Reference point marking device and roll map generation device

Abstract

To provide a simple reference point marking device that can efficiently mark reference points. [Solution] The present invention relates to a marking device for marking reference points on a multi-lane electrode in which a plurality of electrode lanes are arranged along the width direction. The marking device includes a first marking machine that marks reference points on the uncoated portions of electrode lanes located at one side end or both sides of the multi-lane electrode in the width direction; a second marking machine that moves along the width direction and marks reference points on the uncoated portions of the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at the one side end or the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lanes located at both sides; and a control unit that controls the operation of the first marking machine and the second marking machine. The present invention also provides a roll map generation device using the above reference point marking device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a reference point marking device capable of efficiently marking reference points on each electrode lane when a multi-lane electrode having a plurality of electrode lanes moves.

[0002] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a roll map generation device using such a reference point marking device.

[0003] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0109335 filed on August 30, 2022, and all the contents disclosed in the literature of the Korean patent application are included as part of this specification.

Background Art

[0004] Due to the technological development and increasing demand for mobile devices, the demand for secondary batteries has also been rapidly increasing. Among them, lithium secondary batteries are widely used as an energy source for various mobile devices as well as a variety of electronic products because of their high energy density, operating voltage, and excellent storage and lifespan characteristics.

[0005] The so-called electrode process for manufacturing the electrodes of lithium secondary batteries includes a coating process of applying an active material and a predetermined insulating material on the surface of a metal electrode plate, which is a current collector, to form a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a roll press process of rolling the coated electrodes, and a slitting process of cutting the rolled electrodes according to dimensions.

[0006] The electrodes manufactured in the electrode process have electrode tabs formed by a notching process. After an electrode assembly is formed by interposing a separator between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, the electrode assembly is stacked, folded, or wound, and is packaged in a pouch, can, etc., and then filled with an electrolytic solution through an assembly process to form the form of a secondary battery. Thereafter, the assembled secondary battery is charged and discharged, and through an activation process of imparting battery characteristics, it becomes a final finished secondary battery.

[0007] In the electrode manufacturing process described above, if breakage or defects occur in the electrodes, the broken or defective portion may be removed and the electrodes may be joined together with connecting tape. Alternatively, to maintain electrode quality, the start or end portions of the electrodes with uneven quality may be removed. In this case, the operator arbitrarily inputs the length of the electrode cut off after electrode removal and joining (electrode loss amount) into the control unit or other system. However, since the operator manually measures and inputs the electrode loss amount, the actual amount of electrode loss is not accurate. Furthermore, the electrode loss amount entered by each operator differs.

[0008] In this case, while the subsequent process can detect the connecting tape and determine that the electrodes have broken and been reconnected, the amount of electrode loss depends on the operator's input, making it impossible to accurately determine the amount of electrode loss. If the amount of electrode loss that is cut is inaccurate, the position coordinates of the electrodes will change in the subsequent process, making it impossible to accurately perform the subsequent process at the desired position. Furthermore, when comparing and analyzing quality changes between each detailed process of the electrode work, the criteria differ depending on the amount of electrode loss, making it impossible to reliably compare quality based on electrode position.

[0009] In recent years, roll maps have been used, which display quality or defect data on a roll map bar shown on the screen, simulating a roll-to-roll electrode. This roll map is created for each detailed electrode process, such as the coating process, roll pressing process, and slitting process. The roll map information is downloaded to check for quality defects and electrode breakage in the preceding process, and this information is then checked in the subsequent process to remove defects or perform necessary follow-up processing. However, if the amount of electrode loss is not accurately determined as described above, the electrode position data displayed on the roll map will change, making it impossible to accurately display quality and defect location data. This poses a risk of performing subsequent processes based on incorrect position coordinates when referring to the roll map in subsequent processes.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing that when loss occurs in the electrode, distortion occurs in the longitudinal coordinate of the electrode depending on the presence or absence of a reference point.

[0011] The top view in Figure 1 is a roll map (RM) that simulates the movement of electrodes as they move roll-to-roll between the unwinder UW and the rewinder RW. While the actual roll map RM visually displays a lot of detailed data regarding quality and defects, Figure 1 shows only electrode breakage and connecting tape T for ease of explanation.

[0012] The roll map RM in the upper diagram of Figure 1 is a model of an actual electrode, and various types of fractures occur in actual electrodes. When one of the detailed processes of the electrode manufacturing process is being carried out, the roll map RM shows that electrode fractures occurred within that process (the current process), with fractures of 50m and 60m occurring. It also shows that 30m of the electrode start end was removed in the process preceding the current process, and 35m of the electrode end end was removed in the current process.

[0013] In this case, if the broken portion and the electrode removal portions (electrode loss portions) at the start and end of the electrode are removed, only the connecting tape T connecting the broken portions remains, as shown in the intermediate section diagram of Figure 1. In other words, the intermediate section diagram of Figure 1 represents the actual form of the electrode. In this intermediate section diagram, the position of the connecting tape T can be detected, for example, by a seam detection sensor. However, since the broken or removed electrodes do not remain on the actual electrode, the amount of electrode loss, which is the length of the electrode removal portion (loss portion), cannot be determined. As mentioned above, since the electrode removal portion is manually entered by the operator, it is difficult to know the exact amount of electrode loss.

[0014] Furthermore, if the amount of electrode loss cannot be determined, the roll map RM of the electrode process will take on the same form as the intermediate diagram in Figure 1, and distortion will occur in the position coordinates on the roll map. The upper diagram in Figure 1 is shown for convenience, assuming that the electrode breakage / removal length is known, along with the connecting tape; when actual electrode loss occurs, it will take on the form shown in the intermediate diagram in Figure 1.

[0015] The lower part of Figure 1 shows how a reference point was introduced to prevent coordinate distortion in the roll map RM.

[0016] In the roll map RM at the bottom of Figure 1, reference points M1, M2, and M3 are introduced at predetermined intervals to indicate the electrode loss area. The number and spacing of the reference points M1, M2, and M3 can be applied differently depending on the length and specifications of the electrode. In Figure 1, a 1200-meter-long electrode is assumed, and reference points M1, M2, and M3 are displayed at 300, 600, and 900 meters, respectively. If reference points M1, M2, and M3 are marked on the actual electrode as described above, and the reference points are measured when electrode loss occurs, the spacing of the reference points will fluctuate, and the amount of electrode loss can be easily determined based on this fluctuation. In this way, once the amount of electrode loss is determined, the reference points M1, M2, and M3 and the length of the electrode loss can be displayed together, as shown in the roll map RM at the bottom of Figure 1. This allows both the longitudinal dimension of the electrode (absolute coordinates) that reflects the length of the loss and the longitudinal dimension of the electrode that does not reflect the loss (relative coordinates) to be displayed on a single roll map.

[0017] In this way, by introducing reference points to the electrodes, the amount of electrode loss can be determined by comparing the reference point position before the fluctuation (the set reference point position) with the measured reference point position based on the fluctuation in the interval between the reference points, and this can be reflected on the roll map.

[0018] On the other hand, in recent years, in order to meet the increasing demand for pouch or cylindrical batteries used in large automobile batteries, or for small batteries used in small electric mechanisms, multi-lane electrodes, in which multiple electrode lanes are arranged along the width direction, have been actively developed. The above-mentioned multi-lane electrode consists of a coated portion on a single electrode plate (current collector) coated with electrode active material and an uncoated portion that is not coated, which are repeatedly arranged in the width direction. After the coating process and roll pressing process described above, the multi-lane electrode is cut into individual electrode lanes in a slitting process.

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the display of a reference point on the electrode of a single-electrode lane.

[0020] The arrows in the drawing indicate the direction of electrode movement. The electrode 1 described above has uncoated portions 1a formed on both sides of a coated portion 1b. Therefore, it was sufficient for the conventional reference point marking machine 2 to mark the reference point M on the uncoated portion on one side of the electrode or on both sides of the uncoated portions 1a. However, such conventional reference point marking machines 2 were unsuitable for marking reference points on multi-lane electrodes, which are effective for electrode productivity. To mark reference points on each of the multiple electrode lanes of a multi-lane electrode, multiple marking machines are required. However, increasing the number of marking machines increases manufacturing costs and complicates the installation process. In addition, the number of optical components required for the marking machine also increases, further increasing manufacturing costs.

[0021] Therefore, in order to mark reference points on multi-lane electrodes or multi-lane electrodes in recent years, there is a need for the development of technology that can efficiently mark reference points while reducing the number of marking machines required. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0022] [Patent Document 1] Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-601567 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0023] The present invention aims to provide a simple reference point marking device that can efficiently mark reference points on a multi-lane electrode equipped with multiple electrode lanes.

[0024] Another object of the present invention is to provide a roll map generation device that can effectively display reference point information and information regarding electrode defects on a roll map using the above-described reference point marking device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0025] The reference point marking device of the present invention for solving the above problems is a marking device for marking a reference point on a multi-lane electrode in which a plurality of electrode lanes are arranged along the width direction, including a first marking machine for marking a reference point on a non-coated portion of an electrode lane located at one side end or both side ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, a second marking machine for marking a reference point on a non-coated portion of the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at the one side end or the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lanes located at both side ends while moving along the width direction, and a control unit for controlling the operations of the first marking machine and the second marking machine.

[0026] The first marking machine includes a one-side end marking machine for marking a reference point on a non-coated portion of an electrode lane located at one side end in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, and the second marking machine can mark a reference point on a non-coated portion of each of the plurality of electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at the one side end.

[0027] The first marking machine includes a one-side end marking machine and an other-side end marking machine for marking a reference point on a non-coated portion of an electrode lane located at one side end and the other side end in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, respectively, and the second marking machine can mark a reference point on a non-coated portion of one or more electrode lanes arranged between the electrode lanes located at the one side end and the other side end.

[0028] As an example, a guide shaft is arranged along the width direction of the multi-lane electrode on the multi-lane electrode, the first marking machine and the second marking machine are coupled to the guide shaft, and the second marking machine can be installed to be movable along the guide shaft.

[0029] When marking a reference point on multi-lane electrodes with different widths, the first marking machine can be movable in the width direction along the guide shaft corresponding to the change in its width.

[0030] As the multi-lane electrode moves along its longitudinal direction, the first marking machine and the second marking machine can mark reference points at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode on the uncoated portion of each electrode lane.

[0031] When the second marking machine moves along the width direction and marks each of the multiple electrode lanes, the marking path can be formed as a diagonal path that slopes backward in the longitudinal direction of the electrodes, depending on the longitudinal movement speed of the multi-lane electrodes.

[0032] The multi-lane electrode described above is a double-sided electrode in which electrode active material is coated on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, and the first marking machine and the second marking machine can be installed on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of the multi-lane electrode.

[0033] The reference points marked above may include the coordinates or sequence information of the reference points along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode, and the sequence information of each electrode lane along the width direction of the multi-lane electrode.

[0034] The above-described reference point marking device may further include a position measuring instrument that acquires the longitudinal position of the electrodes as coordinate data, corresponding to the amount of rotation of the unwinder or rewinder, when the multi-lane electrodes move longitudinally in a roll-to-roll manner between the unwinder and the rewinder, and the first marking machine and the second marking machine may mark reference points based on the coordinate data.

[0035] The first marking machine described above can mark defective locations and / or defective sections of multi-lane electrodes in place of or in conjunction with reference point marking.

[0036] A defect inspection machine is positioned in front of the first marking machine, which can inspect multi-lane electrodes moving in a roll-to-roll manner to acquire inspection data regarding defects, and, in conjunction with the position measuring instrument, acquire coordinate data of the electrodes relating to the defective locations and / or defective sections for which the inspection data has been acquired. The first marking machine can mark the defective locations and / or defective sections on the uncoated portions of one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrodes based on the coordinate data transmitted from the defect inspection machine.

[0037] The control unit can determine the time when the electrode portion of the defective area and / or defective section arrives at the first marking unit based on the distance between the defective inspection machine and the first marking machine and the moving speed of the multi-lane electrodes, and can control the first marking unit to mark the defective area and / or defective section at the time of arrival.

[0038] Another aspect of the present invention is a roll map generation apparatus comprising: a position measuring instrument that acquires the longitudinal position of the multi-lane electrode as coordinate data according to the amount of rotation of the unwinder or rewinder when the multi-lane electrode moves in a roll-to-roll manner between the unwinder and the rewinder; a marking machine that works in conjunction with the position measuring instrument to mark reference points at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode on the multi-lane electrode; and a roll map that works in conjunction with the position measuring instrument and the marking machine to acquire coordinate data of the longitudinal position of the electrode and the reference points, and displays the coordinate data on a roll map that simulates the electrode moving in a roll-to-roll manner to generate a roll map. The marking machine includes a roll map generation unit, and the marking machine includes a first marking unit that marks reference points on the uncoated portions of electrode lanes located at one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, and a second marking unit that moves along the width direction and marks reference points on the uncoated portions of the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at one end, or the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lanes located at both ends, and the roll map generation unit can generate a roll map of the multi-lane electrode and a roll map of each individual electrode lane constituting the multi-lane electrode based on the coordinate data of the reference points marked by the first marking unit and the second marking unit.

[0039] A defect inspection machine is positioned in front of the first marking machine, which can inspect the multi-lane electrodes and acquire inspection data regarding defects, and in conjunction with the position measuring instrument, acquire coordinate data of the electrodes relating to the defective locations and / or defective sections for which the inspection data has been acquired. The first marking machine marks the defective locations and / or defective sections on the uncoated portions of one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrodes based on the coordinate data transmitted from the defect inspection machine, and the roll map generation unit can display both the coordinate data of the reference points and the coordinate data of the defective locations and / or defective sections on the roll map. [Effects of the Invention]

[0040] According to the present invention, a first marking machine marks reference points on the electrode lanes at one or both ends of a multi-lane electrode, and a second marking machine marks reference points on the remaining electrode lanes, thereby enabling the marking of reference points for all of the multiple electrode lanes.

[0041] Therefore, the number of marking machines required for reference point marking can be significantly reduced, potentially lowering manufacturing costs considerably. This also reduces the number of expensive optical components (e.g., vision cameras, lighting equipment, etc.) required for each marking machine, potentially lowering manufacturing costs even further.

[0042] Furthermore, since the first marking machine can also indicate electrode defects in addition to reference points, both reference points and electrode defects can be displayed on the multi-lane electrodes.

[0043] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a roll map simulating a multi-lane electrode can be realized based on the reference point coordinate information obtained by the reference point marking device. In addition to the reference point information, the roll map can also simultaneously display information regarding electrode defects. Therefore, data regarding quality defects of the multi-lane electrode can be easily grasped visually at a glance by associating it with the reference points.

[0044] Furthermore, since the roll map displaying the above reference points can be referenced in each detailed step of the electrode process for quality control, defect management, and subsequent process processing, subsequent processing and defect removal can be performed accurately. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0045] [Figure 1] This schematic diagram illustrates how, when loss occurs in the electrodes, distortion occurs in the longitudinal coordinates of the electrodes depending on the presence or absence of a reference point. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing how to display a reference point on the electrode of a single-electrode lane. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a reference point marking device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a schematic diagram showing the operation process of the first marking machine and the second marking machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing how reference points are marked on multi-lane electrodes by the reference point marking device of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of a reference point marking device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the operation process of the first marking machine and the second marking machine according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing how reference points are marked on multi-lane electrodes by the reference point marking device of the second embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of a reference point marking device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram showing marking by the reference point marking device of the third embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram of a roll map generation device, which represents another aspect of the present invention. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram of the data visualization device included in the role map generation unit. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram showing the roll maps of a multi-lane electrode and individual electrode lanes generated by the roll map generation apparatus of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0046] The detailed configuration of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings and various embodiments. The embodiments described below are illustrative to aid in understanding the present invention, and the attached drawings are not illustrated to actual scale to aid in understanding the invention, and the dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.

[0047] The present invention is subject to various modifications and may take many forms; therefore, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to any particular disclosure, but rather should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0048] The present invention relates to a marking device for marking reference points on a multi-lane electrode. It also relates to a roll map generation device for generating a roll map using the above marking device.

[0049] In this specification, a multi-lane electrode means "an electrode in which multiple electrode lanes are arranged along the width direction." The width direction refers to the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, or the width direction of the current collector to which the active material is coated. On the multi-lane electrode, coated portions to which the active material is coated and uncoated portions to which the surface of the current collector is exposed are repeatedly arranged along the width direction. In a narrow sense, only the above-mentioned coated portions may be called electrode lanes. However, in a broader sense, the uncoated portions manufactured by electrode tabs in addition to the coated portions may be called electrode lanes. In this specification, a coated portion and an adjacent uncoated portion are defined together as one electrode lane.

[0050] Since uncoated portions are arranged at both ends of a multi-lane electrode, the number of uncoated portions on the multi-lane electrode is one greater than the number of coated portions. That is, if adjacent uncoated and coated portions are considered as one electrode lane, a multi-lane electrode with n electrode lanes has n coated portions and n+1 uncoated portions. Coated and uncoated portions are arranged alternately on the multi-lane electrode, and uncoated portions are arranged at both ends of the multi-lane electrode. Therefore, if one coated portion is used as a reference, uncoated portions are arranged on both sides of that coated portion. In this specification, "uncoated portion of one electrode lane" where a reference point is marked means an uncoated portion arranged on one or the other side of the coated portion. When marking a reference point along the width direction from one side of the width of the multi-lane electrode, the uncoated portion on one side relative to the coated portion becomes the "uncoated portion of the electrode lane". In this case, a reference point may not be marked on the uncoated portion at the other end of the multi-lane electrode in the width direction. Conversely, when marking reference points along the width direction from the other side of the width of a multi-lane electrode, the uncoated portion on the other side becomes the "uncoated portion of the electrode lane" with respect to the coated portion. In this case, reference points may not be marked on the uncoated portion at one end of the width direction of the multi-lane electrode.

[0051] In this specification, "multi-lane" means including two or more electrode lanes. However, in terms of the effects of the present invention, it is preferable to include three or more electrode lanes. For example, when a multi-lane electrode has two electrode lanes, a first marking machine, described later, can mark a reference point on the uncoated portion of the electrode lane located on one side of the multi-lane electrode. In this case, a second marking machine moving along the width direction can mark a reference point on the uncoated portion of the electrode lane on the other side. However, in this case, two marking machines are arranged for the two electrode lanes, which is not very effective as a true multi-lane or multi-lane electrode reference point marking device as intended by the present invention.

[0052] When there are three electrode lanes, the first marking machine can mark a reference point on the uncoated portion of the electrode lane at one end of the multi-lane electrode (the first electrode lane), and the second marking machine can mark reference points on the uncoated portions of the remaining electrode lanes (the second and third electrode lanes) while moving in the width direction. In this way, when there are three or more electrode lanes, one second marking machine can mark reference points corresponding to two or more electrode lanes, so it can be said that the effects of the present invention are substantially realized.

[0053] Furthermore, another first marking machine can be installed on the electrode lane at the other end of the other lane electrode (the third electrode lane) to mark a reference point. That is, two first marking machines can be used to mark reference points on the uncoated portions of the first and third electrode lanes, and a movable second marking machine can be used to mark reference points on the uncoated portion of the second electrode lane.

[0054] The greater the number of electrode lanes remaining after removing the electrode lane at one end of a multi-lane electrode, or the greater the number of electrode lanes remaining after removing the electrode lanes at one end and the other end, the more effective the second marking machine, which marks reference points along the width direction, will become.

[0055] <Reference point marking device> The reference point marking device of the present invention is a marking device for marking reference points on a multi-lane electrode in which a plurality of electrode lanes are arranged along the width direction, and includes: a first marking machine that marks reference points on the uncoated portion of an electrode lane located at one side end or both sides of the multi-lane electrode in the width direction; a second marking machine that moves along the width direction and marks reference points on the uncoated portion of the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at one side end or the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lanes located at both sides; and a control unit that controls the operation of the first marking machine and the second marking machine.

[0056] As described above, the multi-lane electrode of the present invention preferably includes three or more electrode lanes. The technical idea of ​​the present invention is that a marking machine (first marking machine) that does not move during reference point marking marks the uncoated portion of the electrode lane located at one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, and a second marking machine moves in the width direction to mark the reference points on the uncoated portions of the remaining electrode lanes. This makes it possible to mark the reference points on the uncoated portions of the remaining electrode lanes with a single second marking machine, without the need to install separate marking machines for each of the remaining electrode lanes.

[0057] Furthermore, when marking reference points with two types of marking machines (first marking machine and second marking machine), the reference points marked with the first marking machine can be used as master reference points from the electrode coating process to the slitting process. Also, since the first marking machine does not move during marking, as will be described later, it can simultaneously mark defective areas and / or defective sections of the electrode in addition to marking reference points.

[0058] On the other hand, the second marking machine independently marks reference points for each electrode lane, and each reference point includes sequence information for that electrode lane and coordinate or sequence information for the reference point. Therefore, it can be used as a criterion or reference when creating a roll map for each electrode lane to evaluate or track quality.

[0059] The control unit controls the operation of the first and second marking machines. The control unit may be a PLC control unit that controls electrode transfer when the electrodes between the unwinder UW and the rewinder RW are transferred in a roll-to-roll manner during the electrode process. The control unit may be connected to a position measuring instrument (e.g., a rotary encoder) that can acquire the longitudinal position of the electrodes as coordinate data according to the amount of rotation of the unwinder or rewinder. This allows the control unit to acquire the amount of rotation as coordinate data and control the first and second marking machines to mark reference points at specific longitudinal positions when the multi-lane electrodes are moving. That is, when the electrodes move to a predetermined marking position in the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrodes, the control unit can instruct the first and second marking machines to mark the reference points. Furthermore, when the multi-lane electrodes are moving, the control unit can repeatedly instruct the first and second marking machines to mark reference points at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrodes. The control unit is configured with information on the reference point marking position and marking interval, which allows the first and second marking machines to mark reference points on the uncoated portion of the electrode lane.

[0060] On the other hand, since the second marking machine moves along the width direction, its movement and speed can also be controlled by the control unit. If the control unit is a PLC control unit that controls the transfer of electrodes, it can control the longitudinal movement speed of the multi-lane electrodes, and can also determine the movement speed of the second marking machine in conjunction with the above movement speed. In other words, the control unit can comprehensively consider the movement speed of the multi-lane electrodes, the movement speed of the second marking machine, the reference point marking position, the marking interval, etc., and control the second marking machine so that the reference point is marked at the desired marking position.

[0061] The control unit can also perform a function to control the first marking machine when the first marking machine marks a defect in the uncoated portion of the electrode lane. That is, when the first marking machine marks a reference point or marks a defect, the control unit can control the first marking machine regarding which marking to prioritize, or whether to perform both types of marking. When a predetermined defect inspection machine is installed for defect marking, the control unit can acquire coordinate data of the defective location or defective section in conjunction with the defect inspection machine and position measuring instrument, and based on this, can issue an instruction to mark the defect to the first marking machine.

[0062] Furthermore, the control unit can acquire coordinate data relating to a reference point, a defective location, or a defective section, and transmit it to the roll map generation unit. Based on this data, the roll map generation unit can generate a roll map for a multi-lane electrode or for each individual electrode lane.

[0063] Specific embodiments of the reference point marking device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0064] (First Embodiment) Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a reference point marking device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation process of the first marking machine and the second marking machine according to the first embodiment, and Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing that a reference point M is marked on the multi-lane electrode 10 by the reference point marking device 100 of the first embodiment.

[0065] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, a reference point M is marked on a multi-lane electrode 10 having, for example, eight electrode lanes. The multi-lane electrode 10 includes uncoated portions 11 at both ends in the width direction, comprising a total of nine uncoated portions 11 and eight coated portions 12.

[0066] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the first marking machine 20 is positioned on the uncoated portion 11 of the electrode lane located at one end in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode 10 (the left end in Figure 5). The second marking machine 30 marks the reference point M on the uncoated portion 11 of the remaining electrode lanes, excluding the electrode lane at the aforementioned end in the width direction. Therefore, the reference point M is not marked on the uncoated portion 11 at the other end in the width direction (the right end) of Figure 5. At this time, the second marking machine 30 marks the reference point M while moving from the left end in the width direction to the right end.

[0067] Alternatively, it is also possible for the second marking machine 30 to move from the right end to the left end of Figure 5 while marking the reference point M. In this case, the first marking machine 20 can mark the reference point M on the uncoated portion 11 at the right end.

[0068] Referring to Figure 3, the reference point marking device 100 of this embodiment is configured to be positioned on the top of the multi-lane electrode 10 and mark the reference point M when the multi-lane electrode 10 moves in a roll-to-roll manner from the unwinder UW to the rewinder RW. The multi-lane electrode 10 in Figure 3 is a double-sided electrode with electrode active material coated on its upper and lower surfaces, respectively. Therefore, the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 are installed on the upper surface of the multi-lane electrode 10, and the first marking machine 20' and the second marking machine 30' are installed on the lower surface, respectively. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a cross-sectional electrode in which the active material is coated on only one surface of the multi-lane electrode 10. In this case, the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 are installed on the single surface.

[0069] As shown in Figure 4, a guide axis R is installed along the width direction on a multi-lane electrode 10 that travels in the longitudinal direction. The first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 are coupled to the guide axis R. The second marking machine 30 is installed to be movable along the guide axis R and marks reference points M on the uncoated portions 11 of multiple electrode lanes while moving along the width direction in response to a signal from the control unit. If the electrode is a double-sided electrode, the guide axes R and R' may also be installed on the upper and lower surfaces of the electrode, respectively.

[0070] As a marking machine, for example, an inkjet marking machine, a laser marking machine, or a punching marking machine may be used, but is not limited to these. A suitable marking machine can be selected and used as long as it has good visibility of the reference point M and does not damage the coated part 12. In the case of laser marking machines or punching marking machines, damage may be left on the uncoated part 11, so care must be taken when marking the reference point M. However, as will be described later, when marking defects with the first marking machine 20, the above-mentioned laser marking machines or punching marking machines may have better visibility.

[0071] The first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 described above may be of the same type or different types. Preferably, using the same type of marking machine is advantageous for identifying the reference point M and for uniformly managing the electrode process.

[0072] The marked reference point M may include the coordinates or sequence information of the reference point M along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode, and the sequence information of each electrode lane along the width direction of the multi-lane electrode. Such information may be displayed in barcode form, or in a form combining numbers, Korean characters, English letters, etc. Figure 5 shows an example of a reference point M combining numbers and English letters. It should be noted that the above reference point M is shown as an example for illustrative purposes and may not match the order of each electrode lane, the order of the reference point M, or the longitudinal coordinate values ​​shown in Figure 5. For example, in the reference point M of "F605", "F6" represents the sequence information of the electrode lane. The order of each electrode lane may be defined based on the English alphabet as follows.

[0073] A 1-9 01-09 Lane F 0~9 10~19 Lane Y 0~9 20~29 Lane

[0074] If lanes are displayed using only numbers, the number of numbers to be displayed may become long, potentially reducing their discriminative power. Therefore, the order of the lanes can be displayed using a combination of letters and numbers, as described above. According to the above specification, F06 represents electrode lane number 16. Furthermore, using letters allows for the recognition that the start and end points of a multi-lane electrode are reversed when the reference point M is recognized in reverse. That is, in a series of electrode processes including coating, roll pressing, and slitting, the start and end points of the electrodes are recognized in reverse depending on the winding and unwinding direction, such as the end of the electrode roll from the previous process becoming the start of the electrode roll from the subsequent process. In this case, if the reference point M is displayed using letters, it is possible to identify which process is being referred to when F is recognized in reverse, and this can be reflected on the roll map to display the reference point M, or it can be displayed with appropriate corrections.

[0075] Furthermore, the number "05" represents the sequential information of the reference point M along the longitudinal direction of the electrode. As shown in Figure 3, when the multi-lane electrode moves along the longitudinal direction, the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 mark reference points M on the uncoated portion 11 of each electrode lane at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode 10. Therefore, the reference point M means that it is the fifth reference point M5 to be marked along the longitudinal direction. For example, if reference points M are marked at 100m intervals, the number "05" indicates that reference point M5 is marked at a point 500m from the starting end of the electrode.

[0076] In this way, by using a reference point M that combines letters and numbers, the reference point coordinates or sequence information and the electrode lane sequence information can be grasped at a glance. Of course, it is also possible to represent it directly in longitudinal coordinates, such as "500," instead of representing it sequentially, such as "05." Since such sequence and coordinate relationships are input to the control unit or the roll map generation unit described later, the coordinate data of the reference point M can be easily obtained by understanding the above reference point M.

[0077] In this embodiment, ink marking machines are used as the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30. Referring to Figure 4, the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 each include marking sections (nozzle sections) 23 and 33, respectively, connected to an ink supply section (not shown). Furthermore, the first marking machine and the second marking machine are each equipped with vision cameras 21 and 31, respectively, so that they can distinguish and recognize the coated section 12 and the uncoated section 11. The vision cameras 21 and 31 identify the boundary between the coated section 12 and the uncoated section 11 so that the marking section can mark at a predetermined marking position on the uncoated section 11. The first marking machine and the second marking machine are each equipped with illumination devices 22 and 32, respectively, so that the vision cameras can easily distinguish between the coated section 12 and the uncoated section 11. Optical components such as such vision cameras and illumination devices are expensive. The present invention has the advantage of significantly reducing the number of expensive optical components because a single second marking machine 30 can mark reference points M on multiple electrode lanes.

[0078] Since the second marking machine 30 moves along the width direction, its range of movement needs to be set. For this purpose, it may be equipped with a limit sensor (not shown). The limit sensor and the control unit 40 are linked, and the control unit 40 can restrict the range of movement of the second marking machine 30 according to the position sensed by the limit sensor. If necessary, the first marking machine 20 or the second marking machine 30 may be equipped with a stopper (not shown) to prevent collisions. If the first marking machine 20 or the second marking machine 30 collides due to unforeseen circumstances, attaching a stopper made of an elastic or soft material (e.g., a urethane stopper) to the side of the marking machine will allow the stopper to absorb the impact and prevent damage to the marking machine. Of course, other mechanical and / or electronic stopper mechanisms can also be provided on the marking machine or on the guide shaft R coupled to the marking machine.

[0079] Referring to Figure 4, the first marking machine 20 is positioned on the uncoated portion 11 of the electrode lane located at one end of the multi-lane electrode 10, and the second marking machine 30 is installed on a single guide axis R on the remaining electrode lanes.

[0080] The first marking machine 20 is, in principle, fixed in place when marking the reference point M. However, if the width of the multi-lane electrode changes depending on the type of multi-lane electrode or the number of electrode lanes, the first marking machine 20 can be made movable to accommodate this change. That is, when a multi-lane electrode with three electrode lanes is replaced with a multi-lane electrode with ten electrode lanes, the first marking machine 20 can move in the width direction along the guide axis R to accommodate the change in width.

[0081] The movement mechanism of the second marking machine 30 or the first marking machine 20 along the guide axis R may employ a known linear movement mechanism. For example, the first and second marking machines may be equipped with a linear motor capable of linear movement along the guide axis R. Furthermore, the first and second marking machines may include an LM guide mechanism with bearings in the guided portion to reduce friction when moving along the guide axis R. Since such linear movement mechanisms are known, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[0082] Referring again to Figure 3, the electrode coater C and drying oven D are positioned in front of the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30. That is, when marking the reference point M with the reference point marking device 100 of the present invention in the electrode coating process, it is necessary to do so after the active material on the electrode has dried. Figure 3 shows that the reference point marking device 100 marks the reference point M on the upper and lower surfaces of a multi-lane electrode simultaneously. However, depending on the layout of the factory equipment, the marking of the reference points on the upper and lower surfaces of the electrode may proceed sequentially. For example, after the active material is first coated and dried on the upper surface of the electrode, the reference point marking device 100 may mark the reference point M on the upper surface, and then, after the electrode continues to travel and the active material is coated and dried on the lower surface of the electrode, the reference point marking device 100 may mark the reference point M on the lower surface. In this case, depending on the electrode travel path, the reference point marking device 100 may be positioned on the upper and lower surfaces of the electrode, respectively, to mark the reference points. Alternatively, a single reference point marking device 100 can mark reference points M on both the upper and lower surfaces of the electrode.

[0083] The control unit 40 controls the first marking machine and the second marking machine to mark reference points M at predetermined positions and intervals when the multi-lane electrodes are running. A position measuring instrument 50 capable of acquiring coordinate data of the longitudinal position of the electrodes may be provided so that the position and spacing of the electrodes can be determined. The position measuring instrument 50 can acquire coordinate data of the longitudinal position of the electrodes according to the amount of rotation of the unwinder UW or rewinder RW. For example, rotary encoders 50U and 50R that extract the position value of the electrodes from the amount of rotation of the motor driving the unwinder UW or rewinder RW can be used as the position measuring instrument. In Figure 3, for the sake of explanation, the rotary encoder 50U of the unwinder UW and the rotary encoder 50R of the rewinder RW are shown to be located outside the unwinder UW and rewinder RW, respectively, but the encoders 50U and 50R can be built into the unwinder UW and rewinder RW, respectively.

[0084] As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 40 is connected to the position measuring instrument 50, and when the electrode arrives at a predetermined position during electrode movement, it provides a marking signal to the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30. The marking signal is repeatedly emitted at set predetermined intervals, and the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 mark reference points M on the uncoated portion 11 of each electrode lane at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode.

[0085] Referring to Figure 5, it is shown that the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 mark the first reference points M1 and M1' at 300m in the longitudinal coordinates of the electrode, and the second reference points M2 and M2' at 600m. When creating a roll map, reference points M may be marked at 25%, 50%, and 75% of the total electrode length (total roll) (see Figure 1). For example, if the electrode is 1200m long, reference points M may be marked at 300m, 600m, and 900m, respectively. As described above, when marking reference points, the coordinates or sequence information of the reference points and the sequence information of each electrode lane may be marked.

[0086] In the example shown in Figure 5, the first marking machine 20 marks the first reference point M1 and the second reference point M2 on the uncoated portion 11 of the first electrode lane at the leftmost end. The second marking machine 30 marks the first reference point M1' and the second reference point M2' on the uncoated portions 11 of the second to eighth electrode lanes as it moves in the width direction. The reference point (coordinate) of the second electrode lane is marked in the same position as that of the first electrode lane. However, as the second marking machine 30 moves along the width direction, the multi-lane electrodes also move in the electrode travel direction (arrow direction in Figure 5). Due to the speed of this movement, the reference point marking path from the third to the eighth electrode lane becomes a diagonal path inclined towards the rear in the longitudinal direction of the electrodes. That is, the reference points M of the third to eighth electrode lanes are marked at positions pushed 1.1 m backward compared to the first and second electrode lanes. The distance the electrodes are pushed backward can vary depending on the width of the multi-lane electrodes and each electrode lane, the moving speed of the multi-lane electrodes, the moving speed of the second marking machine 30, and so on. The control unit 40, which is connected to the position measuring instrument 50 and the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30, can receive input for the reference point marking positions of each electrode lane.

[0087] After the first reference points M1 and M1' are marked for each electrode lane, the second marking machine 30 moves back along the width direction to the position of the uncoated portion 11 of the second electrode lane. When the multi-lane electrodes move in the direction of travel and reach a predetermined distance (e.g., 300m) from the first reference points M1 and M1', the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 mark the second reference points M2 and M2'. The second marking machine 30 moves again along the diagonal path to mark the reference point M on the uncoated portion 11 of the second to eighth electrode lanes. Subsequently, when the third reference point M is marked, the first and second marking machines repeat the marking operations described above.

[0088] Information regarding the reference point marking positions input to the control unit 40 is input to the roll map generation unit, as described later, and the roll map generation unit can generate roll maps for the multi-lane electrode and each individual electrode lane based on such reference point positions. Even if the reference point coordinates of each electrode lane fluctuate slightly, there is no problem in creating a roll map or in performing subsequent processes by referring to it, since the coordinate positions and intervals between coordinates are input. In addition, the coordinates of each electrode lane can be corrected as needed based on the above reference point coordinate positions and intervals.

[0089] In short, according to the present invention, reference points can be efficiently marked on a multi-lane electrode having multiple electrode lanes using two types of marking machines, thereby enabling automated and efficient quality control of the electrode process and each process.

[0090] (Second Embodiment) Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a reference point marking device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the operation process of the first marking machine and the second marking machine according to the second embodiment, and Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing that a reference point M is marked on a multi-lane electrode by the reference point marking device 200 of the second embodiment.

[0091] In this embodiment, a first marking machine is additionally provided at the other end of the multi-lane electrode. Other than that, the first marking machine marks the uncoated portion 11 of the electrode lane located at one end of the multi-lane electrode, and the second marking machine 30 marks the uncoated portion 11 of the remaining electrode lanes as it moves. Therefore, further explanation of the same configuration as in the first embodiment is omitted.

[0092] Referring to Figures 6 to 8, the first marking machine 20 of this embodiment consists of a one-side end marking machine 20A and a other-side end marking machine 20B, which mark reference points M on the uncoated portions 11 of the electrode lanes located at one end and the other end in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode. In this case, the second marking machine 30 can mark reference points M on the uncoated portions 11 of one or more electrode lanes arranged between the electrode lanes located at the one end and the other end.

[0093] When one electrode lane is arranged between the electrode lanes located at one end and the other end, there are a total of three electrode lanes. In this case, the second marking machine 30 marks a reference point M on the uncoated portion 11 of the electrode lane between the electrode lanes at both ends. As shown in Figure 8, multiple electrode lanes can be arranged between the electrode lanes located at one end and the other end. In this embodiment, a total of eight electrode lanes are provided. The uncoated portions 11 of the first electrode lane on the one end side and the eighth electrode lane on the other end side are marked with reference points M by the one-end marking machine 20A and the other-end marking machine 20B, respectively.

[0094] Reference points M are marked on the uncoated portions 11 of the second electrode lane to the seventh electrode lane by the second marking machine 30.

[0095] The reference points M for the first electrode lane, the second electrode lane, and the eighth electrode lane are all marked in the same position. However, the paths of the reference points M marked for the second to seventh electrode lanes are diagonal paths tilted backward in the longitudinal direction due to the electrode movement speed.

[0096] The control unit 40 controls the one-side end marking machine 20A, the other-side end marking machine 20B, and the second marking machine 30 to mark reference points M at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of each electrode lane.

[0097] (Third embodiment) Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a reference point marking device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing marking by the reference point marking device according to the third embodiment.

[0098] In this embodiment, the reference point marking device 300 allows the first marking machine 20 to mark defective locations and / or defective sections G of the multi-lane electrode 10 in place of or in conjunction with reference point marking.

[0099] In other words, the first marking machine 20 can not only mark reference points M at predetermined intervals according to instructions from the control unit 40, but can also mark the defective location or section on the multi-lane electrode when a defect is detected. As a result, the reference points M and the defective section can be displayed simultaneously on the multi-lane electrode 10, and based on this, the reference points M and the defect can also be visually indicated on the roll map.

[0100] As shown in Figure 9, predetermined defect inspection machines 60 and 70 may be positioned in front of the first marking machine 20 to recognize defects. The defect inspection machines 60 and 70 inspect multi-lane electrodes moving in a roll-to-roll manner to acquire inspection data related to defects and, in conjunction with the position measuring instrument 50, can acquire coordinate data of electrodes relating to the defective location and / or defective section for which the inspection data was acquired. At least one of the defect inspection machines 60 and 70 is positioned in front of the first marking machine 20.

[0101] The first marking machine 20 can mark defective locations and / or defective sections G on the uncoated portions 11 at one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrodes, based on coordinate data transmitted from the defective inspection machines 60 and 70.

[0102] Examples of the above-mentioned defect inspection machines 60 and 70 include electrode slurry loading volume measuring instruments, dimension and width measuring instruments, and visual inspection machines installed on the transfer line of multi-lane electrodes.

[0103] Electrode slurry loading amount measuring instruments may employ non-contact thickness measuring sensors such as ultrasonic sensors, displacement sensors, laser sensors, and confocal thickness sensors. Since the thickness of the electrode foil is known, for example, in the case of a confocal thickness sensor, the slurry loading amount can be measured by analyzing the wavelength of the reflected light emitted from the sensor and calculating the distance (thickness) between the sensor and the electrode.

[0104] The dimension and width measuring instrument may employ a type of vision measuring instrument that can photograph or scan the appearance of the electrode to be coated to measure the electrode width, the width between the coated portion 12 and the uncoated portion 11, etc. Once the widths between the coated portion 12 and the uncoated portion 11 are determined, it is also possible to determine whether there is a mismatch between the coated portion 12 and the uncoated portion 11.

[0105] Visual inspection machines can capture images of the electrode's appearance to acquire an external image. This allows for the acquisition of data on external defects such as pinholes, lines, and crater shapes, as well as data on insulation appearance and insulation defects. Visual inspection machines may also include those equipped with sensors capable of discriminating the electrode's color, such as color sensors. Color sensors can detect areas with a different color from the electrode, such as connecting tape or PET film.

[0106] In addition to the measuring instruments or inspection machines mentioned above, fault inspection machines for detecting other types of defects may also be applied.

[0107] The above-mentioned defect inspection machines 60 and 70 are connected to and linked with the position measuring instrument 50 or the control unit 40 connected to the position measuring instrument, and can acquire the longitudinal coordinates of the electrodes relating to the defective section in which a defective location or defective part is detected. Therefore, the defect inspection machines 60 and 70 can acquire not only inspection data relating to the type, size, form, and characteristics of the defect, but also coordinate data of the electrode location from which the inspection data was acquired. This inspection data and coordinate data are transmitted to the control unit 40. Based on the inspection data and coordinate data, the control unit 40 issues an instruction to the first marking machine 20 to mark the defective location and / or defective section. Based on the coordinate data, the first marking machine 20 marks the defective location and / or defective section G on the uncoated portion 11 at one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode.

[0108] In other words, the defect inspection machines 60 and 70 recognize defects at specific positions (coordinates) in the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrodes, and the control unit 40 controls the first marking machine 20 to display the defects at those positions (coordinates).

[0109] Specifically, the control unit 40 can calculate the time when the electrode portion of the defective area and / or defective section arrives at the first marking unit 20 based on the distance between the defective inspection machines 60 and 70 and the first marking unit 20 and the moving speed of the multi-lane electrodes. At the time of arrival, the first marking unit 20 marks the defective area and / or defective section G according to the marking instructions of the control unit 40. In this embodiment, the location (coordinates) of the defective area and / or defective section can be identified based on coordinate data transmitted from the defective inspection machine. Furthermore, the control unit 40 controls the first marking unit 20 so that it marks the defect at a specific time based on the identified location (coordinates).

[0110] Figure 10 shows that the defective section has been marked by the first marking machine 20. The defective marking G is applied to the uncoated portion 11 at one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode. That is, when one first marking machine 20 (single-end marking machine 20A) is installed at one end of the multi-lane electrode, the single-end marking machine applies a reference point M and / or defective marking G to the uncoated portion 11 of the first electrode lane.

[0111] When two first marking machines 20 (one-side end marking machine and other-side end marking machine) are installed at both ends of a multi-lane electrode, the one-side end marking machine 20A and the other-side end marking machine 20B perform reference point M and / or defect marking on the uncoated portion 11 of the first electrode lane and the uncoated portion 11 at the outer end of the eighth electrode lane. In this case, defect marking can be performed on either the uncoated portion 11 of the first electrode lane or the uncoated portion 11 at the outer end of the eighth electrode lane, and defect marking can be selectively performed on only one of the two uncoated portions 11.

[0112] If the reference point marking position and the marking position of the defective area or defective section are different, the control unit 40 may control the first marking machine 20 to perform reference point marking and defective area marking, respectively.

[0113] However, if the reference point marking position and the marking position of a defective area or section overlap, the control unit 40 can control the first marking machine 20 so that the defective marking G takes priority. In this case, the first marking machine 20 performs only the defective marking without marking the reference point at the marking position. Since multiple reference points M are marked at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the electrode, even if a reference point M is not marked at the position due to defective marking, a roll map can be created by understanding the reference point positions (coordinates) before and after that position and the intervals between reference points.

[0114] If necessary, the control unit 40 can control the first marking machine 20 to avoid the defective marking location and mark reference points M before and after the defective marking location. In this case, reference points M will be marked at a location other than the original marking location. However, the control unit 40 can understand the reference point locations that are normally marked, the positions of reference points that have been shifted due to defective marking, and the intervals between them and other reference points. This allows the control unit 40 or the roll map generation unit connected to the control unit 40 to reflect this when managing subsequent processes or creating roll maps. Alternatively, by referring to the actually marked reference point locations and intervals, reference points can be displayed on the screen at regular intervals through appropriate coordinate correction.

[0115] In short, the present invention is characterized in that, even when reference points M are marked at predetermined intervals, or when the interval of specific reference points M changes due to the presence of defects, as long as the longitudinal coordinates of the marked positions can be identified, the control unit 40 or the roll map generation unit can correct those coordinates to any extent to create process control and roll maps.

[0116] <Role map generator> Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a roll map generation device, which is another aspect of the present invention; Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a data visualization device included in the roll map generation unit; and Figure 13 is a schematic diagram showing roll maps of multi-lane electrodes and individual electrode lanes generated by the roll map generation device of the present invention.

[0117] The roll map generation apparatus 400 of the present invention includes a position measuring instrument 50 that acquires the longitudinal position of the multi-lane electrode as coordinate data according to the amount of rotation of the unwinder UW or rewinder RW when the multi-lane electrode moves in a roll-to-roll manner between the unwinder UW and the rewinder RW; marking machines 20 and 30 that work in conjunction with the position measuring instrument to mark reference points M at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode on the multi-lane electrode; and a roll map generation apparatus that works in conjunction with the position measuring instrument and the marking machines to acquire coordinate data of the longitudinal position of the electrode and the reference points M. The marking machine includes a roll map generation unit 80 that generates a roll map by displaying the above coordinate data on a roll map that mimics electrodes moving in a roll-roll state, and the marking machine includes a first marking machine 20 that marks reference points M on the uncoated portions 11 of electrode lanes located at one side end or both sides in the width direction of a multi-lane electrode, and a second marking machine 30 that moves along the width direction and marks reference points M on the uncoated portions 11 of the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at one side end or the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lanes located at both sides.

[0118] Since the multi-lane electrode 10 moves due to the rotation of the unwinder UW and the rewinder RW, the longitudinal position of the electrode 10 can be determined according to the amount of rotation of the unwinder UW or the rewinder RW. The position measuring instrument 50 can acquire such longitudinal position of the electrode 10 as coordinate data. For example, if the coordinate acquired by the position measuring instrument 50 is 0, the starting end of the electrode 10 can be identified, and if the electrode 10 is 1200 meters long and the coordinate for 1200 meters is acquired, the ending end of the electrode 10 can be identified.

[0119] The coordinate data of the longitudinal position of the electrode 10 can be detected by rotary encoders 50U and 50R installed on the unwinder UW or rewinder RW. Typically, the rotary encoders 50U and 50R are installed in the motor drive unit that drives the unwinder UW and rewinder RW, and can detect the distance the electrode moves according to the motor's rotation speed (amount of rotation). Therefore, when the electrode 10 moves between the unwinder UW and the rewinder RW, the distance it moves can be detected by the rotary encoders 50U and 50R.

[0120] The marking machine described above may be the first marking machine 20 and the second marking machine 30 used in the reference point marking devices 100, 200, and 300 described above. The first marking machine and the second marking machine can be linked to the position measuring instrument 50 directly or via the control unit 40, so that reference points M can be marked on each electrode lane at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrodes.

[0121] The marking machine described above includes a first marking machine 20 that marks reference points M on the uncoated portions 11 of electrode lanes located at one or both ends in the width direction of a multi-lane electrode, and a second marking machine 30 that moves along the width direction and marks reference points M on the uncoated portions 11 of the remaining electrode lanes, excluding those marked by the first marking machine 20. As described above, the marking machine of the present invention can significantly reduce the equipment and costs required to mark reference points M on multiple electrode lanes.

[0122] The present invention includes a roll map generation unit 80 that works in conjunction with the position measuring instrument 50 and marking machines 20 and 30 to acquire coordinate data of the longitudinal position of the electrode and the reference point M, and generates a roll map by displaying the coordinate data on the roll map.

[0123] The roll map generation unit 80, in conjunction with the position measuring instrument, acquires coordinate data along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrodes, and, in conjunction with the marking machine, can represent the position and interval of the reference points M using coordinate data. The coordinate data of the reference points M can be transmitted to the roll map generation unit 80 directly from the marking machine or via the control unit 40.

[0124] The roll map generation unit 80 can generate a roll map of the multi-lane electrode and roll maps of each individual electrode lane constituting the multi-lane electrode, based on the coordinate data of the reference points M marked by the first marking machine and the second marking machine.

[0125] Furthermore, the roll map generation unit 80 can generate a roll map that displays not only reference point M information but also information regarding defects. For this purpose, at least one defect inspection machine 60 or 70 can be placed in front of the first marking machine 20. This machine can inspect multi-lane electrodes to acquire inspection data regarding defects and, in conjunction with the position measuring instrument, acquire coordinate data of electrodes relating to the defective locations and / or defective sections for which the inspection data was acquired. The types of defect inspection machines 60 and 70 have been described above, so no further explanation is provided.

[0126] As described above, the first marking machine 20 can mark defective locations and / or defective sections on the uncoated portions 11 at one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, based on coordinate data transmitted from the defective inspection machines 60 and 70. The roll map generation unit 80 can display both the coordinate data of the reference point M and the coordinate data of the defective locations and / or defective sections on the roll map.

[0127] The roll map generation unit 80 may store data acquired from the defect inspection machines 60 and 70, the marking machines 20 and 30, and the position measuring instrument 50, or it may have a database 81 in which data such as the quality and dimensions of normal electrodes are stored. The roll map generation unit 80 may also have a central processing unit 82 that processes the acquired data and instructs a visualization device 83 provided in the roll map generation unit 80 to visualize it.

[0128] The roll map generation unit 80 includes a visualization device 83 that defines a visualization region for forming a roll map that mimics the electrode 10 and displays coordinate data on the defined region. The visualization device 83 is connected to the central processing unit 82 and can visualize and represent inspection data and coordinate data according to instructions from the central processing unit.

[0129] Referring to Figure 12, the visualization device 83 comprises an acquired data input unit 83a, a coordinate recognition unit 83b on the roll map, and an image generation unit 83c.

[0130] The acquired data input unit 83a receives and inputs data from the central processing unit 82.

[0131] The roll map coordinate recognition unit 83b defines a visualization area that forms the roll map and can define pixel coordinate values ​​within the visualization area for each data element of the acquired raw data. At this time, when data regarding the specifications of the electrode roll, such as the lot number, length, and width, is input to the control unit 40 or server through registration of electrode roll information, the roll map coordinate recognition unit 83b can calculate and determine the visualization area of ​​the roll map from such data regarding the size of the electrode 10 according to a predetermined scale conversion scale. Alternatively, it is also possible to calculate and determine the visualization area of ​​the roll map from the longitudinal and widthwise position data of the electrode 10 according to a predetermined scale conversion scale.

[0132] The coordinate recognition unit 83b can map the acquired quality or defect data with the position data (width and longitudinal direction) of the electrode 10, and assign the mapped data onto the visualization area (roll map) based on pixel coordinates.

[0133] The image generation unit 83c can represent the mapped data elements assigned to each pixel coordinate within the visualization area using at least one legend. A legend refers to various shapes such as circles, squares, and triangles displayed in the visualization area, or the above shapes with assigned colors. Therefore, the image generation unit 83c can generate the roll map of the present invention by visually displaying various data related to quality or defects on the roll map in the visualization area called the roll map, using display units with patterns, shapes, and colors specified for each data, at the pixel coordinates (coordinates on the roll map) corresponding to each position data of the actual electrode 10, thereby embodying the roll map.

[0134] Furthermore, based on the data stored in the storage unit such as the database 81, the system can read data corresponding to a specific range in the roll map from the storage unit and display it on the screen (image generation). At this time, the central processing unit 82 can issue a command to the visualization device 83 to distinguish and visualize inspection data that has been found to be abnormal by comparing it with normal data stored in the database 81, and to display it separately from other data.

[0135] Setting the size of the visualization area and generating an image by understanding the coordinates of the visualization area can be done using various conventional user interfaces and various programs and processing tools related to data allocation, processing, analysis, and visualization. Therefore, the role map generation unit 80 described above is merely one example and is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0136] The roll map generation unit 80 described above may be, for example, a data processing system such as a manufacturing process management system (MES). The electrode 10 manufacturing process is equipped with an electrode MES that manages a series of electrode manufacturing processes such as coating, pressing, and slitting. Therefore, when the coordinate data, inspection data, etc., described above are sent to the electrode MES, the electrode MES can generate the roll map described above.

[0137] The roll map generation apparatus 400 of the present invention displays the generated roll map on the display unit 90, allowing users to easily grasp reference points M and defect data at a glance.

[0138] The roll map generation apparatus 400 of the present invention may include a control unit 40 (PLC control unit) that controls the movement of electrodes between the unwinder UW and the rewinder RW. In this case, the control unit 40 is connected to the position measuring instrument 50 and the defect inspection machines 60 and 70, and can transmit the electrode position and the coordinate data of the inspection data to the roll map generation unit 80. In this case, the control unit 40 can process the inspection data and coordinate data in a form that is easy for the roll map generation unit 80 to process. Since the PLC control unit is connected to the defect inspection machines 60 and 70 and encoders, etc., and controls the roll-to-roll transfer of electrodes, transmitting data via the control unit 40 is more efficient in terms of data processing and management than transmitting data directly from the defect inspection machines, encoders, etc., to a data processing system such as an electrode MES.

[0139] Referring to Figure 13, the roll maps of the multi-lane electrode and individual electrode lanes generated by the roll map generation apparatus of the present invention are shown.

[0140] Figure 13 simultaneously discloses roll maps for the upper and lower surfaces of the four electrode lanes.

[0141] The roll map shows that the position of reference point M is shifted towards the rear in the longitudinal direction as you move from lane 1 to lane 4. This is because, as the second marking machine 30 moves along the width direction and makes markings, it sequentially marks along diagonal lines that are tilted towards the rear in the longitudinal direction due to the speed of electrode movement, as shown in Figures 5 and 8.

[0142] Furthermore, the roll map displays defective locations or sections as determined by the defect inspection machine. As described above, the defect inspection machine, which is linked to the position measuring instrument, transmits inspection data and the coordinate data of the location where the inspection data was acquired to the roll map generation unit 80. Based on this, the roll map generation unit visualizes and displays the defective locations and / or sections at those coordinate locations on the roll map. The marking of the defects can be performed by the first marking machine 20, as described above.

[0143] As shown in Figure 13, the roll map generation unit 80 of the present invention can display both the coordinate data of the reference point M and the coordinate data of the defective location and / or defective section on the roll map. Therefore, in the electrode process, the reference point M, electrode loss, and data related to quality and defects can be easily grasped visually at a glance.

[0144] As described above, the roll map of the multi-lane electrode or the roll map of each individual electrode lane can be suitably corrected by comparing it with basic data stored in the control unit or roll map generation unit when the reference point position or spacing fluctuates due to defects or other reasons.

[0145] Furthermore, the roll map produced in the first step can be referenced in the subsequent second and third steps. If changes in the length of the actual electrodes or defects occur after the subsequent processing steps, the roll map from the first step can be corrected to generate the roll maps for the second and third steps.

[0146] Referring to Figure 13, the roll map of lane 2 in the roll press process is shown to indicate that the roll map of lane 2 was generated in the slitting process.

[0147] As described above, according to the present invention, reference points can be marked on multi-lane electrodes with a simple configuration, significantly reducing the marking process and costs. Furthermore, since defect marking can be performed simultaneously with reference point marking, electrode defects can be easily detected.

[0148] Furthermore, since a roll map can be generated using the above-mentioned reference point marking device, it is extremely convenient to automate electrode quality control. In addition, since the quality history can be managed based on the above-mentioned roll map, quality tracking becomes easier when a product abnormality occurs.

[0149] The present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to the drawings and embodiments. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments described herein are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical concept of the present invention. It should be understood that there are various equivalents and modifications that can substitute for them at the time of filing this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 10: Multi-lane electrode 11: Uncoated parts 12: Coating section M:Reference point M1, M1': 1st reference point M2, M2': 2nd reference point M3, M3': 3rd reference point 20: First marked aircraft 20A: Single-end marking machine 20B: Other end marking machine 30: Second marking aircraft R: Guide axis 40: Control Unit 50: Position measuring device C: Quarter D: Electrode oven 60, 70: Defect inspection machine G: Defective markings 100, 200, 300: Reference point marking device 80: Role map generation unit 81: Database 82: Central Processing Unit 83: Visualization device 90: Display section 400: Roll map generation device

Claims

1. A marking device for marking reference points on a multi-lane electrode in which multiple electrode lanes are arranged along the width direction, A first marking machine for marking reference points on the uncoated portions of electrode lanes located at one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, A second marking machine moves along the width direction and marks reference points on the uncoated portions of the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at one end, or the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lanes located at both ends, A reference point marking device, comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the first marking machine and the second marking machine.

2. The first marking machine includes a one-side-end marking machine that marks a reference point on the uncoated portion of the electrode lane located at one side end in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, The reference point marking device according to claim 1, wherein the second marking machine marks reference points on the uncoated portions of a plurality of electrode lanes, excluding the electrode lane located at one end.

3. The first marking machine includes a one-side end marking machine and a other-side end marking machine that mark reference points on the uncoated portions of the electrode lanes located at one side end and the other side end in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, respectively. The reference point marking device according to claim 1, wherein the second marking machine marks reference points on the uncoated portions of one or more electrode lanes arranged between the one end and the other end of the electrode lanes.

4. A guide axis is arranged on the multi-lane electrode along the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, The first marking machine and the second marking machine are coupled to the guide shaft, The reference point marking device according to claim 1, wherein the second marking machine is installed so as to be movable along the guide axis.

5. The reference point marking device according to claim 4, wherein the first marking machine is movable in the width direction along the guide axis in response to changes in width when marking reference points on multi-lane electrodes of different widths.

6. A reference point marking device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the multi-lane electrode moves along the longitudinal direction, the first marking machine and the second marking machine mark reference points at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode on the uncoated portion of each electrode lane.

7. The reference point marking device according to claim 6, wherein when the second marking machine marks each of the multiple electrode lanes while moving along the width direction, the marking path is formed as a diagonal path that is inclined toward the rear in the longitudinal direction of the electrodes due to the moving speed of the multi-lane electrodes in the longitudinal direction.

8. The multi-lane electrode is a double-sided electrode in which the electrode active material is coated on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively. The reference point marking device according to claim 1, wherein the first marking machine and the second marking machine are installed on the upper and lower surfaces of the multi-lane electrode, respectively.

9. The reference point marking device according to claim 1, wherein the reference point to be marked includes the coordinates or sequence information of the reference point along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode, and the sequence information of each electrode lane along the width direction of the multi-lane electrode.

10. The system further includes a position measuring instrument that acquires the longitudinal position of the electrodes as coordinate data, corresponding to the amount of rotation of the unwinder or rewinder, when a multi-lane electrode moves along the longitudinal direction in a roll-to-roll manner between an unwinder and a rewinder. The reference point marking device according to claim 1, wherein the first marking machine and the second marking machine mark reference points based on the coordinate data.

11. The reference point marking device according to claim 10, wherein the first marking machine marks defective locations and / or defective sections of multi-lane electrodes in place of or in conjunction with reference point marking.

12. A defect inspection machine is positioned in front of the first marking machine. This machine inspects multi-lane electrodes moving in a roll-to-roll manner to acquire inspection data regarding defects, and, in conjunction with the position measuring instrument, acquires coordinate data of electrodes relating to the defective locations and / or defective sections for which the inspection data was acquired. The reference point marking device according to claim 11, wherein the first marking machine marks defective locations and / or defective sections on the uncoated portions of one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode based on coordinate data transmitted from the defective inspection machine.

13. The control unit, Based on the distance between the defect inspection machine and the first marking machine and the moving speed of the multi-lane electrodes, the time when the electrode portion of the defective area and / or defective section arrives at the first marking machine is determined. The reference point marking device according to claim 12, wherein the first marking machine is controlled to mark the defective location and / or defective section upon arrival.

14. A position measuring instrument that acquires the longitudinal position of the multi-lane electrode as coordinate data, corresponding to the amount of rotation of the unwinder or the rewinder, when the multi-lane electrode moves in a roll-to-roll manner between the unwinder and the rewinder. A marking machine that works in conjunction with the position measuring instrument to mark reference points at predetermined intervals on the multi-lane electrodes along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrodes, The system includes a roll map generation unit that, in conjunction with the position measuring instrument and marking machine, acquires coordinate data of the longitudinal position of the electrode and the reference point, and generates a roll map by displaying the coordinate data on a roll map that simulates an electrode moving in a roll-to-roll state, The marking machine includes a first marking machine that marks reference points on the uncoated portions of electrode lanes located at one or both ends in the width direction of a multi-lane electrode, and a second marking machine that moves along the width direction and marks reference points on the uncoated portions of the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lane located at one end, or the remaining electrode lanes excluding the electrode lanes located at both ends. The roll map generation unit is a roll map generation device that generates a roll map of the multi-lane electrode and roll maps of each individual electrode lane constituting the multi-lane electrode, based on the coordinate data of reference points marked by the first marking machine and the second marking machine.

15. A defect inspection machine is positioned in front of the first marking machine, which inspects the multi-lane electrodes to acquire inspection data regarding defects and, in conjunction with the position measuring instrument, acquires coordinate data of the electrodes relating to the defective locations and / or defective sections for which the inspection data was acquired. The first marking machine marks defective locations and / or defective sections on the uncoated portions of one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode based on coordinate data transmitted from the defective inspection machine. The roll map generation device according to claim 14, wherein the roll map generation unit displays both the coordinate data of the reference point and the coordinate data of the defective location and / or defective section on the roll map.

16. A multi-lane electrode in which active material coated portions and non-coated active material portions are repeatedly arranged along the width direction, A first reference point is marked on the uncoated portion of one or both ends in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode, A multi-lane electrode, comprising: a second reference point marked on the uncoated portion of the remaining electrode lanes of a multi-lane electrode where the first reference point is not marked.

17. The multi-lane electrode according to claim 16, wherein the first reference point and the second reference point are located at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode in the uncoated portion of each electrode lane.

18. The multi-lane electrode according to claim 16, wherein the reference point includes sequence information of each electrode lane and coordinates of the reference point along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode or sequence information of the reference point.

19. The multi-lane electrode according to claim 16, further comprising marking portions for defective areas and / or defective sections on one or both sides of the non-coated portion in the width direction of the multi-lane electrode.

20. A roll map that mimics a multi-lane electrode in which coated portions coated with an active material and uncoated portions not coated with an active material are repeatedly arranged along the width direction, 1) Coordinate data relating to the longitudinal position of the multi-lane electrodes, 2) Multiple reference points displayed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the multi-lane electrode on the uncoated portion of each electrode lane, 4) The coordinate data of the aforementioned reference point, 5) Markings of defective locations and / or defective sections of multi-lane electrodes and coordinate data of said markings, A roll map of a multi-lane electrode, including at least one of the following.

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