a wired and / or wireless connection to receive sensing data from each of the plurality of sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 in real time. The plurality of sensing data received from the first to fourth sensors 172, 174, 176, and 178 may be related to the thickness of the plurality of portions of the first sheet 162, and the plurality of sensing data received from the fifth to eighth sensors 182, 184, 186, and 188 may be related to the thickness of the plurality of portions of the second sheet 164. In an embodiment, based on the received sensing data, the control device 110 may calculate a first discreteness of the thickness of the first sheet 162 and a second discreteness of the thickness of the second sheet 164.

[0064] The control device 110 can determine whether the first discreteness does not fall within a predetermined threshold range. If the first discreteness does not fall within the predetermined threshold range, the control device 110 can determine the movement information of at least one target roller for controlling the thickness of the first sheet 162. In an embodiment, the control device 110 can determine at least one target roller to be moved from the movable rollers 132 and 134 used to produce the first sheet 162, and the control device 110 can control the at least one target roller to be moved based on the movement direction and movement amount included in the movement information. In addition, if the second discreteness does not fall within the predetermined threshold range, the control device 110 can determine the movement information of at least one target roller for controlling the thickness of the second sheet 164. Similarly, the control device 110 can determine at least one target roller to be moved from the movable rollers 142 and 144 used to produce the second sheet 164, and the control device 110 can control the at least one target roller to be moved based on the movement direction and movement amount included in the movement information. The following will refer to Figures 6 to 13 Various methods are described for determining movement information including an amount and a direction of movement of at least one target roller.

[0065] For example, the sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 may be distance measuring sensors. In this case, based on the distances between the sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 and the rollers 134, 136, 144, and 146 and the distances between the sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186, and 188 and the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164, the thickness of specific portions of the first sheet and the second sheet may be measured.

[0066] Figure 2 2 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the measurement of sheet thickness based on distance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 The sensor 230 in may be a sensor that measures distance based on light (eg, laser).

[0067] For example, refer to Figure 2 In the first example 201, the first distance d1 (where d1 is a positive real number) between the sensor 230 and the roller 210 (which is a distance measurement target) can be measured using the sensor 230. For example, the first distance d1 between the roller 210 and the sensor 230 can be measured without any material placed on the surface of the roller 210.

[0068] In addition, reference Figure 2 In the second example 202, in a state where the sheet 220 is placed on the surface of the roller 210, the sensor 230 may be used to measure a second distance d2 (where d2 is a positive real number) between the sensor 230 and a specific portion 222 of the sheet 220 placed on the surface of the roller 210. Based on the first distance d1 and the second distance d2, the thickness t (where t is a positive real number) of the specific portion 222 of the sheet 220 may be measured. For example, the control device (e.g., Figure 1 The control device 110 in the embodiment may calculate or determine that the difference between the first distance d1 and the second distance d2 is equal to the thickness t of the specific portion 222 of the sheet 220.

[0069] For example, the sensor may be disposed at a position near one surface of the substrate and at a position near another surface of the substrate. For example, the sensor may be disposed at a position adjacent to (eg, facing) each opposite surface of the substrate to measure the thickness of the sheet thereon.

[0070] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a dry electrode process according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 compared to, Figure 3 The positions of the sensors 372, 374, 382 and 384 shown are different from Figure 1 The location of the sensor is shown.

[0071] refer to Figure 3 In order to measure the discreteness of the sheet thickness, a plurality of sensors 372, 374, 382 and 384 for measuring the thickness of the corresponding portions of the first sheet 162 and the second sheet 164 may be provided at various locations. Figure 3 As shown, the first sensor 372 and the second sensor 374 can be arranged to face one surface (e.g., the first surface) of the substrate 150 and measure multiple portions of the first sheet 162 placed on the first surface of the substrate 150 (e.g., the first sensor 372 and the second sensor 374 can be spaced apart from each other along the length of the substrate 150 and can face the same surface of the substrate 150). Similarly, as Figure 3As further shown in the figure, the third sensor 382 and the fourth sensor 384 can be arranged to face another surface of the substrate 150 (e.g., the second surface) and measure multiple portions of the second sheet 164 placed on the second surface of the substrate 150 (e.g., the third sensor 382 and the fourth sensor 384 can be spaced apart from each other along the length of the substrate 150 and can face the same surface of the substrate 150 opposite to the surface faced by the first sensor 372 and the second sensor 374).

[0072] The first sensor 372 may acquire sensing data related to the thickness at a first portion of the first sheet 162 placed on the first surface of the substrate 150, and the second sensor 374 may acquire sensing data related to the thickness at a second portion of the first sheet 162 placed on the first surface of the substrate 150. Similarly, the third sensor 382 may acquire sensing data related to the thickness at a first portion of the second sheet 164 placed on the second surface of the substrate 150, and the fourth sensor 384 may acquire sensing data related to the thickness at a second portion of the second sheet 164 placed on the second surface of the substrate 150.

[0073] The control device 310 may communicate with each of the plurality of sensors 372, 374, 382, ​​and 384 through a wired or wireless connection to receive sensing data from each of the plurality of sensors 372, 374, 382, ​​and 384 in real time. In an embodiment, based on the received sensing data, the control device 310 may calculate a first discreteness of the thickness of the first sheet 162 and a second discreteness of the thickness of the second sheet 164. In addition, based on the first discreteness and / or the second discreteness, the control device 310 may determine movement information of at least one target roller, and the control device 310 may control the movement of the target roller based on the movement information. Figure 3 The control device 310 shown may be a Figure 1 The same device as the control device 110 shown. Optionally, Figure 3 The control device 310 shown may be a Figure 1 The control device 110 shown is a different device.

[0074] In some embodiments, Figure 1 The plurality of sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186 and 188 and Figure 3The plurality of sensors 372, 374, 382 and 384 shown can be used together in the electrode plate manufacturing process. That is, in order to more accurately measure the discreteness of the sheet thickness, the plurality of sensors 172, 174, 176, 178, 182, 184, 186 and 188 for measuring the thickness of the sheet on the roller before the sheet is attached to the substrate 150 and the plurality of sensors 372, 374, 382 and 384 for measuring the thickness of the sheet attached to the substrate 150 can be used together.

[0075] Figure 4 FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a thickness measurement of a sheet based on a distance according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 The sensor 430 shown may be a sensor that measures distance based on light (eg, laser).

[0076] For example, refer to Figure 4 In the first example 401, a third distance d3 (where d3 is a positive real number) between the sensor 430 and a specific portion of the substrate 410 (which is a distance measurement target) can be measured using the sensor 430. For example, the third distance d3 between the substrate 410 and the sensor 430 can be measured in a state where no sheet is attached to the substrate 410.

[0077] In addition, reference Figure 4 In the second example 402, in a state where the sheet 420 is attached to one surface of the substrate 410, a fourth distance d4 (where d4 is a positive real number) between the sensor 430 and a specific portion 422 of the sheet 420 attached to the substrate 410 can be measured using the sensor 430. Based on the measured third distance d3 and the measured fourth distance d4, a thickness t (where t is a positive real number) at the specific portion 422 of the sheet 420 can be measured. For example, the control device (e.g., Figure 3 The control device 310 shown may calculate or determine that the difference between the third distance d3 and the fourth distance d4 is the thickness t of the particular portion 422 of the sheet 420 .

[0078] In some embodiments, three or more sensors may be arranged relative to the substrate or roller to measure portions of three or more regions on the sheet, including a left region, a center region, and a right region.

[0079] Figure 5 is an exemplary diagram showing a state in which three sensors are arranged according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5In the first example 501, a first sensor 532 for measuring the thickness at a portion 522 of a left area on a sheet 520 placed on the surface of a roller 510, a second sensor 534 for measuring the thickness at a portion 524 of a central area on a sheet 520 placed on the surface of a roller 510, and a third sensor 536 for measuring the thickness at a portion 526 of a right area on a sheet 520 placed on the surface of a roller 510 may be arranged. Figure 1 In the example of , three sensors may be arranged relative to each of the plurality of rollers 134, 136, 144, and 146. By using the plurality of sensors 532, 534, and 536, the thickness at the portion 522 of the left region on the sheet 520, the thickness at the portion 524 of the center region on the sheet 520, and the thickness at the portion 526 of the right region on the sheet 520 may be measured.

[0080] refer to Figure 5 In the second example 502, a fourth sensor 562 for measuring the thickness at a portion 552 of a left region on a sheet 550 attached to one surface of a substrate 540, a fifth sensor 564 for measuring the thickness at a portion 554 of a central region on a sheet 550 attached to one surface of a substrate 540, and a sixth sensor 566 for measuring the thickness at a portion 556 of a right region on a sheet 550 attached to one surface of a substrate 540 may be arranged. Figure 3 For example, three sensors may be arranged to measure the thickness of the left, right, and center regions of the first sheet 162 attached to one surface of the substrate 150. Additionally or alternatively, three sensors may be arranged to measure the thickness of the left, right, and center regions of the second sheet 164 attached to the other surface of the substrate 150.

[0081] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing a control device 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 The control device 600 shown may correspond to Figure 1 The control device 110 or Figure 3 at least one of the control devices 310 (for example, the control device 600 may be one of the control device 110 and the control device 310).

[0082] refer to Figure 6 , the control device 600 may include a memory 620, a processor 610 and a communication module 630. Figure 6 As shown, the control device 600 may communicate with the rollers and / or sensors using a communication module 630 .

[0083] The control device 600 may provide a configuration or function for communicating with the sensor based on the wireless protocol or wired protocol of the communication module 630. In addition, the control device 600 may provide a configuration or function for communicating with the roller based on the wireless protocol or wired protocol of the communication module 630.

[0084] The memory 620 may include any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In an embodiment, the memory 620 may include a permanent mass storage device, including, for example, a disk drive, a solid-state drive (SSD), a flash memory, etc. As another example, the permanent mass storage device (e.g., ROM, SSD, flash memory, disk drive, etc.) may be a separate permanent storage device different from the memory, and may be included in the control device 600 or included in a device that can be accessed by the control device 600 by wire or wirelessly. In addition, the memory 620 may store an operating system and at least one program code (e.g., a program code for calculating discreteness and controlling rollers).

[0085] The processor 610 may be configured to process instructions stored in a computer program by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations. The instructions may be sent from the memory 620 and / or the communication module 630 for transmission to the rollers and / or sensors.

[0086] The processor 610 may obtain a measured thickness for each of the plurality of portions of the sheet rolled by the plurality of rollers, and calculate a dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the thickness obtained for each of the plurality of portions of the sheet. Next, the processor 610 may determine movement information of at least one target roller among the plurality of rollers based on the calculated dispersion, and execute instructions for controlling movement of the at least one target roller based on the determined movement information.

[0087] like Figure 6 As shown, the processor 610 may include a data collection section 612 , a correction application section 614 , a dispersion calculation section 616 , and a roller control section 618 .

[0088] The data collection section 612 may receive sensing data related to thickness from each of the plurality of sensors using the communication module 630, or the data collection section 612 may receive sensing data from the memory 620 in which such sensing data is stored. For example, the sensing data may include the thickness of the sheet. Additionally or alternatively, the sensing data may include the distance between the sensor and the sheet.

[0089] The correction application section 614 may calculate a correction value applied to at least one sensor. In an embodiment, the correction application section 614 may initially obtain a measured thickness of the sheet and calculate a difference between the obtained thickness of the sheet and a predetermined reference thickness of the sheet. In an embodiment, the correction application section 614 may obtain the measured thickness of the sheet from the sensing data collected by the data collection section 612. In addition, the correction application section 614 may determine the correction value based on the calculated difference.

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, the correction application unit 614 may first obtain the measured thickness of the sheet and the measured thickness of the electrode plate with the substrate. The thickness of the electrode plate may be obtained by at least one sensor. The correction application unit 614 may calculate the difference between the obtained thickness of the electrode plate and the predetermined reference thickness of the electrode plate, and determine the correction value based on the calculated difference.

[0091] Based on the determined correction value, at least one of the thicknesses measured for the plurality of portions of the sheet may be corrected.

[0092] The dispersion calculation unit 616 may obtain the thickness of each portion of the sheet from the sensing data collected by the data collection unit 612, and calculate the dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the thickness obtained for each portion of the sheet. In an embodiment, the dispersion calculation unit 616 may calculate the dispersion of the sheet thickness using the following equation 1:

[0093] <Equation 1>

[0094] D=Target_t-Avg_t-(first_t-second_t)

[0095] In Equation 1, D represents the discreteness, Target_t represents the target thickness of the sheet, which may be predetermined and stored in the control device 600. In addition, Avg_t represents the average thickness of a plurality of portions of the sheet, first_t represents the thickness of the first portion used as a reference for discreteness measurement, and second_t represents the thickness of the second portion used for measuring discreteness. For example, the first portion may be a portion of the central region of the sheet, and the second portion may be a portion of the left region or the right region of the sheet. As another example, the first portion may be a portion of the left region of the sheet, and the second portion may be a portion of the right region of the sheet.

[0096] The roller control unit 618 may determine movement information of at least one target roller among the plurality of rollers based on the discreteness calculated by the discreteness calculation unit 616. Based on the determined movement information, the roller control unit 618 may further control the movement of the at least one target roller. In an embodiment, the roller control unit 618 may control the movement of the at least one target roller by sending a movement-related instruction to the at least one target roller via the communication module 630.

[0097] In an embodiment, the roller control part 618 may determine the movement information by referring to the following Table 1. The movement information may include a movement amount and a movement direction.

[0098]

[0099]

[0100]

[0101] Referring to Table 1, if the discreteness D falls within a threshold range (e.g., -fμm≤D≤+gμm), the roller control unit 618 controls the roller so that the roller does not move but remains at its current position (i.e., a movement of 0μm). The sheet is produced by using the rollers maintained at their current positions. If the movement information determined based on the discreteness D includes a positive (+) value, the roller control unit 618 can control at least one target roller to move in a first direction. In the case where the movement information determined based on the discreteness D includes a negative (-) value, the roller control unit 618 can control at least one target roller to move in a second direction. The characters listed in Table 1, such as a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, A, B, C, D, E, F can be set to zero or any positive real number.

[0102] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method 700 for generating correction values ​​according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 Each operation in the method 700 shown may be performed by Figure 6 The correction application unit 614 shown is executed. For ease of explanation, Figure 7 Each operation in will be described as consisting of Figure 6 The processor 610 in the control device 600 executes. Figure 7 The method 700 shown in FIG. 7 may be a method for generating a correction value that is performed before controlling the movement of the roller.

[0103] refer to Figure 7 The processor may obtain the thickness measured for a specific portion of the sheet by using at least one sensor (S710). In an embodiment, when a plurality of sensors are used, an average value of the thickness of the sheet may be obtained as the thickness of the sheet.

[0104] Next, the processor can measure the thickness of the electrode plate by using at least one sensor (S720). For example, the thickness of the electrode plate can be obtained by adding the thickness of the first sheet attached to the electrode plate, the thickness of the second sheet attached to the electrode plate, and the thickness of the predetermined substrate.

[0105] Next, the processor may calculate a first difference between the sheet thickness and a predetermined first reference thickness (S730). Here, the first reference thickness may refer to a reference value associated with the sheet thickness. In addition, the processor may calculate a second difference between the electrode plate thickness and a predetermined second reference thickness (S740). Here, the second reference thickness may refer to a reference value associated with the electrode plate thickness.

[0106] Next, the processor may generate a correction value based on at least one of the first difference or the second difference (S750). For example, the processor may generate the correction value by applying a first weight to the first difference and applying a second weight to the second difference. Here, the first weight and the second weight may be predetermined or dynamically changed.

[0107] The generated correction value may then be applied to at least one of the thicknesses measured for the plurality of portions of the sheet. For example, where the correction value is "+r", a first thickness measured for a first portion of the sheet may be corrected by applying the value of "+r" to the first thickness. As another example, where the correction value is "-r", a second thickness measured for a second portion of the sheet may be corrected by applying the value of "-r" to the second thickness. Here, "r" may be any positive real number.

[0108] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a method 800 for controlling the thickness of a sheet in an electrode plate manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 Each step of the method 800 shown may be performed by Figure 6 The discreteness calculation unit 616 and the roller control unit 618 shown are executed. For ease of explanation, Figure 8 Each step will be described as consisting of Figure 6 The processor 610 in the control device 600 executes.

[0109] The processor may obtain the thickness measured for each of the multiple parts of the sheet rolled by the multiple rollers (S810). In an embodiment, a correction value may be applied to at least one of the thicknesses measured for the multiple parts, thereby correcting the thickness. In an embodiment, the processor may obtain the thickness measured for each of the multiple parts of the sheet from the sensing data received by at least one sensor. For example, the processor may measure the third distance between the distance measuring sensor and the roller used as the distance measurement target by the distance measuring sensor. In addition, the processor may measure the fourth distance between the distance measuring sensor and the specific part of the sheet placed on the surface of the roller used as the distance measurement target by the distance measuring sensor. Thereafter, the processor may obtain the thickness of the specific part of the sheet based on the third distance and the fourth distance. As another example, the processor may measure the fifth distance between the distance measuring sensor and the substrate used as the distance measurement target by the distance measuring sensor. In addition, the processor may measure the sixth distance between the distance measuring sensor and the specific part of the sheet placed on the surface of the substrate by the distance measuring sensor. Thereafter, the processor may obtain the thickness of the specific part of the sheet based on the fifth distance and the sixth distance.

[0110] Next, the processor may calculate the discreteness of the sheet thickness based on the thickness of each of the plurality of parts obtained (S820). In an embodiment, the processor may calculate the average value of the thickness of the plurality of parts obtained, and calculate the difference between the thickness of the first part and the thickness of the second part among the thickness of the plurality of parts obtained. Then, the processor may calculate the discreteness of the sheet thickness based on the calculated average thickness, the difference between the thicknesses, and the predetermined target thickness. For example, the processor may calculate the discreteness of the sheet thickness using Equation 1 discussed above.

[0111] Next, the processor may determine whether the calculated dispersion falls outside a predetermined threshold range (S830).

[0112] In the case where the processor determines that the calculated discreteness falls outside the threshold range, the processor may determine the movement information of at least one target roller among the multiple rollers based on the calculated discreteness (S840). In an embodiment, the movement information may include the movement amount and movement direction of the at least one target roller. For example, in the case where the calculated discreteness falls within the first range, the processor may determine the first direction as the movement direction of the at least one target roller. As another example, in the case where the calculated discreteness falls within the second range, the processor may determine the second direction as the movement direction of the at least one target roller. Here, the first direction may be a direction toward the position where the fixed roller is located, and the second direction may be a direction away from the position where the fixed roller is located.

[0113] Thereafter, the processor may control at least one target roller to move based on the determined movement information (S850).In an embodiment, the processor may control at least one target roller to move in a movement direction included in the movement information by a movement amount included in the movement information.

[0114] In an embodiment, the processor may determine one or more rollers other than the fixed roller among the plurality of rollers as at least one target roller. For example, the one or more rollers determined as the at least one target roller may include a first roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a first distance and a second roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a second distance greater than the first distance. In this case, the processor may control the first roller to be moved first and the second roller to be moved subsequently based on the movement amount and movement direction included in the movement information. As another example, the processor may control the first roller and the second roller to move simultaneously based on the movement amount and movement direction included in the movement information. In this case, the first roller and the second roller may move the same movement amount in the same direction.

[0115] In some embodiments, in the case where the discreteness falls outside the threshold range, the processor may identify a pair of rollers that have the greatest impact on the thickness difference between the first part of the sheet and the second part of the sheet. Thereafter, at least one target roller may be determined by the processor to include at least one of the identified pair of rollers. Here, the pair of rollers that are most responsible for the thickness difference between the first part of the sheet and the second part of the sheet may be determined in association with the maximum thickness difference between the first part and the second part of the sheet rolled by the pair of rollers. For example, in the case where the thickness difference between the first part and the second part measured from the sheet rolled by the first roller and the second roller is "n" (where n is a natural number) and the thickness difference between the first part and the second part measured from the sheet rolled by the second roller and the third roller is "n+1", the second roller and the third roller may be determined as a pair of rollers that are most responsible for the thickness difference between the first part and the second part of the sheet.

[0116] Based on the calculated dispersion, the processor can determine the moving direction of the target roller, and at least one target roller with respect to the identified pair of rollers includes at least one roller located in the second direction. Fig.13 An example is described in which only some rollers other than the fixed roller are determined as target rollers.

[0117] In an embodiment, after controlling at least one target roller to move, the processor may retrieve the thickness measured for each of the multiple parts of the sheet rolled by the multiple rollers, and recalculate the discreteness of the sheet thickness based on the thickness obtained for the multiple parts. Then, in the case where the recalculated discreteness falls outside the threshold range, the processor may identify a pair of rollers that has the greatest impact on the thickness difference between the first part of the sheet and the second part of the sheet. Thereafter, the processor may control at least one roller of the identified pair of rollers to move in the first direction or the second direction. The following will refer to Fig.10 and Fig.12 A specific example for explaining the movement of the roller is described.

[0118] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 9 to 13 Various examples of the movement of the display roller are described. Figures 9 to 13 Movement of the rollers through which a first sheet is rolled is shown, but a similar control method may be applied to the rollers through which a second sheet is rolled.

[0119] Fig. 9 is an exemplary diagram showing the state of rollers 912 and 914 moving in the first direction based on the discreteness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 In FIG. 1 , it is shown that the roller 916 located closest to the substrate 918 can be used as a fixed roller and the other rollers 912 and 914 can be used as movable rollers. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, before the roller movement is performed, the distance between the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 may be set to a first distance g1, and the distance between the second roller 914 and the third roller 916 may be set to a second distance g2, and the first distance g1 may be equal to the second distance g2. Here, each of g1 to g4 may be a positive real number.

[0120] The dispersion of the sheet thickness may be calculated, and the movement information may be determined based on the calculated dispersion. Fig. 9 and Table 1 (above), if the discreteness falls within the range from "-d" to "-e" (including "-d" and "-e") (where d and e are positive real numbers), it can be determined by referring to Table 1 described above that the movement information includes "+Cμm" (where c is a positive real number).

[0121] If it is determined that the movement information includes "+Cμm", the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 (i.e., movable rollers) other than the fixed roller 916 are determined as target rollers, and the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 can be moved by "+Cμm" in the first direction, which is the direction toward the position where the third roller 916 is located (e.g., so that each of the first distance g1 and the second distance g2 is reduced by Cμm). After the movement is completed, the distance between the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 can become the third distance g3, and the distance between the second roller 914 and the third roller 916 can become the fourth distance g4. For example, Fig. 9 , it is shown that the third distance g3 is equal to the fourth distance g4, and each of the third distance g3 and the fourth distance g4 is less than each of the first distance g1 and the second distance g2 (e.g., the third distance g3 and the fourth distance g4 may each be less than each of the first distance g1 and the second distance g2). With this reduction in the spacing between the rollers, the sheet can be rolled into a thinner sheet, and the thinner sheet can be discharged through a pair of rollers.

[0122] Even after the target roller is moved, the dispersion of the sheet thickness can be calculated again. In an embodiment, the processor can re-obtain the thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions of the thinner sheet rolled by the plurality of rollers, and re-calculate the dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the thickness obtained for each of the plurality of portions.

[0123] Fig.10 is an exemplary diagram showing a state of the first roller 912 moving based on the recalculated discreteness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Fig.10 The first roller 912 is shown in Fig. 9 The state in which the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 have been moved in the second direction based on the recalculated discreteness after the movement of the first roller 912 and the movement of the second roller 914 described in FIG.

[0124] In an embodiment, if the recalculated dispersion falls outside a threshold range, a pair of rollers that most significantly affects the thickness difference between the first portion of the sheet and the second portion of the sheet may be identified. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the sheet rolled by the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 can have the largest thickness difference between the first part and the second part of the sheet. Therefore, it can be determined that the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 are the pair of rollers that have the most significant effect on the thickness difference between the first part and the second part of the sheet.

[0125] Since the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 have the greatest influence on generating the thickness difference between the first portion and the second portion of the sheet, a target roller to be moved may be determined between the first roller 912 and the second roller 914. Based on the recalculated discreteness, the movement information is determined again, and in the case where the movement information includes the second direction, the first roller 912 may be determined as the target roller.

[0126] like Fig.10 As shown, when the first roller 912 is determined as the target roller, the first roller 912 may move in the second direction by the movement amount included in the movement information. Fig.10 , it is shown that the distance g5 between the first roller 912 and the second roller 914 is greater than the distance g4 between the second roller 914 and the third roller 916. Here, each of g4 and g5 may be a positive real number.

[0127] Fig.11 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a state in which rollers 1112 and 1114 move in the second direction according to the discreteness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.11 In FIG. 1 , it is shown that the roller 1116 located closest to the substrate 1118 can be used as a fixed roller and the other rollers 1112 and 1114 can be used as movable rollers. Fig.11 , before the roller movement is performed, the distance between the first roller 1112 and the second roller 1114 may be set to a sixth distance g6, the distance between the second roller 1114 and the third roller 1116 serving as a fixed roller may be set to a seventh distance g, and the sixth distance g6 may be equal to the seventh distance g7. Here, each of g6 and g7 may be a positive real number.

[0128] The dispersion of the sheet thickness may be calculated, and the movement information may be determined based on the calculated dispersion. Fig.11 In the case where the discreteness falls within the range from "+h" to "+i" (including "+h" and "+i") (where h and i are positive real numbers), it can be determined by referring to the above Table 1 that the movement information includes "-Dμm" (where D is a positive real number).

[0129] In response to the movement information being determined to include "-Dμm", the first roller 1112 and the second roller 1114 (i.e., movable rollers) other than the fixed roller 1116 are determined as target rollers, and the first roller 1112 and the second roller 1114 can move "-Dμm" in the second direction, which is a direction away from the position where the third roller 1116 is located. After the movement is completed, the distance between the first roller 1112 and the second roller 1114 can become the eighth distance g8, and the distance between the second roller 1114 and the third roller 1116 can become the ninth distance g9. For example, Fig.11, the eighth distance g8 is equal to the ninth distance g9, and each of the eighth distance g8 and the ninth distance g9 is longer than each of the sixth distance g6 and the seventh distance g7 (for example, the eighth distance g8 and the ninth distance g9 may each be greater than each of the sixth distance g6 and the seventh distance g7). Here, each of g8 and g9 may be a positive real number. With such an increase in the spacing between the rollers, the sheet may be rolled into a thick sheet, and the thick sheet may be discharged by a pair of rollers.

[0130] Even after the target roller is moved, the dispersion of the sheet thickness can be calculated again.

[0131] Fig.12 is an exemplary diagram showing a state of the first roller 1112 moving based on the recalculated discreteness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Fig.12 The first roller 1112 is shown in Fig.11 The state in which the movement of the first roller 1112 and the movement of the second roller 1114 described in FIG. 1 are completed has been moved in the second direction based on the recalculated discreteness.

[0132] In an embodiment, if the recalculated dispersion falls outside a threshold range, a pair of rollers that most significantly affects the thickness difference between the first portion of the sheet and the second portion of the sheet may be identified. Fig.12 , it can be determined that the first roller 1112 and the second roller 1114 are a pair of rollers that most significantly affect the thickness difference between the first portion of the sheet and the second portion of the sheet.

[0133] A target roller to be moved may be determined from the first roller 1112 and the second roller 1114. Based on the recalculated discreteness, movement information is determined again, and in a case where the movement information includes the first direction, the first roller 1112 may be determined as the target roller.

[0134] like Fig.12 As shown, when the first roller 1112 is determined as the target roller, the first roller 1112 may move in the first direction by the movement amount included in the movement information. Fig.12 , it is shown that the distance g10 between the first roller 1112 and the second roller 1114 is smaller than the distance g9 between the second roller 1114 and the third roller 1116. Here, each of g9 and g10 may be a positive real number.

[0135] Meanwhile, according to the calculated dispersion, only some rollers among the movable rollers may be determined as target rollers.

[0136] Fig.13 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a method for determining a target roller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.13, it is shown that the fifth roller 1320 located closest to the substrate 1330 can be used as a fixed roller, and the number of rollers used to manufacture a specific sheet can be five.

[0137] If the dispersion of the sheet thickness falls outside the threshold range, a pair of rollers having the greatest influence on the thickness difference between the first portion of the sheet and the second portion of the sheet can be identified. Fig.13 , the third roller 1316 and the fourth roller 1318 are shown identified as the pair of rollers that are most responsible for the thickness difference between the first portion of the sheet and the second portion of the sheet.

[0138] In some embodiments, the processor may determine the at least one target roller to include at least one roller located in the second direction relative to the space 1340 between the identified pair of rollers 1316 and 1318. Fig.13 In the example of , the second direction is a direction from the space 1340 toward the first roller 1312. For example, in Fig.13 , it is shown that the first roller 1312, the second roller 1314, and the third roller 1316 located in the second direction relative to the space 1340 between the identified pair of rollers 1316 and 1318 are determined as target rollers. The first roller 1312, the second roller 1314, and the third roller 1316 determined as the target rollers can move in the first direction or the second direction by the movement amount included in the movement information. Fig.13 In the example, the first direction is a direction from the first roller 1312 toward the space 1340 .

[0139] The above flow chart and description are only examples and may be implemented differently in certain embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the order of each step may be reversed, some steps may be repeated, some steps may be omitted, or some steps may be added.

[0140] The above method can be provided as a computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium (such as a memory, etc.) for running on a computer. The medium can be a continuous storage of a computer executable program, or it can be a temporary storage for running or downloading. The medium can also be various recording or storage devices in single or combined hardware forms, and can be distributed on a network, without being limited to media directly connected to any computer system. Examples of media can include: magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and tapes for storing program instructions; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as optical floppy disks; and programmable memories, including ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. Other examples of media include recording media or storage media managed by application stores that distribute applications, websites that provide or distribute various other software, servers, etc.

[0141] As a summary and review, each secondary battery may include an electrode plate, which may be composed of a first sheet attached to one surface of a substrate and a second sheet attached to another surface of the substrate. In order to manufacture such an electrode plate, a dry electrode process using multiple rollers to spread the powder can be used. However, if there is a deviation (difference) in the thickness of the electrode plate produced by the dry electrode process, it may have an adverse effect on the electrochemical performance and safety of the secondary battery.

[0142] In contrast, the present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for controlling the thickness of a sheet in an electrode plate manufacturing process to achieve a uniform thickness of the electrode plate. That is, according to an embodiment, the method and apparatus measure the thickness of a rolled sheet in real time in a dry electrode process and automatically adjust the thickness of the sheet based on the measurement.

[0143] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the discreteness of the sheet is calculated in real time, and at least one target roller can be controlled to move in a first direction or a second direction based on the calculated discreteness of the sheet. Therefore, the spacing between a pair of rollers for rolling the sheet is adaptively adjusted to optimize, resulting in a sheet with uniform thickness formed on the substrate.

[0144] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the position of the roller can be adjusted in real time based on the discreteness of the sheet calculated in real time. Therefore, it is possible to adaptively respond to various environmental changes that may occur during the electrode plate manufacturing process, thereby minimizing the occurrence of thickness changes of the electrode plate.

[0145] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as the thickness of an electrode plate including a sheet becomes uniform, electrochemical performance and safety of a secondary battery including the electrode plate may be improved.

[0146] Although the present disclosure has been described above with respect to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various modifications and changes may be made to it by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the present disclosure and the equivalent scope of the appended claims.

[0147] Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, these terms are used and interpreted only in a general and descriptive sense and not for limiting purposes. In some cases, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing this application, unless otherwise specifically stated, features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with a particular embodiment may be used alone or in combination with features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with other embodiments. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling sheet thickness in an electrode plate manufacturing process, the method comprising: obtaining a thickness measured for each of a plurality of portions of the sheet rolled by a plurality of rollers; calculating a dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the obtained thickness for each of the plurality of portions; determining movement information of at least one target roller from among the plurality of rollers based on the calculated dispersion; as well as Based on the determined movement information, the at least one target roller is controlled to move.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The movement information includes the movement amount and movement direction of the at least one target roller, and Controlling the at least one target roller to move includes controlling the at least one target roller to move in the movement direction included in the movement information by the movement amount included in the movement information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the movement information comprises: In response to the calculated dispersion falling within a first range, determining the moving direction of the at least one target roller as a first direction, and In response to a situation where the calculated dispersion falls within a second range, the moving direction of the at least one target roller is determined as a second direction. 4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first direction is a direction toward a position where a fixed roller among the plurality of rollers is located, and the second direction is a direction away from the position where the fixed roller is located. 5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining at least one roller among the plurality of rollers as the at least one target roller such that the at least one roller does not include a fixed roller among the plurality of rollers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: The at least one roller determined as the at least one target roller includes a first roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a first distance and a second roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance, and Controlling the at least one target roller to move includes controlling the first roller to move first and controlling the second roller to move subsequently based on the determined movement information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein: The at least one roller determined as the at least one target roller includes a first roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a first distance and a second roller spaced apart from the fixed roller by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance, and Controlling the at least one target roller to move includes controlling the first roller and the second roller to move together based on the determined movement information.

8. The method of claim 1, after controlling the at least one target roller to move, further comprising: retrieving a thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions of the sheet rolled through the plurality of rollers; recalculating the dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the re-obtained thickness for each of the plurality of sections; In response to the dispersion falling outside a threshold range, identifying a pair of rollers having the greatest influence on producing a thickness difference between a first portion of the sheet and a second portion of the sheet; as well as Movement of at least one roller of the identified pair of rollers is controlled.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining that the at least one target roller comprises at least one roller of the identified pair of rollers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the at least one target roller comprises determining the at least one target roller comprises at least one roller located in a second direction relative to the identified space between the pair of rollers.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions of the sheet comprises: measuring, by the distance measuring sensor, a third distance between the distance measuring sensor and a roller serving as a distance measurement target; measuring, by the distance measuring sensor, a fourth distance between the distance measuring sensor and a specific portion of the sheet placed on the surface of the roller serving as the distance measurement target; as well as Based on the third distance and the fourth distance, a thickness of the specific portion of the sheet is obtained.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions of the sheet comprises: measuring, by the distance measuring sensor, a fifth distance between the distance measuring sensor and a substrate serving as a distance measurement target; measuring, by the distance measuring sensor, a sixth distance between the distance measuring sensor and a specific portion of the sheet placed on the surface of the substrate; as well as Based on the fifth distance and the sixth distance, a thickness of the specific portion of the sheet is obtained.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the dispersion of the sheet thickness comprises: calculating an average thickness of the thicknesses of the plurality of parts obtained; calculating a difference between thicknesses of a first portion and a second portion among the obtained thicknesses of the plurality of portions; as well as The dispersion of the sheet thickness is calculated based on the calculated average thickness, the difference between the thicknesses of the first portion and the second portion, and a predetermined target thickness.

14. The method of claim 1, before obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions, further comprising: obtaining a thickness measured for the sheet; calculating a difference between the obtained thickness of the sheet and a predetermined reference thickness of the sheet; as well as determining a thickness correction value based on the calculated difference, Wherein obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions includes correcting at least one of the thicknesses measured for the plurality of portions based on the thickness correction value.

15. The method of claim 1, before obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions, further comprising: obtaining a thickness measured for the sheet and a thickness measured for an electrode plate having a substrate; calculating a difference between the obtained thickness of the electrode plate and a predetermined reference thickness of the electrode plate; as well as determining a thickness correction value based on the calculated difference, Wherein obtaining the thickness measured for each of the plurality of portions includes correcting at least one of the thicknesses measured for the plurality of portions based on the thickness correction value.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, if executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

17. A control device for controlling the thickness of a sheet in an electrode plate manufacturing process, the control device comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor connected to the memory and configured to execute at least one computer-readable program stored in the memory, the at least one computer-readable program comprising instructions that, if executed by the at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to perform the following operations: obtaining a thickness measured for each of a plurality of portions of the sheet rolled by a plurality of rollers; calculating a dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the obtained thickness for each of the plurality of portions; determining movement information of at least one target roller from among the plurality of rollers based on the calculated dispersion; as well as Based on the determined movement information, the at least one target roller is controlled to move.

18. The control device of claim 17, wherein: The movement information includes the movement amount and movement direction of the at least one target roller, and The operation of controlling the at least one target roller to move includes an operation of controlling the at least one target roller to move in the movement direction included in the movement information by the movement amount included in the movement information.

19. The control device of claim 18, wherein the operation of determining the movement information comprises: In response to the calculated dispersion falling within a first range, determining the moving direction of the at least one target roller as a first direction, and In response to the calculated dispersion falling within a second range, the moving direction of the at least one target roller is determined as an operation of a second direction.

20. The control device of claim 17, wherein the operation of calculating the dispersion of the sheet thickness comprises: an operation of calculating an average thickness of the obtained thicknesses of the plurality of portions; an operation of calculating a difference between thicknesses of a first portion and a second portion among the obtained thicknesses of the plurality of portions; as well as An operation of calculating the dispersion of the sheet thickness based on the calculated average thickness, the difference between the thicknesses of the first portion and the second portion, and a predetermined target thickness.

Images