System and method for detecting defects in electrodes - Patents.com

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying defects in electrodes are described. A system for detecting defects in electrodes may include at least one camera and at least one processing device configured to detect the presence or absence of one or more defects in the electrode using image input from the camera. Camera-based image analysis may be used to improve product quality and reliability.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 315,349, filed March 1, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] For electrodes made on calender rollers, the electrodes can be damaged by imperfections that reduce the performance of the endless sheets used to form electrochemical cells and capacitors. These imperfections can be caused by surface imperfections of the calender rollers, including damage or impurities present on the roller surface, imperfections in the formulation of the dry electrode composition, and errors in setting the calender rollers. These same impurities can also damage the tooling rollers, such as the calender rollers and nip rollers, by creating surface pitting. These tooling rollers are very important because they handle and deform the powders and sheets that are to be formed into the electrochemical cells, and pitting on the surface of the tooling rollers will produce formed sheets that are outside of dimensional specifications. Furthermore, the impurities themselves can become embedded within the endless sheets. These impurities and defects in the tooling roller surface can result in reduced performance of the electrochemical cells, reduced reliability, and increased likelihood of product failure.

[0003] A need exists for improved detection techniques for identifying and locating defects in manufactured electrodes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In some embodiments, a system for detecting defects in an electrode may include at least one camera and at least one processing device configured to detect the presence of one or more defects in the electrode using image input from the camera.

[0005] In some embodiments, the at least one camera may include two or more cameras.

[0006] In some embodiments, the at least one camera may be an optical camera.

[0007] In some embodiments, the at least one camera may have a resolution of at least about 0.5 mm.

[0008] In some embodiments, the at least one camera may be configured to periodically capture image inputs.

[0009] In some embodiments, the at least one camera may be configured to capture image input based on external input, including at least one of a sensor input and a user input.

[0010] In some embodiments, the at least one camera may be configured to wirelessly transmit image input to the at least one processing device.

[0011] In some embodiments, the at least one processing device may be configured to receive at least one image and analyze the image input to detect the presence of one or more defects in the electrode.

[0012] In some embodiments, the at least one processing device may be configured to output a report or signal regarding the presence of a defect in the electrode.

[0013] In some embodiments, the at least one processing device may be configured to count defects in the electrodes.

[0014] In some embodiments, the at least one processing device may be configured to identify a physical location of a defect in the electrode.

[0015] In some embodiments, the system may further include at least one sorting device.

[0016] In some embodiments, a method of detecting the presence of a defect in an electrode may include providing at least one electrode, obtaining at least one image of the electrode using at least one camera, and analyzing the at least one image using at least one processing device to detect the presence of the defect.

[0017] In some embodiments, at least one image may be acquired periodically.

[0018] In some embodiments, the at least one image may be acquired based on external inputs including at least one of a sensor input and a user input.

[0019] In some embodiments, the analysis may be qualitative.

[0020] In some embodiments, the analysis may be quantitative.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining whether the presence of the defect is acceptable.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method may further include identifying a physical location of the defect in the electrode.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method may further include sorting the electrodes based on the presence of defects.

[0024] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an electrode having an identifying landmark, according to an embodiment.

[0026] [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates a system with a camera and electrodes, according to an embodiment.

[0027] [Figure 3A] 1 shows an illustrative example of a system with multiple cameras and electrodes, according to an embodiment.

[0028] [Figure 3B] 1 shows a second illustrative example of a system with multiple cameras and electrodes, according to an embodiment.

[0029] [Figure 4] 1 shows a diagram of a process sequence for verifying an electrode, according to an embodiment.

[0030] [Diagram 5] 13 illustrates a comparison of a template of an electrode with a captured image of the electrode, according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] definition As used herein, the term "about" immediately preceding a numerical value means a range of ±10% of that value, unless otherwise indicated in the context of this disclosure or inconsistent with such an interpretation, for example, "about 50" means 45 to 55, "about 25,000" means 22,500 to 27,500, etc.

[0032] The present disclosure is not limited with respect to the specific embodiments described in this application, which are intended to be illustrative of various aspects. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. From the foregoing description, functionally equivalent methods and devices falling within the scope of the present disclosure, in addition to those methods and devices recited herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only in accordance with the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which the appended claims are entitled. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods, reagents, compounds, compositions, or biological systems, which may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

[0033] As used in this document, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Nothing in this disclosure should be construed as an admission that the embodiments described in this disclosure are not entitled to antedate this disclosure by virtue of prior invention. As used in this document, the term "comprising" means "including, but not limited to."

[0034] Although various compositions, methods, and devices are described in terms of "comprising" various components or steps (which should be interpreted as meaning "including, but not limited to" the various components or steps), the compositions, methods, and devices may also "consist essentially of" or "consist of" various components and steps, and such terms should be interpreted as defining essentially exclusive groups of elements.

[0035] With respect to the use of nearly all plural and / or singular terms herein, those of skill in the art may make substitutions from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as appropriate to the context and / or application. Various singular / plural substitutions may be expressly set forth herein for clarity.

[0036] Those of skill in the art will understand that the terms used in this specification, in general, and in the appended claims in particular (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended to be "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," etc.). Those of skill in the art will further understand that where a specific number is intended in the recitation of the claims introduced, such intent will be expressly set forth in the claim, and that in the absence of such recitation, no such intent exists. For example, to facilitate understanding, the appended claims below may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce the recitation of the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as meaning that the introduction of a claim recitation with the indefinite article "a" or "an" means that any particular claim that includes such an introduced claim recitation is limited to embodiments that include only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should be construed to mean "at least one" or "one or more"), and the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Moreover, those skilled in the art will understand that even when a particular number is explicitly recited in a claim recitation, such recitation should be construed to mean at least the recited number (e.g., recitation of only "two recitations" without any other modifiers means at least two recitations, or more than two recitations).Furthermore, in instances where a convention similar to "such as at least one of A, B, and C" is used, such syntax is generally intended to mean that one of skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A and B and C, etc.). In instances where a convention similar to "such as at least one of A, B, or C" is used, such syntax is generally intended to mean that one of skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A and B and C, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that substantially any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood as considering the possibility of including one of the terms, either one of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" is understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0037] Furthermore, when features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of a Markush group, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure also is described in terms of any individual element or subgroup of elements of the Markush group.

[0038] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for all purposes, including with respect to the provision of a specification, all ranges disclosed herein include all possible subranges and combinations of these subranges. Any recited range can be readily recognized as fully descriptive and allowing the same range to be broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily divided into a lower third, a middle third, and an upper third, etc. As will also be understood by those skilled in the art, all language such as "up to" and "at least" is intended to include the stated numbers and to refer to a range that can be subsequently broken down into subranges as described above. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, ranges include individual elements. Thus, for example, a group having 1 to 3 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1 to 5 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so on.

[0039] Various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined to create many other different systems or applications, in which various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art, each of which is intended to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments.

[0040] The present disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, devices, and methods described, which may vary, and the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

[0041] system A system can be constructed that assists in detecting defects in manufactured electrodes.

[0042] In one example, the system may include at least one camera and at least one processing device configured to detect the presence or absence of one or more defects in the electrode using image input from the camera.

[0043] 1 shows an electrode 101 having one or more landmarks 102. The one or more landmarks 102 may be etched into the electrode 101 by a laser or chemical etching. The one or more landmarks 102 may also be added to the electrode 101 by similar physical landmarks on the roller surfaces used to calender the electrode 101.

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a system comprising one electrode roll 202, at least one camera 201, and at least one processing device (not shown) configured to use image input from the camera to detect the presence or absence of one or more defects in the electrode.

[0045] The number of cameras can be any number, typically one or more than one. For example, one, two, three, four, five, six or more cameras can be used.

[0046] Each camera may typically be any camera type. For example, each camera may be an optical camera. Each camera may typically have any minimum resolution. For example, the minimum resolution may be at least about 0.5 mm, at least about 0.4 mm, at least about 0.3 mm, at least about 0.2 mm, or at least about 0.1 mm. The minimum resolution may be sufficient to at least detect defects. For example, the size of a dent may be at least about 0.5 mm, so to detect a dent, the minimum resolution may be selected to be at least about 0.5 mm.

[0047] When two or more cameras are used in the system, the cameras can be generally configured in any orientation. For example, the cameras can be oriented relative to the surface to be imaged. Each camera can generally be oriented at any angle relative to the surface to be imaged, such as about 0 degrees, about 5 degrees, about 10 degrees, about 15 degrees, about 20 degrees, about 25 degrees, about 30 degrees, or within a range between any two of these values. In an embodiment where two or more cameras are used, the cameras can be oriented at the same angle or different angles relative to the surface to be imaged. Figures 3A and 3B show an example of the orientation of a two camera system. As shown in Figure 3A, two cameras 301 / 302 can be positioned on either side of the electrode 303. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 3B, two cameras 304 / 305 can be positioned to face the same surface of the electrode 306.

[0048] The at least one camera may be configured to capture at least one image and transmit the at least one image to a processing device for analysis. The at least one camera may be configured to capture images periodically or based on an external input. In some embodiments, each image may include a still image. In some embodiments, the at least one image may include a moving image at a predetermined frame rate. Image capture may be triggered based on an external input from a sensor (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) or a user. For example, a temperature sensor may detect that a machine surface exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature and periodically capture images to analyze product quality until the temperature falls below the threshold. The camera may be configured to transmit images wired / cabled or wirelessly (e.g., via a network, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth connection).

[0049] The processing device may be any type of processing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, and a mobile phone. The processing device may be configured to receive at least one image and analyze the image to detect the presence or absence of one or more defects in the electrode. The processing device may be configured to correct any image distortion caused by the placement of the at least one camera. The image distortion correction may be performed based on a known placement of the at least one camera or automatically. Landmarks as disclosed herein may aid in the automatic correction of image distortion. The processing device may further be configured to output a report or signal regarding the presence or absence of defects in the electrode.

[0050] The presence or absence of defects may be qualitative (e.g., "no defects" or "defects detected") or quantitative (e.g., "no defects", "one defect", or "two defects"). The processing device may be configured to compare the number of detected defects to a standard or threshold value, and if the number of detected defects is below the standard or threshold value, the electrode is identified as acceptable, and if the number of detected defects is above the standard or threshold value, the electrode is identified as unacceptable. Additionally or alternatively, the processing device may compare the number of detected defects to an average number of defects over a period of time to detect changes in production quality. The detected defects may be measured in various ways. For example, the number of defects per square meter may be measured. In some examples, the number of defects is about 1 defect / m 2 Less than 0.5 defects / m 2 Less than 0.4 defects / m 2 Less than 0.3 defects / m 2 Less than 0.2 defects / m 2 Less than or equal to 0.1 defects / m 2 In the ideal case, the number of defects is below the detection limit of the system, i.e., 0 defects / m 2 It is.

[0051] In some embodiments, the processing device may be configured to count the defects detected as a simple number, hi some embodiments, the processing device may be configured to report the physical location of the defects detected on the electrode.

[0052] The system may further include at least one sorting device. For example, the sorting device may be configured to divert electrodes having an unacceptable number of defects. In some embodiments, the defective electrodes may be diverted to a waste container, a recycling bin, or any other suitable container.

[0053] The system may further include at least one database of detected defects. The system may be configured to compare the acquired one or more images to the at least one database of detected defects. The system may be configured to add an image of a newly detected defect to one of the at least one database.

[0054] method A method may be implemented to aid in detecting defects in manufactured electrodes.

[0055] In one example, a method is provided for detecting the presence or absence of one or more defects in an electrode. In an embodiment, the method may include providing at least one electrode, acquiring at least one image of the at least one electrode using at least one camera, and analyzing the at least one image using at least one processing device to detect the presence or absence of one or more defects.

[0056] The at least one image may be acquired periodically or based on an external input. The at least one image may be a still image or a moving image. The type of image and the image capture rate may be selected based on factors such as line speed and roller diameter.

[0057] The analysis may be qualitative (e.g., "no defects" or "defects detected") or quantitative (e.g., "no defects", "one defect", or "two defects"). The analysis may compare the number of defects detected to a standard or threshold value, and if the number of defects detected is below the standard or threshold value, the electrode is identified as acceptable, and if the number of defects detected is above the standard or threshold value, the electrode is identified as unacceptable. Additionally or alternatively, the analysis may compare the number of defects detected to an average over a period of time to detect changes in production quality. The analysis may be performed on the entire electrode or on a portion of the electrode.

[0058] Analyzing the electrode may further include comparing at least one of the collected images to a template image. With reference to FIG. 4, the method may include receiving a template of the electrode (401), capturing two or more images of the electrode (402), comparing the at least two images of the electrode to the template (403), and identifying images that deviate from the template (404). The method may include indicating no error if the deviation is below a deviation threshold (406). The method may include indicating an error if the deviation is above a deviation threshold (405). The threshold may be a single image that indicates a deviation. Alternatively, in embodiments with multiple cameras, images from alternative sources may be used as well as the template. Relying on images from multiple cameras may ignore deviations caused by a single camera (e.g., due to calibration errors or interference with the lens).

[0059] 5 shows an exemplary comparison of a template 501 with a collected image 502. The template 501 and the collected image 502 may each include landmarks 503. By comparing the two images 501 / 502, any deviations 504 may be detected.

[0060] The method may further include sorting the electrodes. The presence or absence of defects may be used to automatically sort the electrodes. Electrodes that "pass" the analysis step may be sorted separately from electrodes that "fail" the analysis step. Sorting may include transferring defective electrodes to a waste container, recycling bin, or other suitable container.

[0061] The method may further include comparing the acquired one or more images to at least one database of previously detected defects. The method may further include adding newly detected defect images to the database.

Claims

1. 1. A system for detecting defects in an electrode, comprising: at least one camera; and at least one processing device configured to detect the presence of one or more defects in the electrode using image input from the camera; The system comprising:

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one camera comprises two or more cameras.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one camera is an optical camera.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one camera has a resolution of at least about 0.5 mm.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one camera is configured to periodically capture image inputs.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one camera is configured to capture image input based on external input, including at least one of a sensor input and a user input.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one camera is configured to wirelessly transmit the image input to the at least one processing device.

8. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to receive at least one image and analyze the image input to detect the presence of one or more defects in the electrode.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to output a report or signal regarding the presence of a defect in the electrode.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to count defects in the electrode.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to identify a physical location of a defect in the electrode.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one sorting device.

13. 1. A method for detecting the presence of a defect in an electrode, comprising: providing at least one electrode; acquiring at least one image of the electrode using at least one camera; and analyzing the image using at least one processing device to detect the presence of the defect; The method comprising:

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one image is acquired periodically.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one image is acquired based on external inputs, including at least one of sensor inputs and user inputs.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the analysis is qualitative.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the analysis is quantitative.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining whether the presence of defects is acceptable.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising identifying a physical location of a defect in the electrode.

20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: sorting the electrode based on the presence of defects.

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