Method for inspecting surface roughness of cylindrical battery using surface brightness, apparatus therefor, and storage medium recording program for performing the same

Abstract

An apparatus and method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness are provided. By using surface brightness to detect the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery, the welding quality of the positive current collector and the positive terminal of the can can be ensured, and parts management can be achieved through full inspection. Losses can be reduced by preventing defects in semi-finished products, and costs caused by welding defects can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, an apparatus for performing the method, and a storage medium containing a program for executing the method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, commercially available rechargeable batteries include nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries, and lithium-ion batteries. Among them, lithium-ion batteries have attracted attention due to their advantages over nickel-based batteries, such as virtually no memory effect, the ability to be freely charged and discharged, a very low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

[0003] Recently, secondary batteries have been widely used for propulsion or energy storage in vehicles such as electric two-wheelers and electric vehicles, as well as in medium and large-sized devices such as energy storage systems (ESS). Therefore, attention to batteries is increasing, and battery-related research and development are being carried out more actively. Furthermore, in the case of batteries used in vehicles, the commercialization and research of replaceable common battery packs are also underway.

[0004] Lithium-ion secondary batteries primarily use lithium oxide and carbon materials as the positive and negative electrode active materials, respectively. Furthermore, a lithium-ion secondary battery has an electrode assembly and a casing (i.e., a battery case). The electrode assembly contains a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, which are coated with positive and negative active materials, respectively. A separator is disposed between the positive and negative electrode plates, and the casing seals and stores the electrode assembly and electrolyte together. Based on the shape of the casing, lithium-ion secondary batteries can be divided into can-type secondary batteries where the electrode assembly is built into a metal can, and pouch-type secondary batteries where the electrode assembly is built into a bag containing aluminum laminates. Can-type secondary batteries can be further divided into prismatic and cylindrical secondary batteries based on their shape.

[0005] Multiple secondary batteries can be electrically connected to each other and housed together within a module housing (module casing) or battery pack housing (battery pack casing) to form a battery module or battery pack. In this case, each secondary battery contained in the battery module or battery pack can be referred to as a battery cell.

[0006] In particular, when welding the positive current collector of a cylindrical battery and the positive terminal of the can, weldability varies due to differences in the quality of the two welding materials, making weld quality control crucial. When the positive terminal of the can is riveted, the main factors affecting the welding of the positive current collector and the positive terminal include surface roughness, flatness, and hardness. Among these main factors, regarding surface roughness, there are two conventional surface roughness inspection methods: contact surface roughness inspection and non-contact surface roughness inspection. The limitation of contact surface roughness inspection is that it is practically impossible to perform a full inspection. Non-contact surface roughness inspection can perform a full inspection, but the problem is its lower precision. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to inspect the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, a method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, an apparatus configured to perform the method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium recording a program for performing the method are provided.

[0009] The problems to be solved in this invention are not limited to those described above, and can be extended in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

[0010] Technical solution

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, comprising the steps of: acquiring an inspection image of an illuminated cylindrical battery; and using the inspection image to acquire the surface roughness of a region corresponding to a terminal of the cylindrical battery.

[0012] The step of obtaining the surface roughness may include obtaining the surface roughness of the region where the positive terminal of the cylindrical battery is welded.

[0013] The step of obtaining the surface roughness may include measuring the surface brightness of the region where the positive terminal is welded, and obtaining the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery based on the measured surface brightness.

[0014] The step of obtaining the surface roughness may include using a pre-defined relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness to obtain the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery based on the measured surface brightness.

[0015] The method may further include the step of determining whether the cylindrical battery has defects based on the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery.

[0016] The step of determining whether the cylindrical battery is defective may include: when the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery is equal to or greater than a preset roughness reference value, the cylindrical battery is determined to be defective.

[0017] The step of acquiring the inspection image may include acquiring the inspection image of the cylindrical battery by using an in-line detector configured to measure the size and size of airborne foreign objects in the cylindrical battery.

[0018] The steps of acquiring the inspection image and acquiring the surface roughness can be performed by the online inspection instrument.

[0019] One embodiment of the present invention includes a computer-readable storage medium containing a program for controlling a computer to perform any of the above-described methods for checking the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness.

[0020] An apparatus configured to inspect the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a memory configured to store one or more programs for inspecting the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery; and one or more processors configured to perform operations for inspecting the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery according to the one or more programs stored in the memory, the operations for inspecting the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery including: acquiring an inspection image of an illuminated cylindrical battery, and using the inspection image to acquire the surface roughness of a region corresponding to a terminal of the cylindrical battery.

[0021] The processor acquires the surface roughness of the region where the positive terminal of the cylindrical battery is welded.

[0022] The processor can also be configured to: measure the surface brightness of the region where the positive terminal is welded, and obtain the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery based on the measured surface brightness.

[0023] The processor can be configured to obtain the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery based on the measured surface roughness using a pre-defined relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness.

[0024] The processor can also be configured to determine whether the cylindrical battery has defects based on the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery.

[0025] The processor can be configured to determine that the cylindrical battery is defective when the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery is equal to or greater than a preset roughness reference value.

[0026] The processor can be configured to acquire the inspection image of the cylindrical battery via an online detector configured to measure the size and floatation of the cylindrical battery.

[0027] The surface roughness inspection device can be integrated with the online inspection instrument, and the operations of acquiring the inspection image and acquiring the surface roughness are performed by the online inspection instrument.

[0028] Beneficial effects

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention, by using surface brightness to inspect the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery, the welding quality of the positive current collector and the positive terminal of the can can be ensured, and parts management can be achieved through full inspection.

[0030] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, losses can be reduced by preventing defects in semi-finished products, and costs caused by welding defects can be reduced.

[0031] The effects of various embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various effects are inherent in the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 It is used for explanation Figure 1 The diagram shows an example of an online detection instrument.

[0034] Figure 3 It is used for explanation Figure 1 A block diagram showing the configuration of the surface roughness inspection device.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 5 This is an example of an inspection image showing a region where the positive terminal of a cylindrical battery is welded, used to illustrate one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 6 This is a graph illustrating the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness in one embodiment of the present invention, and showing the surface roughness of each group of cylindrical batteries.

[0038] Figure 7This is a graph illustrating the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness in one embodiment of the present invention, and shows the surface brightness of each group of cylindrical batteries.

[0039] Figure 8 This is a graph illustrating the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness in one embodiment of the present invention, and shows a 1:1 matching scatter plot between surface roughness and surface brightness. Detailed Implementation

[0040] In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the embodiments of the present invention, as well as their implementation methods, will become clear from the following detailed description and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those disclosed below, but can be implemented in various different forms, and the embodiments of the present invention are limited only by the scope of the claims.

[0041] Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same parts. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in the sense commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain. Furthermore, unless explicitly defined, terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be interpreted ideally or excessively.

[0042] In this specification, the terms "first," "second," etc., are intended to distinguish one component from another, and the scope of the claims should not be limited by these terms. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component.

[0043] In this specification, for ease of explanation, identification symbols (e.g., a, b, c, etc.) are used for each step, and these identification symbols do not describe the order of the steps. The steps may occur in a different order than stated unless the context explicitly indicates a specific order. That is, the steps may occur in the same order as stated, may be performed substantially simultaneously, or may be performed in the reverse order.

[0044] In this specification, expressions such as “have,” “may have,” “include,” or “may include” indicate the presence of a corresponding feature (such as a number, function, operation, or part of a component) and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0045] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness according to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for performing the method, and a storage medium containing a program for executing the method are described in detail.

[0046] First, refer to Figure 1 This invention describes an apparatus for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0047] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is used for explanation Figure 1 A diagram showing an example of an online detector.

[0048] Reference Figure 1 According to one embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "surface roughness inspection apparatus") 100 for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness can inspect the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery 200 using surface brightness.

[0049] In this case, the surface roughness inspection device 100 can obtain the surface brightness of the cylindrical battery 200 based on the image acquired by the online inspection instrument 300, and inspect the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery 200 based on the obtained surface brightness.

[0050] Here, the online detector 300 refers to a device used to measure the size and composition of floating foreign objects in the cylindrical battery 200. That is, referring to... Figure 2 The online inspection device 300 can apply illumination to the "can" which is a cylindrical battery 200. Then, the online inspection device 300 can capture an inspection image by photographing the "can" as the cylindrical battery 200 while the illumination is on. The online inspection device 300 can then use image analysis algorithms, etc., based on the acquired inspection image to check whether there are any floating foreign objects in the "can" as the cylindrical battery 200.

[0051] Then, refer to Figure 3 The configuration of a surface roughness inspection apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0052] Figure 3 It is used for explanation Figure 1 A block diagram showing the configuration of the surface roughness inspection device.

[0053] Reference Figure 3 The surface roughness inspection device 100 may include one or more processors 110, computer-readable storage media 130, and communication bus 150.

[0054] The processor 110 can control the surface roughness inspection device 100 to operate. For example, the processor 110 can execute one or more programs 131 stored in the computer-readable storage medium 130. The one or more programs 131 may contain one or more computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions may be configured to cause the surface roughness inspection device 100 to perform the operation of inspecting the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery when executed by the processor 110.

[0055] Computer-readable storage medium 130 is configured to store computer-executable instructions or program code, program data, and / or other suitable forms of information for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery. Program 131 stored in computer-readable storage medium 130 contains a set of instructions executable by processor 110. In one embodiment, computer-readable storage medium 130 may be a memory (volatile memory such as random access memory, non-volatile memory, or suitable combinations thereof), one or more disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, any other form of storage medium accessible and storing the desired information by surface roughness inspection device 100, or suitable combinations thereof.

[0056] The communication bus 150 interconnects various other components of the surface roughness inspection device 100, including the processor 110 and the computer-readable storage medium 130.

[0057] The surface roughness inspection apparatus 100 may also include one or more input / output interfaces 170 providing interfaces for one or more input / output devices, and one or more communication interfaces 190. The input / output interfaces 170 and communication interfaces 190 are connected to a communication bus 150. Input / output devices (not shown) may be connected to other components of the surface roughness inspection apparatus 100 via the input / output interfaces 170.

[0058] Then, refer to Figures 4 to 8 The present invention will describe a method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0059] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is an example of an inspection image showing a region where the positive terminal of a cylindrical battery is welded, used to illustrate one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 This is a graph illustrating the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness in one embodiment of the present invention, and it shows the surface roughness of each group of cylindrical batteries. Figure 7This is a graph illustrating the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness in one embodiment of the present invention, and it shows the surface brightness of each group of cylindrical batteries. Figure 8 This is a graph illustrating the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness in one embodiment of the present invention, and shows a 1:1 matching scatter plot between surface roughness and surface brightness.

[0060] Reference Figure 4 The processor 110 of the surface roughness inspection device 100 can acquire an inspection image of the illuminated cylindrical battery 200 (S110).

[0061] In this case, the processor 110 can use the online inspection instrument 300 to acquire inspection images of the cylindrical battery 200.

[0062] Then, the processor 110 can use the inspection image to obtain the surface roughness of the area corresponding to the terminal of the cylindrical battery 200 (S120).

[0063] That is, the processor 110 can obtain the surface roughness of the region of the cylindrical battery 200 where the positive terminal is welded.

[0064] To illustrate in more detail, the processor 110 can measure the surface brightness of the region of the cylindrical battery 200 where the positive terminal is soldered. For example, in Figure 5 The surface brightness of the "surface brightness inspection area" can be measured in the inspection image shown. The surface brightness inspection area is the area where the positive terminal of the cylindrical battery 200 is welded.

[0065] Furthermore, the processor 110 can obtain the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery 200 based on the measured surface brightness. In this case, the processor 110 can obtain the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery 200 based on the measured surface brightness by using a preset relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness.

[0066] Here, the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness can be obtained and set based on pre-measured surface brightness and surface roughness of multiple sets of cylindrical cells 200. For example, the surface roughness of multiple sets of cylindrical cells 200 can be measured, such as... Figure 6 As shown. Furthermore, as... Figure 7 As shown, the surface brightness of multiple sets of cylindrical batteries 200 can be measured. Based on the measured surface brightness and surface roughness of the multiple sets of cylindrical batteries 200, it is possible to... Figure 8 As shown, a 1:1 matching scatter plot is obtained. Furthermore, the relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness can be obtained from the 1:1 matching scatter plot of surface roughness and surface brightness.

[0067] Subsequently, the processor 110 can determine whether the cylindrical battery 200 has defects based on the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery 200 (S130).

[0068] In this case, when the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery 200 is equal to or greater than a preset roughness reference value, the processor 110 can determine that the cylindrical battery 200 is defective.

[0069] In other words, to manage the welding quality of the positive current collector and the positive terminal of the can in cylindrical batteries, a full inspection of surface roughness is required. For example, in barrel manufacturing (one of the manufacturing processes for individual products using rivets), when process management is insufficient, the surface roughness of the rivet welds increases, and when the surface roughness exceeds a certain roughness value, there are problems with weldability degradation (reduced tensile strength, deteriorated fracture mode, etc.). However, considering that existing contact-type surface roughness inspection methods are practically impossible to perform a full inspection, and that existing non-contact surface roughness inspection methods suffer from low precision, one embodiment of the present invention uses surface brightness as a substitute characteristic for surface roughness. Surface brightness is a characteristic related to surface roughness, thereby allowing for indirect measurement of surface roughness through surface brightness, and making it easier to perform a full inspection of surface roughness required for weldability management.

[0070] Meanwhile, although the surface roughness inspection device 100 is implemented as a device physically separate from the online inspection instrument 300, and the surface roughness inspection device 100 is described as performing inspection image acquisition operations, surface roughness acquisition operations, and defect detection operations, this is only an example. According to one embodiment, the surface roughness inspection device 100 can be implemented as an integrated unit with the online inspection instrument 300. In this case, the inspection image acquisition operation, surface roughness acquisition operation, and defect detection operation can be performed by the online inspection instrument 300. That is, the online inspection instrument 300 can perform floating foreign object inspection operations, and simultaneously perform inspection image acquisition operations, surface roughness acquisition operations, and defect detection operations.

[0071] The operations of the embodiments of the present invention described above can be implemented as program commands executable by various computer devices and recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any medium that participates in providing commands to a processor for execution. A computer-readable storage medium may contain program commands, data files, data structures, or combinations thereof. For example, it may contain magnetic media, optical storage media, memory, etc. Computer programs can be distributed across network-connected computer systems, enabling computer-readable code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner. Programmers skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present invention pertain can readily deduce the functional programs, code, and code segments used to implement the embodiments of the present invention.

[0072] The embodiments of the present invention are intended to illustrate technical concepts, and the scope of the technical concepts in the embodiments of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the embodiments of the present invention should be interpreted by the scope of the following claims, and all technical concepts within the scope of the claims should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the rights of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0073] Figure Labels

[0074] 100: Surface roughness inspection device

[0075] 110: Processor

[0076] 130: Computer-readable storage medium

[0077] 131: Program

[0078] 150: Communication bus

[0079] 170: Input / Output Interface

[0080] 190: Communication Interface

[0081] 200: Cylindrical battery

[0082] 300: Online Testing Instrument

Claims

1. A method for inspecting the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, the method comprising the following steps: Acquire an inspection image of an illuminated cylindrical battery; as well as The surface roughness of the area corresponding to the terminals of the cylindrical battery is obtained using the inspection image.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The step of obtaining the surface roughness includes obtaining the surface roughness of the region where the positive terminal of the cylindrical battery is welded.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, The steps for obtaining the surface roughness include: Measure the surface brightness of the area where the positive terminal is welded, and The surface roughness of the cylindrical battery is obtained based on the measured surface brightness.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The step of obtaining the surface roughness includes using a preset relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness to obtain the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery based on the measured surface brightness.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether the cylindrical battery has defects based on the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The step of determining whether the cylindrical battery is defective includes: when the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery is equal to or greater than a preset roughness reference value, the cylindrical battery is determined to be defective.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The step of acquiring the inspection image includes acquiring the inspection image of the cylindrical battery by using an online detector configured to measure the size and size of airborne foreign objects in the cylindrical battery.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The steps of acquiring the inspection image and acquiring the surface roughness are performed by the online inspection instrument.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a program that causes a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An apparatus configured to inspect the surface roughness of a cylindrical battery using surface brightness, the apparatus comprising: A memory configured to store one or more programs for checking the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery; and One or more processors, configured to perform an operation of checking the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery according to one or more programs stored in the memory, the operation of checking the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery including: Acquire inspection images of a cylindrical battery under illumination, and The surface roughness of the area corresponding to the terminals of the cylindrical battery is obtained using the inspection image.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, The processor acquires the surface roughness of the region where the positive terminal of the cylindrical battery is welded.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The processor is also configured to: Measure the surface brightness of the area where the positive terminal is welded; and The surface roughness of the cylindrical battery is obtained based on the measured surface brightness.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The processor is configured to obtain the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery based on the measured surface roughness using a pre-defined relationship between surface brightness and surface roughness.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, The processor is also configured to determine whether the cylindrical battery has defects based on the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, The processor is configured to determine that the cylindrical battery is defective when the surface roughness of the cylindrical battery is equal to or greater than a preset roughness reference value.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, The processor is configured to acquire the inspection image of the cylindrical battery via an online detector configured to measure the size and size of floating foreign objects in the cylindrical battery.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, The surface roughness inspection device is integrated with the online inspection instrument, and The operations of acquiring the inspection image and acquiring the surface roughness are performed by the online inspection instrument.

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