Electrode cell inspection device and inspection method

Abstract

An electrode cell inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention may inspect an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separator sandwiched therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs. The electrode cell inspection device may include a heater for heating the leads, and a heat sensor for detecting a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0045522 filed on April 7, 2021 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0026114 filed on February 28, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent applications are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to an electrode cell inspection device and inspection method, and more particularly to an inspection device and inspection method for inspecting whether or not a partial disconnection has occurred in a tab of an electrode cell. [Background technology]

[0003] Recently, with the rising cost of energy sources due to the depletion of fossil fuels and growing concern over environmental pollution, the demand for environmentally friendly alternative energy sources has become an essential factor for future life. Therefore, research into various power generation technologies such as solar, wind, and tidal power has been ongoing, and there has also been a great deal of interest in power storage devices such as batteries to more efficiently use the electrical energy generated in this way.

[0004] Furthermore, with technological development and increasing demand for battery-based electronic mobile devices and electric vehicles, the demand for batteries as an energy source is rapidly increasing, and much research is being conducted into batteries that can meet the various requirements associated with this.

[0005] In particular, in terms of materials, there is a high demand for lithium secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries and lithium ion polymer batteries, which have advantages such as high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability.

[0006] Secondary batteries can be classified according to the structure of the electrode cell, which is a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode. Stick-type batteries are made by stacking electrodes cut to a certain size with a separator between them, while roll-type batteries are made by stacking uncut electrodes rolled together with a separator between them.

[0007] In particular, in an electrode cell of a stick-type secondary battery, leads are joined to a plurality of tabs connected to a plurality of electrodes, so that the plurality of electrodes may be electrically connected to external terminals via the leads.

[0008] In a process for manufacturing such an electrode cell, partial breakage may occur in the tab. For example, partial breakage may occur in the tab during a process of processing an uncoated portion of a current collector to form the tab, or partial breakage may occur in the tab during a process of joining leads to a plurality of tabs. If a tab is broken, it may cause defects such as low voltage in the electrode cell.

[0009] However, there has been no device or method for quickly detecting breaks in the tabs of electrode cells in the past. Also, although partial breaks in tabs can be detected through CT imaging, this method requires a long time to inspect all of the tabs included in each electrode cell, which reduces the productivity of electrode cells. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an electrode cell inspection device and inspection method capable of quickly and accurately inspecting whether partial disconnections have occurred in a plurality of tabs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electrode cell inspection apparatus may inspect an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separator sandwiched therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs. The electrode cell inspection apparatus may include a heater for heating the leads, and a heat detection sensor for detecting a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads.

[0012] The electrode cell inspection device may further include a controller communicating with the thermal sensor, and the controller may determine that the electrode cell is defective when a temperature difference between two different points on at least one of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature difference between two different points on some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature difference between two different points on another of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range.

[0013] The electrode cell inspection device may further include at least one of an output interface that outputs a defect occurrence signal when the controller determines that the electrode cell is defective, or an unloader that retrieves the electrode cell from a production line when the controller determines that the electrode cell is defective.

[0014] The heat detecting sensor may include a first heat detecting sensor and a second heat detecting sensor disposed to face each other with the non-jointed portions of the plurality of tabs interposed therebetween.

[0015] The heater may include a pair of contact bodies in contact with the leads, at least one of which is heated to a preset temperature.

[0016] The electrode cell inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a heater for heating the leads, and a pair of heat detection sensors for detecting temperatures of target points of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads.

[0017] The electrode cell inspection device may further include a controller communicating with the thermal sensor, and the controller may determine that the electrode cell is defective when a temperature of at least one of the target points of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature of a target point of some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature of a target point of another of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electrode cell inspection method may inspect an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separator interposed therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs. The electrode cell inspection method may include a heating step of heating the leads, a sensing step of sensing a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads, and a determining step of determining whether the electrode cell is defective based on the temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs.

[0019] In the determining step, the electrode cell may be determined to be defective when a temperature difference between two different points on at least one of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature difference between two different points on some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature difference between two different points on another portion of the tabs is outside a preset range.

[0020] The electrode cell inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a heating step of heating the leads, a sensing step of sensing temperatures of target points of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads, and a determining step of determining whether the electrode cell is defective based on the temperatures of the target points of the plurality of tabs.

[0021] In the determining step, the electrode cell may be determined to be defective when a temperature of at least one target point among the plurality of tabs falls outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature of a target point of some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature of a target point of another some of the tabs falls outside a preset range. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heat detecting sensors positioned on both sides of the tabs in the width direction can quickly and accurately check whether partial disconnection has occurred in the tabs.

[0023] Furthermore, if even one of the multiple tabs is broken, the corresponding electrode cell can be determined to be defective, which can facilitate quality control of the electrode cells. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrode cell inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a side view showing the periphery of the electrode tab and the electrode lead shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the electrode cell inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a control block diagram of the electrode cell inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a flow chart diagram of an electrode cell inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an electrode cell inspection method according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in several different forms, and is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0026] In order to clearly explain the present invention, detailed descriptions of parts that are not relevant to the description or related prior art that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted, and when adding reference symbols to components in each figure in this specification, the same or similar reference symbols will be used for the same or similar components throughout the specification.

[0027] Furthermore, the terms and words used in this specification and the claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical ideas of the present invention, based on the principle that an inventor may appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe his or her invention.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrode cell inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the periphery of an electrode tab and an electrode lead shown in FIG.

[0029] An electrode cell inspection device (hereinafter, referred to as "inspection device") according to one embodiment of the present invention can inspect whether or not a partial break has occurred in the tab 20 of the electrode cell 10.

[0030] The electrode cell 10 may include a plurality of electrodes 11 stacked with a separator 12 interposed therebetween, a plurality of tabs 20 connected to the plurality of electrodes 11, and leads 30 joined to the plurality of tabs 20.

[0031] The plurality of electrodes 11 may include positive and negative electrodes stacked on top of each other with a separator 12 interposed therebetween.

[0032] Of the multiple tabs 20, the tab 20 connected to the positive electrode may be a positive electrode tab 20a, and the tab 20 connected to the negative electrode may be a negative electrode tab 20b. The positive electrode tab 20a and the negative electrode tab 20b may protrude in opposite directions from each other with respect to the electrode cell 10. In addition, the lead 30 joined to the multiple positive electrode tabs 20a may be a positive electrode lead 30a, and the lead 30 joined to the multiple negative electrode tabs 20b may be a negative electrode lead 30b.

[0033] Each tab 20 may include a non-jointed portion 21 connected to the electrode 11 and spaced apart from each other, and a jointed portion 22 extending from the non-jointed portion 21 and joined to each other.

[0034] At least some of the non-jointed portions 21 of the multiple tabs 20 may be closer to each other as they move toward the joint portion 22. The extension portion 22 may include an outer end of the tab 20.

[0035] The leads 30 may be joined to the joints 22. Even more specifically, a portion of the leads 30 including an inner end may be joined to the joints 22, and another portion of the leads 30 including an outer end may protrude outward beyond the multiple tabs 20.

[0036] The inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention can quickly and accurately inspect whether or not partial breaks have occurred in the multiple tabs 20 of such an electrode cell 10.

[0037] More specifically, the inspection device may include a heater 110 for heating the leads 30 and a heat sensor 120 for sensing the temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs 20 heated by the heat conducted from the leads 30 .

[0038] The heater 110 can heat each lead 30. In this case, the heater 110 that heats the positive electrode lead 30a may be the first heater 110a, and the heater 110 that heats the negative electrode lead 30b may be the second heater 110b.

[0039] Even more specifically, the heater 110 may include a pair of contact bodies 111 that contact the leads 30. The pair of contact bodies 111 may contact both sides of the leads 30.

[0040] As one example, the pair of contact bodies 111 may be included in a gripper that grips the lead 30. As another example, the contact body 111 located below the lead 30 may support the bottom surface of the lead 30, and the contact body 111 located above the lead 30 may descend toward the lead 30 and contact the top surface of the lead 30.

[0041] At least one of the pair of contact bodies 111 may be heated to a preset temperature by induction heating, etc. Thus, the contact body 111 heated to a high temperature comes into contact with the lead 30, so that the lead 30 can be heated quickly. In addition, since the lead 30 is fixed between the pair of contact bodies 111, the lead 30 can be heated stably.

[0042] The pair of contact bodies 111 may be disposed to face each other across the outer end of the lead 30. More specifically, the pair of contact bodies 111 may be spaced apart from the plurality of tabs 20 in the longitudinal direction of the lead. This prevents the plurality of tabs 20 from being directly heated by the heater 110 and being thermally damaged.

[0043] Meanwhile, the heat detecting sensors 120 may be disposed on both sides in the width direction of the plurality of tabs 20. The heat detecting sensors 120 can detect the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of the edges 23 of the plurality of tabs 20.

[0044] The heat detecting sensor 120 may include a first heat detecting sensor and a second heat detecting sensor arranged to face each other across the plurality of tabs 20, more specifically, the non-jointed portions 21 of the plurality of tabs. Thus, the heat detecting sensor 120 may detect the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of both edges 23 of the plurality of tabs 20. More specifically, the heat detecting sensor 120 may detect the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of both side edges 23 in the width direction of the non-jointed portions 21 of the plurality of tabs 20.

[0045] The heat detecting sensors 120 positioned on both sides of the plurality of positive electrode tabs 20a may be positive electrode side heat detecting sensors 120a, and the heat detecting sensors 120 positioned on both sides of the plurality of negative electrode tabs 20b may be negative electrode side heat detecting sensors 120b.

[0046] Preferably, each of the heat detection sensors 120 may be an infrared camera. Therefore, even if the electrode cell 10 is stored in a pouch (not shown), it is possible to detect the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of the edges 23 of the multiple tabs 20.

[0047] However, the configuration of each heat sensor 120 is not limited to this, and it is possible to sense the temperature distribution in other ways.

[0048] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electrode cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Heat from the heater 110 is thermally conducted to the multiple tabs 20 via the leads 30. This thermal conduction causes a temperature distribution to occur at both edges 23 of each tab 20, with the temperature being higher in the area closer to the leads 30 and lower in the area farther from the leads 30. In addition, after the heater 110 heats the leads 30, the temperature distribution at both edges 23 of each tab 20 may become uniform if a sufficient amount of time has passed.

[0050] That is, if no break C occurs at the edge 23 of the tab 20, the heat detecting sensor 120 toward the edge 23 will detect a linear or constant temperature distribution.

[0051] Meanwhile, when a break C occurs at the edge 23 of the tab 20, a sudden temperature difference appears at the boundary of the break C in the temperature distribution sensed by the heat detecting sensor 120 toward the edge 23. More specifically, the temperature difference between a first point P located on the lead 30 side and a second point P2 located on the opposite side of the lead 30 based on the break C becomes much larger than when the break C does not occur. For example, the temperature difference between the first point P1 and the second point P2 may be 10 degrees Celsius or more.

[0052] Therefore, based on the temperature distribution measured by the heat sensor 120, it is possible to determine whether or not the break C of the tab 20 has occurred.

[0053] As an example, it is possible to determine whether or not breakage C of the tabs 20 has occurred based on the temperature difference between the tabs 20. More specifically, it is possible to determine whether or not breakage C of the tabs 20 has occurred based on the temperature difference between the edges 23 of the tabs 20. The temperature difference of the edges 23 may refer to the maximum temperature difference between preset intervals or consecutively adjacent points along the edges 23.

[0054] More specifically, if the temperature difference sensed by one of the tabs 20 is greater than a preset normal temperature difference range, it may be determined that the one of the tabs 20 has an open circuit C. The normal temperature difference range may be set differently depending on the temperature of the heater 110, etc.

[0055] As another example, it is possible to determine whether or not a tab 20 is broken by comparing the temperature difference between a plurality of tabs 20. More specifically, it is possible to determine whether or not a break C of a tab 20 has occurred based on the difference between the temperatures of the edges 23 of each tab 20.

[0056] In further detail, when a relatively large temperature difference detected at the edge 23 of one of the tabs 20 is compared with a relatively small temperature difference detected at the edge 23 of another of the tabs 20, if the difference is greater than a preset normal range, it can be determined that an open circuit C has occurred in one of the tabs 20.

[0057] On the other hand, when a break C occurs at the edge 23 of the tab 20, the temperature between the break C and the electrode 11 at the edge 23 becomes lower than when the break C does not occur.

[0058] Therefore, the heat detection sensor 120 can detect the temperature of the target point P3 on the edge 23 to determine whether or not the disconnection C of the tab 20 has occurred. It is preferable that the target point P3 is in maximum contact with the electrode 11 on the edge 23. For example, the target point P3 may be a point where the tab 20 and the electrode 11 are connected.

[0059] In this case, instead of sensing the temperature distribution of the edge 23 of the tab 20, the heat sensor 120 may be configured to sense only the temperature of the target point P3.

[0060] As an example, it may be possible to determine whether or not a break C has occurred in the tab 20 based on the temperature of the target point P3 of each tab 20. More specifically, if the temperature sensed at the target point P3 of one tab 20 is lower than a preset normal temperature range, it may be determined that a break C has occurred in the one tab 20. In addition, the normal temperature range may be set differently depending on the temperature of the heater 110, etc.

[0061] As another example, it is possible to determine whether the tabs 20 are broken by comparing the temperatures of the target points P3 between a plurality of tabs 20. In more detail, when a relatively low temperature detected at the target points P3 of some of the tabs 20 is compared with a relatively high temperature detected at the target points P3 of the other some of the tabs 20, if the difference is greater than a preset normal range, it can be determined that a break C has occurred in the some of the tabs 20.

[0062] FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the electrode cell inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] The inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a controller 100 .

[0064] The controller 100 may include at least one processor. The controller 100 may communicate with each heat detection sensor 120 to determine whether or not a break C has occurred in each tab 120. In addition, the controller 100 may determine that the one-electrode cell 10 is defective if a break C has occurred in any one of the plurality of tabs 20 included in the one-electrode cell 10.

[0065] The inspection apparatus may further include at least one of an output interface 130 or an unloader 140. In the following, a case where the inspection apparatus includes both the output interface 130 and the unloader 140 will be described as an example.

[0066] The output interface 130 may be configured to output information related to the operation of the inspection device. For example, the output interface 130 may include a display or a speaker.

[0067] When the controller 100 determines that the electrode cell 10 is defective, the controller 100 can output a defect occurrence signal via the output interface 130 .

[0068] The unloader 140 may be configured to selectively retrieve the electrode cell 10 from a manufacturing line (not shown). For example, the unloader 140 may be a gripper that grips and retrieves the electrode cell 10.

[0069] The controller 100 can control the unloader 140 to recover the electrode cells 10 determined to be defective from the manufacturing line. This can facilitate quality control of the manufactured electrode cells 10 and the like.

[0070] FIG. 5 is a flow chart diagram of an electrode cell inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] The electrode cell inspection method (hereinafter, "inspection method") according to the present embodiment may include a heating step S10, a sensing step S20, and a determination step S30.

[0072] During the heating stage S10, the heater 110 can heat the leads 30 of the electrode cell 10. Even more specifically, the first heater 110a can heat the positive electrode lead 30a, and the second heater 110b can heat the negative electrode lead 30b.

[0073] More specifically, the controller 100 can heat at least one of a pair of contact bodies 111 included in the heater 110 to a preset temperature and control the movement of the pair of contact bodies 111 to contact both sides of the lead 20.

[0074] During the sensing step S20, the heat sensor 120 may measure a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs 20. More specifically, the heat sensor 120 may measure a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs 20 in the longitudinal direction of both edges 23 thereof.

[0075] More specifically, the heat detection sensor 120 can measure the temperature distribution of both edges 23 of the non-bonded portion 21. The temperature distribution data sensed by the heat detection sensor 120 can be transmitted to the controller 100.

[0076] The positive electrode side heat sensor 120a can measure the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of both edges 23 of the multiple positive electrode tabs 20a, and the negative electrode side heat sensor 120b can measure the temperature distribution in the longitudinal direction of both edges 23 of the multiple negative electrode tabs 20b.

[0077] In the determination step S30, the controller 100 can determine whether the electrode cell 10 is defective or not based on the temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs 20.

[0078] The controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when it is determined that a disconnection C has occurred in at least one of the multiple positive electrode tabs 20a and the multiple negative electrode tabs 20b.

[0079] In more detail, the controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when the temperature difference between two different points on at least one of the plurality of tabs 20 is outside a preset range, i.e., the normal temperature difference range. The controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when the temperature difference on the edge 23 of at least one of the plurality of tabs 20 is outside the preset range.

[0080] Alternatively, the controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when the difference between the temperature difference between two different points on some of the tabs 20 among the multiple tabs 20 and the temperature difference between two different points on some of the other tabs 20 is outside a preset range, i.e., a normal range. The controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when the difference between the temperature difference on the edge 23 of some of the tabs 20 among the multiple tabs 20 and the temperature difference on the edge 23 of some of the other tabs 20 is outside a preset range.

[0081] If the one-electrode cell 10 is not determined to be defective, the one-electrode cell 10 may be moved along the manufacturing line and undergo subsequent processes (S40).

[0082] On the other hand, if the one-electrode cell 10 is determined to be defective, a defect occurrence signal is output to the output interface 130, and the unloader 140 can retrieve the one-electrode cell 10 from the production line (S50).

[0083] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an electrode cell inspection method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0084] The inspection method according to this embodiment is the same as the above-described embodiment except for the sensing step S20' and the determining step S30'. Therefore, the same contents will be used and the following description will focus on the differences.

[0085] During the sensing step S20′, the thermal sensor 120 can measure the temperature of a target point P3 of the plurality of tabs 20. As described above, the target point P3 can be a point on the edge 23 of each tab 20 where the electrode 11 contacts the tab 20.

[0086] In even more detail, the positive electrode side heat sensor 120a can measure the temperature of a target point P3 on both edges 23 of the multiple positive electrode tabs 20a, and the negative electrode side heat sensor 120b can measure the temperature of a target point P3 on both edges 23 of the multiple negative electrode tabs 20b.

[0087] In the determination step S30′, the controller 100 can determine whether the electrode cell 10 is defective or not based on the temperatures of the target points P3 of the plurality of tabs 20.

[0088] The controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when it is determined that a disconnection C has occurred in at least one of the multiple positive electrode tabs 20a and the multiple negative electrode tabs 20b.

[0089] In more detail, the controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when the temperature of at least one of the target points P3 of the plurality of tabs 20 is outside a preset range, that is, the normal temperature range.

[0090] Alternatively, the controller 100 can determine that the electrode cell 10 is defective when the difference between the temperature of the target point P3 of some of the multiple tabs 20 and the temperature of the target point P3 of some of the other tabs 20 falls outside a preset range, i.e., the normal range.

[0091] The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical concept of the present invention, and various modifications and variations can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

[0092] Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0093] The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10: Electrode cell 11: Electrode 20: Tab 23: Edge 30: Lead 100: Controller 110: Heater 111: Contact body 120: Heat sensor

Claims

1. An inspection device for an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separator sandwiched therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, a heater for heating the lead; a heat detection sensor that detects a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads; and a controller in communication with the thermal sensor; The controller: and determining whether or not partial disconnection of the tabs has occurred based on the temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs detected by the heat detection sensor.

2. An inspection device for an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separation membrane therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, A heater for heating the lead; and a heat sensor for detecting a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads; a controller in communication with the thermal sensor; The controller: an electrode cell inspection device that determines the electrode cell as defective when a temperature difference between two different points on at least one of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature difference between two different points on some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature difference between two different points on another some of the tabs is outside a preset range.

3. an output interface that outputs a defect occurrence signal when the controller judges the electrode cell to be defective; or 3. The electrode cell inspection device according to claim 2, further comprising at least one unloader that retrieves the electrode cell from a manufacturing line when the controller determines that the electrode cell is defective.

4. An inspection device for an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separation membrane therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, A heater for heating the lead; and a heat sensor for detecting a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads; The heat sensor includes: The electrode cell inspection device includes a first heat detecting sensor and a second heat detecting sensor disposed to face each other with the non-jointed portions of the plurality of tabs interposed therebetween.

5. An inspection device for an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separation membrane therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, A heater for heating the lead; and a heat sensor for detecting a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads; The heater is An electrode cell test apparatus including a pair of contact bodies in contact with the leads, at least one of which is heated to a preset temperature.

6. An inspection device for an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separator sandwiched therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, a heater for heating the lead; a thermal sensor for sensing temperatures at a plurality of target points on the plurality of tabs that are heated by heat conducted from the leads; and a controller in communication with the thermal sensor; The controller: and determining whether or not partial disconnection of the tabs has occurred based on temperatures at a plurality of target points of the plurality of tabs detected by the heat detection sensor.

7. The controller:

7. The electrode cell inspection device according to claim 6, wherein the electrode cell is determined to be defective when a temperature of at least one of the target points of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature of the target point of some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature of the target point of another some of the tabs is outside a preset range.

8. A method for inspecting an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separator sandwiched therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, comprising: a heating step of heating the lead; a sensing step of sensing a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads; and The electrode cell inspection method further comprises a determining step of determining whether partial disconnection of the tabs occurs based on a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs.

9. A method for inspecting an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separation membrane therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, comprising: a heating step of heating the lead; a sensing step of sensing a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads; and determining whether the electrode cell is defective based on a temperature distribution of the plurality of tabs; In the determining step, the electrode cell is determined to be defective when a temperature difference between two different points on at least one of the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature difference between two different points on some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature difference between two different points on another some of the tabs is outside a preset range.

10. A method for inspecting an electrode cell including a plurality of electrodes stacked with a separator sandwiched therebetween, a plurality of tabs connected to the plurality of electrodes, and leads joined to the plurality of tabs, comprising: a heating step of heating the lead; sensing temperatures of a plurality of target points of the plurality of tabs heated by heat conducted from the leads; and The electrode cell inspection method includes a determining step of determining whether partial disconnection of the tabs occurs based on a plurality of temperatures at target points of the plurality of tabs.

11. In the determining step, 11. The electrode cell inspection method of claim 10, further comprising: determining that the electrode cell is defective when a temperature of at least one target point among the plurality of tabs is outside a preset range, or when a difference between a temperature of a target point of some of the plurality of tabs and a temperature of a target point of another some of the tabs is outside a preset range.

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