Coating Thickness Measuring Device and Method

Abstract

A coating thickness measurement apparatus and method are disclosed. The coating thickness measurement apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a data acquisition unit configured to acquire thickness data indicating a thickness of a coating material applied to a contact portion of a substrate contacting a coating roll while the substrate is transported by the coating roll, and a processor configured to generate a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is distributed and stored, correct the thickness data based on the correction data previously stored in a target storage area selected from the plurality of storage areas, and generate corrected thickness data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority based on Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2022-0053732 and 10-2022-0053733, filed on April 29, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0051593, filed on April 19, 2023, and all the contents disclosed in the specifications and drawings of the applications are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a thickness measuring device and method, and more particularly, to a coating thickness measuring device and method capable of accurately measuring the coating thickness of a coating material applied to a substrate.

Background Art

[0003] Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries, etc. Among these, lithium secondary batteries have attracted attention due to the advantages of almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, allowing free charge and discharge, a very low self-discharge rate, and a high energy density.

[0004] Furthermore, recently, secondary batteries have been widely used as driving or energy storage for medium and large-sized devices such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS). This has further increased the interest in secondary batteries, and related research and development have been carried out more actively.

[0005] Generally, such secondary batteries can be manufactured by a method of housing an electrode assembly and an electrolyte material in a battery case and sealing the battery case. In this case, the electrode assembly of the secondary battery can include a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

[0006] Thus, the positive electrode, negative electrode, and separator included in the electrode assembly of the secondary battery can be manufactured through the process of coating a predetermined base material in the form of a sheet or plate with a predetermined coating material. For example, the positive electrode can be manufactured through the process of coating the surface of a base material such as an aluminum foil with a coating material containing a positive electrode active material such as a lithium-based oxide. The negative electrode can be manufactured through the process of coating the surface of a base material such as a copper foil with a coating material containing a negative electrode active material such as a carbon material. Also, the separator can be manufactured through the process of coating the surface of a porous polymer base material with a coating material containing inorganic particles and a polymer binder.

[0007] In order to increase the charging capacity and energy density of such a secondary battery, each coating material must be coated on the surface of the corresponding base material with a uniform thickness. That is, in order to manufacture a high-quality and high-efficiency secondary battery product, during the coating of the positive electrode, negative electrode, or separator by a coating device, the coating thickness of the corresponding coating material must be accurately measured in real time, and appropriate management must be performed on the corresponding coating device and subsequent processing device based on the measured coating thickness.

[0008] However, in the conventional technology, since the base material coated with the coating material is transferred by a plurality of rolls separated from each other, shaking occurs in the base material due to the vibration generated by the roll during the measurement of the coating thickness, and as a result, there is a problem that the accuracy of the measured value of the coating thickness decreases.

[0009] Also, in the conventional technology, when measuring the coating thickness, since the influence of temperature change is not considered, there is a problem that the accuracy of the measured value of the coating thickness further decreases. Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coating thickness measuring device and method capable of measuring the thickness of a coating substance applied to a substrate with high precision.

[0011] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a thickness measuring device and method capable of further improving the accuracy of the measured value of the coating thickness by correcting the measured value of the coating thickness in consideration of the influence of temperature change when measuring the thickness of the coating substance applied to the substrate.

[0012] However, the technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above problems, and those skilled in the art will be able to clearly understand other technical problems of the present invention from the description described below.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0013] A coating thickness measuring device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a data acquisition unit configured to acquire thickness data indicating the thickness of a coating substance applied to a contact portion of a substrate that contacts a coating roll while the substrate coated with the coating substance is being transferred by the coating roll; and a processor configured to generate virtual memory zones having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is distributed and stored, correct the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in a target storage area selected from among the plurality of storage areas, and generate corrected thickness data.

[0014] In one embodiment, the data acquisition unit is further configured to divide the outer circumference of the coating roll into a plurality of sections and acquire section identification data for identifying a section that contacts the contact portion of the substrate from among the plurality of sections, and the processor may be configured to select, as the target storage area, a storage area corresponding to the section identification data from among the plurality of storage areas before correcting the thickness data.

[0015] In one embodiment, the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area may include the roundness value of the section that has contacted the contact portion of the base material.

[0016] In one embodiment, the data acquisition unit is configured to further acquire temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll, and the processor may be configured to correct the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and the temperature data.

[0017] In one embodiment, the pre-stored correction data may include a data table that records the roundness value for each temperature of the section that has contacted the contact portion of the base material among a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll by position.

[0018] In one embodiment, before acquiring the thickness data, the data acquisition unit is configured to divide the outer circumference of the coating roll into a plurality of sections and acquire roundness data indicating the roundness of each section, and the processor may be configured to store the roundness data acquired for each section by the data acquisition unit separately for each section in a plurality of storage areas.

[0019] In one embodiment, the data acquisition unit may include a sensing module provided with a thickness sensor and a position adjustment module that adjusts the position of the sensing module and causes the sensing module to sense the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the base material using the thickness sensor to generate thickness data.

[0020] In one embodiment, the sensing module further includes a temperature sensor that senses the temperature of the coating roll, and the processor may be configured to correct the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and the temperature data acquired by the temperature sensor.

[0021] In one embodiment, the position adjustment module can include a first moving unit that moves the sensing module along a first axis, and a second moving unit that moves the sensing module along a second axis intersecting the first axis.

[0022] In one embodiment, the position adjustment module can further include a third moving unit that moves the sensing module along a third axis intersecting the first axis and the second axis respectively.

[0023] In one embodiment, the position adjustment module can further include a rotating unit that rotates the sensing module within a range of a certain rotation angle about a predetermined rotation axis.

[0024] In one embodiment, a plurality of data acquisition units are included, and the plurality of data acquisition units can be arranged at intervals in the width direction of a substrate that is longitudinally transferred by a coating roll.

[0025] A coating system according to another embodiment of the present invention can include the coating thickness measuring device described in any of the above embodiments.

[0026] A coating thickness measuring method according to still another embodiment of the present invention is a method performed by a device that measures the thickness of a coating substance applied to a substrate, and includes a step of generating a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is stored in a distributed manner, a step of acquiring thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating substance applied to a contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll while the substrate coated with the coating substance is transferred by the coating roll, and a step of correcting the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in a target storage area selected from the plurality of storage areas to generate corrected thickness data.

[0027] In one embodiment, the coating thickness measurement method further includes a step of acquiring temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll before the step of generating corrected thickness data, and the step of generating corrected thickness data may include a step of correcting the thickness data based on correction data pre-stored in a target storage area and the temperature data.

[0028] In one embodiment, the pre-stored correction data may include a data table recording roundness values for each temperature of the section in contact with the base material among a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll for each position.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to the embodiments disclosed in this specification, while the base material coated with the coating substance is being transferred by the coating roll, the data acquisition unit is configured to acquire thickness data of the coating substance applied to the portion of the entire base material that contacts the coating roll, thereby reducing the measurement error caused by the shaking of the base material and enabling the thickness of the coating substance applied to the base material to be measured with high precision.

[0030] Further, the processor is configured to generate a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas, and correct the thickness data acquired by the data acquisition unit based on correction data pre-stored in a target storage area selected from among the plurality of storage areas, thereby further improving the measurement accuracy of the coating thickness and shortening the coating thickness measurement time.

[0031] In addition, the data acquisition unit is configured to further acquire temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll, and the processor is configured to correct the thickness data based on the correction data and the temperature data stored in advance in the target storage area, so that the influence of temperature change can be reflected in the measurement value of the coating thickness. As a result, the accuracy and reliability of the measurement value of the coating thickness can be further improved.

[0032] In addition, the data acquisition unit includes a position adjustment module that adjusts the position of such a sensing module together with a sensing module that senses the thickness of the coating material, so that the sensing position of the sensing module can be optimized, and the size of the measurement target substrate, the relative position of the roll that transports the measurement target substrate, etc. can be used to appropriately change the position of the sensing module.

[0033] Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to clearly understand from the following description that various embodiments according to the present invention can solve various technical problems not mentioned above.

[0034] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention and play a role in further understanding the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited only to the matters described in the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0035]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0036] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms and words used in this specification and the claims are not to be construed as being limited to their ordinary and dictionary meanings, and the inventor himself interprets them in accordance with the meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention in accordance with the principle that he can appropriately define the concept of the terms in order to explain the invention in the best way.

[0037] Therefore, the configuration shown in the embodiments described in this specification is only one of the most desirable embodiments of the present invention and does not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. It should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace these at the time of this application.

[0038] In FIG. 1, a coating thickness measuring device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a block diagram.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, a coating thickness measuring device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a data acquisition unit 100 and a processor 200. Depending on the embodiment, the coating thickness measuring device 10 can further include an output unit 300.

[0040] The data acquisition unit 100 is configured to acquire thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the base material that contacts the coating roll among all the base materials while the base material coated with the coating material is being transferred by the coating roll. For this purpose, the data acquisition unit 100 can include a sensing module 110 that senses the thickness of the coating material and generates thickness data of the coating material, and a position adjustment module 120 that adjusts the position of such a sensing module 110.

[0041] The base material can be a metal foil forming the positive or negative electrode of a secondary battery, or a porous polymer film forming the separator of a secondary battery.

[0042] Also, the coating material applied to the base material can be a slurry-like material in which fine solid particles and a solvent are mixed, or a powder-like material in which different solid particles are mixed.

[0043] For example, when the coating material is a material for electrode coating, the coating material can contain an electrode active material, and depending on the embodiment, it can further contain a polymer binder, a conductive material, a filler, etc. as needed. On the other hand, when the coating material is a material for separator coating, the coating material can contain inorganic particles, and depending on the embodiment, it can further contain a polymer binder, a dispersant, a heat-resistant filler, etc. as needed.

[0044] The processor 200 is configured to generate a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas before the data acquisition unit 100 acquires the thickness data. In this case, the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone can be configured to correspond to a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll by position. Such a plurality of storage areas can store correction data used for thickness data correction in a distributed manner.

[0045] For this purpose, the data acquisition unit 100 can be configured to divide the entire outer circumference of the coating roll into a plurality of sections and acquire roundness data indicating the roundness of each section before acquiring the thickness data.

[0046] Thereby, the processor 200 can store the roundness data acquired for each section separately for each section in a plurality of storage areas.

[0047] Thereafter, the processor 200 is configured to correct the thickness data acquired by the data acquisition unit 100 based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area selected from the plurality of storage areas and generate the corrected thickness data.

[0048] The output unit 300 can be configured to output the corrected thickness data generated by the processor 200 visually, audibly, or visually and audibly. For this purpose, the output unit 300 can include a display, a printer, a speaker, etc. as needed.

[0049] In one embodiment, the data acquisition unit 100 may be further configured to divide the outer periphery of the coating roll into a plurality of sections and acquire section identification data for identifying the section that contacts the contact portion of the base material from among the plurality of sections.

[0050] In this case, the section identification data may include an identification number assigned to each section, or may include an angle formed by a predetermined first center line passing through the center of the coating roll and a second center line passing through each section.

[0051] Further, before correcting the acquired thickness data, the processor 200 may select, as a target storage area, the storage area corresponding to the section identification data among the plurality of storage areas, and correct the acquired thickness data using the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area.

[0052] For example, the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area may include a roundness value of the section that contacts the contact portion of the base material among the plurality of sections. In this case, the processor 200 can generate corrected thickness data by removing the error due to the roundness value of the contacted section from the coating thickness value indicated by the acquired thickness data.

[0053] In one embodiment, the data acquisition unit 100 may be further configured to acquire temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll. For this purpose, the data acquisition unit 100 may include a temperature sensor. In this case, the temperature sensor may be configured as a non-contact type temperature sensor such as an infrared temperature sensor.

[0054] Further, the processor 200 can correct the acquired thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and the temperature data acquired by the data acquisition unit 100.

[0055] In this case, the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area can include a data table that records the roundness values for each temperature of the section that contacts the contact portion of the base material among a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll for each position.

[0056] For example, the processor 200 can check the roundness value of the section corresponding to the acquired temperature data from the data table pre-stored in the target storage area, and correct the acquired thickness data using the confirmed roundness value. That is, the processor 200 can generate corrected thickness data by removing the error due to the confirmed roundness value from the coating thickness value indicated by the acquired thickness data.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a coating system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 2, the coating system 2 can include a coating thickness measuring device 10 and a coating device 20 according to the present invention.

[0059] As described above, the coating thickness measuring device 10 can be configured to measure the thickness of the coating material applied to the base material by the coating device 20. In this case, the coating device 20 can include a coating roll 22 that supports and transports the base material, and a coater 24 that discharges a slurry-like coating material onto the base material supported in contact with such a coating roll 22.

[0060] Also, as described with reference to FIG. 1, the coating thickness measuring device 10 can include a data acquisition unit 100 and a processor 200.

[0061] While the substrate coated with the coating material is supported and transferred by the coating roll 22, the data acquisition unit 100 can be configured to acquire thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll 22 among all the substrates. For this purpose, the data acquisition unit 100 can include a sensing module 110 and a position adjustment module 120.

[0062] The sensing module 110 can be configured to sense the thickness of the coating material applied to the substrate and generate thickness data of the coating material. For this purpose, the sensing module 110 can include a thickness sensor. For example, the thickness sensor can include a displacement sensor that irradiates light or a laser onto the coating material, acquires the reflected light or laser, and measures the thickness of the coating material. Such a thickness sensor can be coupled to and supported by the housing H of the sensing module 110.

[0063] The position adjustment module 120 can be configured to adjust the position of the sensing module 110. That is, the position adjustment module 120 can adjust the position of the sensing module 110 and cause the sensing module 110 to sense the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll 22 by the thickness sensor.

[0064] For this purpose, the position adjustment module 120 can include a first moving unit 122 and a second moving unit 124. According to an embodiment, the position adjustment module 120 can further include a third moving unit 126.

[0065] The first moving unit 122 may be configured to move the sensing module 110 along a first axis (e.g., the X axis). For this purpose, the first moving unit 122 may include a first actuator 122a and a first support structure 122b that moves in the first axis direction by such a first actuator 122a.

[0066] The second moving unit 124 may be configured to move the sensing module 110 along a second axis (e.g., the Z axis) that intersects the first axis. For this purpose, the second moving unit 124 may include a second actuator 124a coupled to the first support structure 122b and a second support structure 124b that moves in the second axis direction by such a second actuator 124a. In this case, the sensing module 110 may be coupled to the second support structure 124b of the second moving unit 124.

[0067] The third moving unit 126 may be configured to move the sensing module 110 along a third axis (e.g., the Y axis) that intersects the first axis and the second axis respectively. For this purpose, the third moving unit 126 may include a guide rail 126a extending in the third axis direction and a base structure 126b configured to be movable along such a guide rail 126a.

[0068] The guide rail 126a of such a third moving unit 126 can be coupled and fixed to the outer surface of the coater 24. Also, the first actuator 122a of the first moving unit 122 may be coupled to the base structure 126b of the third moving unit 126.

[0069] On the other hand, the coating thickness measuring device 10 may include a plurality of the above-described data acquisition units 100. In this case, the plurality of data acquisition units 100 may be arranged at intervals from each other in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the base material transported longitudinally by the coating roll 22. Also, the interval between these data acquisition units can be adjusted by the third moving unit 126.

[0070] In one embodiment, the coating thickness measuring device 10 can further include a rotation detection module 400. The rotation detection module 400 can be configured to detect at least one of the rotation angle and the rotation speed of the coating roll 22. For this purpose, the rotation detection module 400 can include a rotary encoder.

[0071] Such a rotation detection module 400 can detect the rotation angle and the rotation speed of the coating roll 22, detect a section that has come into contact with the contact portion of the substrate coated with the coating material among a plurality of sections forming the outer periphery of the coating roll 22, and generate section identification data for identifying the detected section. The rotation detection module 400 can provide the generated section identification data to the data acquisition unit 100.

[0072] Thereby, the data acquisition unit 100 can transmit the thickness data of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate and the section identification data of the section that has come into contact with the contact portion of the substrate to the processor 200. For this purpose, the data acquisition unit 100 can be configured to communicate with the processor 200 either wired or wirelessly.

[0073] The processor 200 can select a target storage area corresponding to the section identification data from among a plurality of storage areas in the virtual memory zone, and correct the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area.

[0074] The processor 200 can include, as necessary, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), a chipset, logic circuits, registers, etc. in order to perform various control logics required by the present invention. The control logic executed by the processor 200 can be realized by software, and the software can be stored in a memory built into the processor 200 or a memory located outside the processor 200. Such a processor 200 can be arranged in the housing H of the data acquisition unit 100 or in a predetermined terminal located outside the data acquisition unit 100.

[0075] In one embodiment, the coating thickness measuring device 10 can be configured to perform a correction data acquisition procedure before a coating process on a substrate is performed.

[0076] In this case, before the coating process is performed, the data acquisition unit 100 can use a displacement sensor to acquire roundness data indicating the roundness value of each section of the coating roll 22, and transmit the roundness data of each section and the section identification data to the processor 200.

[0077] Thereby, the processor 200 can store the roundness data and the section identification data transmitted from the data acquisition unit 100 separately for each section in a plurality of storage areas in the virtual memory zone.

[0078] Also, the coating thickness measuring device 10 can change the temperature of the coating roll 22 and repeat the above-described correction data acquisition procedure.

[0079] In one embodiment, the coating thickness measuring device 10 may further include a vibration measuring module 500. The vibration measuring module 500 may be configured to measure the natural frequency of the vibration generated by the coating device 20. For this purpose, the vibration measuring module 500 may include a vibration sensor.

[0080] Such a vibration measuring module 500 can generate correction data regarding the error for each section of the coating roll 22 generated by the vibration based on the measured natural frequency, and provide it to the data acquisition unit 100. As a result, the data acquisition unit 100 transmits the correction data regarding the error for each section to the processor 200, and the processor 200 can store the correction data regarding the error for each section separately for each section in a plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone.

[0081] FIG. 3 shows the coating thickness measuring device 10 of the coating system shown in FIG. 2.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 3, the data acquisition unit 100 of the coating thickness measuring device 10 may include a sensing module 110 and a position adjustment module 120.

[0083] The sensing module 110 can measure the coating thickness of a part of the contact portion C1 of the base material BM in contact with the outer periphery of the coating roll 22. For this purpose, the sensing module 110 may include thickness sensors 112a and 112b.

[0084] In one embodiment, the thickness sensors 112a and 112b of the sensing module 110 may be configured as non-contact displacement sensors. In this case, the thickness sensors 112a and 112b may include a light applying unit 112a and a light acquisition unit 112b.

[0085] The light application unit 112a can be configured to apply light or a laser to the surface of the coating substance CM applied to the base material BM. For this purpose, the light application unit 112a can include a light source provided inside the housing H and a lens that applies the light generated by such a light source to the surface of the base material BM.

[0086] In particular, the light application unit 112a can be configured to apply light to the contact portion C1 of the base material BM that contacts the coating roll 22 among the entire base material BM. For example, in FIG. 3, the portion of the base material BM that contacts the coating roll 22 is a portion located on the left side with respect to the vertical center line L1 of the coating roll 22, and the contact portion C1 to be measured for the coating thickness among this portion is a portion located on the upper side with respect to the horizontal center line L2.

[0087] The light acquisition unit 112b can be configured to acquire the light applied by the light application unit 112a and reflected from the surface of the coating substance CM. For this purpose, the light acquisition unit 112b can include a lens configured to collect the reflected light or laser, and a light receiving element such as a photo diode or a CMOS (Complementary Metal - Oxide Semiconductor). In this case, the light reflected from the surface of the coating substance CM and passing through the light receiving lens can be received by the light receiving element disposed inside the housing H and converted into an electrical signal.

[0088] The sensing module 110 can generate thickness data regarding the thickness of the coating substance CM based on the light acquired by the light acquisition unit 112b.

[0089] As an example, the sensing module 110 can obtain a wavelength domain spectrum for the amplitude ratio or phase difference of the light received by the light receiving element, and perform a fast Fourier transform on this to calculate the thickness value of the coating material CM. As another example, the sensing module 110 can measure the TOF (Time Of Flight) of the light applied by the light application unit 112a and acquired by the light acquisition unit 112b, and convert the measured TOF into a distance to calculate the thickness value of the coating material CM.

[0090] In the case of a conventional coating thickness measuring device, in order to measure the thickness of the portion of the substrate that floats and moves in the air between two rolls that transfer the coated substrate, the substrate shakes due to vibrations of the device or variations in the roundness between the rolls, etc. As a result, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately measure the coating thickness of the substrate.

[0091] On the other hand, the coating thickness measuring device 10 according to the present invention is configured to measure the thickness of the coating material CM applied to the portion of the substrate BM where the shaking is minimized, that is, the contact portion of the substrate supported in contact with the coating roll 22. By doing so, the measurement error caused by the shaking of the substrate can be reduced, and the measurement accuracy can be improved.

[0092] For example, the sensing module 110 can be configured to measure the thickness of the coating material CM with respect to the end portion A1 of the contact portion C1 of the substrate BM supported in contact with the coating roll 22, where the curvature is minimized. In this way, by measuring the coating thickness with respect to the end portion A1 of the contact portion C1 where there is little shaking and the curvature is minimized, the measurement accuracy can be further improved.

[0093] In one embodiment, the sensing module 110 may further include a temperature sensor 114 that senses the temperature of the coating roll 22. Such a temperature sensor 114 may be composed of a non-contact temperature sensor such as an infrared temperature sensor.

[0094] Also, the processor 200 of the coating thickness measuring device 10 can correct the thickness data acquired by the data acquisition unit 100 based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area among the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone and the temperature data acquired by the temperature sensor 114.

[0095] In this case, the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area may include a data table recording the roundness values for each temperature of the section that contacted the portion of the base material to be measured for thickness among the plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll 22 by position.

[0096] For example, the processor 200 can check the roundness value of the section corresponding to the acquired temperature data from the data table pre-stored in the target storage area, and correct the acquired thickness data using the confirmed roundness value.

[0097] In one embodiment, the coating thickness measuring device 10 may further include a coating detection module 116. The coating detection module 116 may be configured to detect the coating material CM applied to the base material BM. For example, the coating detection module 116 may be configured to detect at least one of the presence or absence of coating material application, the application position, and the width of the applied coating material. For this purpose, the coating detection module 116 may include a photoelectric sensor.

[0098] In this case, after the coating material CM is detected by the coating detection module 116, the sensing module 110 may be configured to start measuring the thickness of the coating material CM.

[0099] Such a coating detection module 116 can be arranged in the housing H of the sensing module 110 or in the second support structure 124b of the second moving unit 124 that moves the sensing module 110.

[0100] On the other hand, the position adjustment module 120 can adjust the position of the sensing module 110 before the sensing module 110 senses the thickness of the coating material CM. That is, the position adjustment module 120 can adjust the position of the sensing module 110 and enable the sensing module 110 to sense the thickness of the coating material CM applied to the contact portion of the substrate in contact with the coating roll 22 among all the substrates BM.

[0101] In one embodiment, the position adjustment module 120 can be configured to adjust the position of the sensing module 110 according to the coating material detection result by the coating detection module 116.

[0102] Also, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, the position adjustment module 120 can include the first moving unit 122 and the second moving unit 124. According to an embodiment, the position adjustment module 120 can further include a third moving unit 126.

[0103] The first moving unit 122 can move the sensing module 110 along the first axis (for example, the X axis). For this purpose, the first moving unit 122 can include a first actuator 122a and a first support structure 122b that moves in the first axis direction by such a first actuator 122a.

[0104] The second moving unit 124 can move the sensing module 110 along a second axis (e.g., the Z axis) intersecting the first axis. For this purpose, the second moving unit 124 can include a second actuator 124a coupled to the first support structure 122b and a second support structure 124b that moves in the second axis direction by such a second actuator 124a. In this case, the sensing module 110 can be coupled to the second support structure 124b of the second moving unit 124.

[0105] The third moving unit 126 can move the sensing module 110 along a third axis (e.g., the Y axis) intersecting the first axis and the second axis respectively. For this purpose, the third moving unit 126 can include a guide rail 126a extending in the third axis direction and a base structure 126b configured to be movable along such a guide rail 126a.

[0106] The guide rail 126a of such a third moving unit 126 can be coupled and fixed to the outer surface of the coater 24. Also, the first actuator 122a of the first moving unit 122 can be coupled to the base structure 126b of the third moving unit 126.

[0107] On the other hand, the coating roll 22 of the coating apparatus 20 has a cylindrical shape and can support and transfer a base material BM that contacts its outer circumference.

[0108] Also, the coater 24 of the coating apparatus 20 can continuously apply a coating material CM to the surface of the base material BM that is supported in contact with the outer circumference of the coating roll 22. In this case, the coater 24 can be realized by a slot die coater that discharges a slurry-like coating material CM through a slot.

[0109] Such a coater 24 is arranged on one side of the coating roll 22 and can discharge the coating material CM toward the coating roll 22. For example, the coater 24 is arranged on the horizontal center line L2 of the coating roll 22, but is not limited thereto.

[0110] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a coating roll applicable to the coating system 2 according to the present invention.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 4, the cross-section of an ideal coating roll (CR o ) has a perfect circular shape with the center of rotation (C o ) of the coating roll (CR R ) as the center of the circle and a radius of R.

[0112] However, the cross-section of the actual coating roll CR is not a perfect circle, and has errors (ΔR1, ΔR2) due to roundness for each section of the coating roll CR. Therefore, when measuring the thickness of the coating material coated on the portion of the substrate in contact with the outer periphery of the actual coating roll CR, the measured value includes an error due to roundness, and the accuracy and reliability of the measured value are reduced.

[0113] Therefore, the coating thickness measuring device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention divides the outer periphery of the coating roll into a plurality of sections, acquires in advance roundness data indicating the roundness value of each section, and uses correction data including the acquired roundness data to correct the thickness data regarding the coating thickness to be acquired subsequently.

[0114] FIG. 5 shows an example of a virtual memory zone Z1 generated by the coating thickness measuring device according to the present invention.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 5, the virtual memory zone Z1 can have a plurality of storage areas M1, M2, M3, etc. In this case, the plurality of storage areas can respectively correspond to a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll 22 by positions on the circumference. For example, when the outer circumference of the coating roll 22 is divided into 100,000 sections, the virtual memory zone Z1 can have 100,000 storage areas.

[0116] In addition, correction data including the roundness value of the corresponding section can be stored in each storage area.

[0117] FIG. 6 shows the storage state of the correction data of the virtual memory zone Z1 shown in FIG. 5.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 6, the roundness value (for example, 3.8) of the first section among the plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll 22 by position can be stored in the first storage area M1 among the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone Z1.

[0119] In addition, the roundness value (for example, 3.4) of the 50004th section among the plurality of sections can be stored in the 50004th storage area (M50K4) among the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone Z1.

[0120] In this way, the roundness value for each section of the coating roll 22 can be stored in the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone Z1 in a section-by-section manner.

[0121] FIG. 7 shows an example of the correction data stored in the storage area of the virtual memory zone.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 7, the correction data stored in each storage area of the virtual memory zone Z1 can include a data table recording the roundness values at each temperature in the section corresponding to each storage area among the plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll 22 by position.

[0123] For example, the data table stored in the first storage area of the virtual memory zone Z1 can include the roundness values for each temperature of the section corresponding to the first storage area among the plurality of sections of the coating roll 22.

[0124] FIG. 8 shows the measurement preparation state of the coating thickness measuring device 10 shown in FIG. 3.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 8, the data acquisition unit 100 of the coating thickness measuring device 10 can perform a measurement preparation operation in order to measure the thickness of the coating material CM applied to the base material BM by the coating device 20.

[0126] That is, the position adjustment module 120 of the data acquisition unit 100 adjusts the position of the sensing module 110, and can cause the sensing module 110 to sense the thickness of the coating material CM applied to the contact portion C1 of the base material in contact with the coating roll 22 among all the base materials BM, particularly the end portion A1 of the contact portion C1. For reference, the position of the contact portion C1 or the end portion A1 of the contact portion C1 can vary depending on the transfer directions D1, D2 of the base material BM.

[0127] For example, the first moving unit 122 of the position adjustment module 120 can move the sensing module 110 to the right along the X-axis and position it above the end portion A1 of the contact portion C1. For this purpose, the first moving unit 122 can include a first actuator 122a and a first support structure 122b that moves in the X-axis direction by such a first actuator 122a.

[0128] Thereafter, the second moving unit 124 of the position adjustment module 120 can move the sensing module 110 downward along the Z-axis and bring it close to the end portion A1 of the contact portion C1. For this purpose, the second moving unit 124 can include a second actuator 124a coupled to the first support structure 122b and a second support structure 124b that moves in the Z-axis direction by such a second actuator 124a. In this case, the sensing module 110 can be coupled to the second support structure 124b of the second moving unit 124.

[0129] FIG. 9 shows a coating thickness measuring apparatus according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 9, the data acquisition unit 100A of the coating thickness measuring apparatus according to a modified embodiment of the present invention can include a sensing module 110 and a position adjustment module 120, like the above-described data acquisition unit 100.

[0131] It should be noted that the position adjustment module 120 of the data acquisition unit 100A can further include a rotation unit 128. Such a rotation unit 128 can further include a rotation unit 128 that rotates the sensing module 110 within a range of a certain rotation angle around a predetermined rotation axis. For this purpose, the rotation unit 128 can include a servo motor and a rotation axis that rotates the sensing module 110 by the driving force of such a servo motor.

[0132] For example, when the base material BM flowing in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) is coated through the coating roll 22 and then moves at a predetermined angle (θ) with respect to the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), the length of the contact portion C1' of the base material in contact with the coating roll 22 and the position of the end portion A1' of the contact portion C1' are different from those in FIG. 8. That is, the length of the contact portion C1' decreases, and the end portion A1 of the contact portion C1 is positioned at a point separated from the vertical center line L1 by a predetermined angle (θ) in the counterclockwise direction.

[0133] Figure 10 shows the measurement preparation state of the coating thickness measuring device shown in Figure 9.

[0134] As shown in Figure 10, the rotation unit 128 of the position adjustment module 120 can rotate the sensing module 110 counterclockwise by a predetermined angle (θ) so that the thickness direction of the coating material CM applied to the end portion A1' of the contact portion C1' of the base material BM coincides with the sensing direction of the sensing module 110.

[0135] That is, the coating thickness measuring device according to a modified embodiment of the present invention can be applied to coating systems of various structures, and can measure the thickness of the coating material applied to the base material with high precision regardless of the transfer direction of the base material.

[0136] Figure 11 shows a graph of the coating thickness values measured by a normal displacement sensor.

[0137] As shown in Figure 11, when the outer circumference of the coating roll 22 is divided into 1000 sections according to the positions on its circumference, the coating thickness values measured for the contact portions of the base material in contact with each section will include errors due to the roundness of each section. As a result, the coating thickness values continuously measured by the displacement sensor will show large deviations respectively even when the thickness of the coating material applied to the base material is actually uniform.

[0138] Figure 12 shows a graph of the coating thickness values corrected according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0139] As shown in Figure 12, the coating thickness values corrected according to an embodiment of the present invention do not include errors due to the temperature of the coating roll during measurement and the roundness for each section, so they show only the deviations corresponding to the differences in the actual thickness of the coating material respectively.

[0140] FIG. 13 shows a coating system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0141] As shown in FIG. 13, a coating system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the above-described coating thickness measuring device 10 and a coating device 20, and may further include a management server 30 according to the embodiment.

[0142] The management server 30 may be configured to communicate with the coating thickness measuring device 10 and the coating device 20 via a communication network and manage the coating thickness measuring device 10 and the coating device 20. In this case, the communication network may include various types of wired or wireless networks such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a mobile radio communication network, and a Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet).

[0143] For example, the management server 30 can determine whether the coating device 20 is operating normally using the thickness data provided from the coating thickness measuring device 10. When it is determined that the coating device 20 is operating abnormally, the management server 30 can generate an alarm via a display or a speaker or stop the coating device 20.

[0144] In one embodiment, the management server 30 can be configured to display the thickness data provided by the coating thickness measuring device 10 via a display and transmit the feedback information input by the administrator to the coating thickness measuring device 10. In this case, the feedback information transmitted to the coating thickness measuring device 10 can include weight information for one or more of the factors (e.g., temperature, roundness, vibration, etc.) of the correction data used for correcting the thickness data. The coating thickness measuring device 10 that has received the feedback information can reflect the weight information when correcting the thickness data.

[0145] Such a management server 30 can be implemented by a computer such as a desktop, laptop, or notebook computer, but is not limited thereto, and can be implemented by any type of computer device having computer functions and communication functions.

[0146] FIG. 14 shows a flowchart of a coating thickness measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 14, the detailed operations of the above-described coating thickness measuring device 10 will be described in chronological order.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 14, the coating thickness measuring device 10 configured to measure the thickness of the coating material applied to the substrate acquires correction data (S10) used for correcting the thickness data before the coating process on the substrate is performed.

[0148] That is, the data acquisition units 100 and 100A of the coating thickness measuring device 10 can acquire roundness data indicating the roundness values of the respective sections of the coating roll 22 using the displacement sensor, and transmit the correction data including the roundness data of each section and the section identification data to the processor 200.

[0149] As a result, the processor 200 of the coating thickness measuring device 10 can generate a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is stored in a distributed manner. For example, the processor 200 can generate a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas, and separate and store the correction data transmitted from the data acquisition unit 100 section by section in the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone.

[0150] In addition, the coating thickness measuring device 10 can change the temperature of the coating roll 22 and repeat the above-described correction data acquisition procedure.

[0151] Thereafter, while the substrate coated with the coating material is being transferred by the coating roll 22, the data acquisition units 100, 100A of the coating thickness measuring device 10 acquire thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll 22 with respect to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll 22 (S20).

[0152] In this case, the position adjustment module 120 of the data acquisition unit 100 adjusts the positions of the sensing modules 110 of the data acquisition units 100, 100A, and enables the sensing module 110 to sense the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll 22 among all the substrates, particularly the end portion of the contact portion.

[0153] In addition, while acquiring the thickness data, the data acquisition units 100, 100A can further acquire temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll 22 using the temperature sensor 114 (S30).

[0154] Thereafter, the processor 200 of the coating thickness measuring device 10 selects a target storage area from among the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone, corrects the thickness data based on the correction data stored in advance in the target storage area, and generates corrected thickness data (S40).

[0155] For example, the processor 200 can correct the thickness data acquired by the data acquisition unit 100 based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area among the plurality of storage areas of the virtual memory zone and the temperature data acquired by the temperature sensor 114.

[0156] For this purpose, the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area can include a data table recording the roundness values for each temperature of the section that contacts the thickness measurement target portion of the base material among the plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer periphery of the coating roll 22 for each position. That is, the processor 200 can check the roundness value of the section corresponding to the acquired temperature data from the data table pre-stored in the target storage area, and correct the acquired thickness data using the confirmed roundness value.

[0157] Thereafter, the coating thickness measurement device 10 can output the corrected thickness data by means of a display or a speaker, etc., or transmit it to an external device such as a management server (S50).

[0158] Thereafter, the coating thickness measurement device 10 can repeat the above process until the coating process stops (S60).

[0159] As described above, according to the embodiment disclosed in this specification, while the base material coated with the coating material is being transferred by the coating roll, the data acquisition unit is configured to acquire the thickness data of the coating material applied to the portion of the entire base material that contacts the coating roll, so that the measurement error caused by the shaking of the base material can be reduced, and the thickness of the coating material applied to the base material can be measured with high precision.

[0160] In addition, the processor generates a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas, and corrects the thickness data acquired by the data acquisition unit based on correction data pre-stored in a target storage area selected from among the plurality of storage areas, thereby further improving the accuracy of the measured value of the coating thickness and shortening the coating thickness measurement time.

[0161] Further, the data acquisition unit is configured to further acquire temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll, and the processor is configured to correct the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and the temperature data, so that the influence of temperature change can be reflected in the measured value of the coating thickness. As a result, the measurement accuracy and reliability of the coating thickness can be further improved.

[0162] In addition, the data acquisition unit includes a position adjustment module that adjusts the position of such a sensing module together with a sensing module that senses the thickness of the coating material, so that the sensing position of the sensing module can be optimized, and the position of the sensing module can be appropriately changed according to the size of the base material to be measured, the relative position of the roll that transports the base material to be measured, and the like.

[0163] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the embodiments according to the present invention can solve various technical problems other than those mentioned in this specification not only in the technical field but also in related technical fields.

[0164] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that various modifications are possible within the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed above should be considered from an explanatory perspective rather than a limiting perspective. That is, the true technical idea scope of the present invention is shown in the claims, and all differences within the equivalent scope thereof should be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims

1. While the substrate coated with the coating material is being transferred by the coating roll, thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate contacting the coating roll is obtained for the contact portion of the substrate contacting the coating roll, and a data acquisition unit configured to obtain the thickness data; A virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is stored in a distributed manner is generated, and the thickness data is corrected based on the correction data pre-stored in a target storage area selected from the plurality of storage areas, and a processor configured to generate corrected thickness data; The plurality of storage areas respectively correspond to a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll by positions on the circumference; Correction data for the corresponding section of the plurality of sections is stored in each of the plurality of storage areas; The data acquisition unit is further configured to obtain temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll; The processor is configured to correct the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and the temperature data; The pre-stored correction data includes a data table recording roundness values for each temperature of a section that has contacted the contact portion of the substrate among a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll by position, a coating thickness measuring device.

2. The data acquisition unit is further configured to obtain section identification data for identifying a section that has contacted the contact portion of the substrate from among the plurality of sections; The processor is configured to select, as the target storage area, a storage area corresponding to the section identification data among the plurality of storage areas before correcting the thickness data, the coating thickness measuring device according to claim 1.

3. While the substrate coated with the coating material is being transferred by the coating roll, a data acquisition unit configured to acquire thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll; A processor configured to generate a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is stored in a distributed manner, correct the thickness data based on the correction data stored in advance in a target storage area selected from the plurality of storage areas, and generate corrected thickness data, and The data acquisition unit is further configured to acquire temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll, The processor is configured to correct the thickness data based on the correction data stored in advance in the target storage area and the temperature data, The coating thickness measuring device, wherein the correction data stored in advance includes a data table recording roundness values for each temperature of a section that contacts the contact portion of the substrate among a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll by position.

4. Before acquiring the thickness data, the data acquisition unit is configured to acquire roundness data indicating the roundness of each section of the coating roll, The coating thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor is configured to store the roundness data acquired for each section by the data acquisition unit in the plurality of storage areas for each section.

5. The data acquisition unit, A sensing module including a thickness sensor, and A position adjustment module that adjusts the position of the sensing module and causes the sensing module to sense the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate using the thickness sensor to generate the thickness data, the coating thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The sensing module further includes a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the coating roll, The processor is configured to correct the thickness data based on correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and temperature data acquired by the temperature sensor. The coating thickness measuring device according to claim 5, characterized in that.

7. The position adjustment module, A first moving unit for moving the sensing module along a first axis, A second moving unit for moving the sensing module along a second axis intersecting the first axis. The coating thickness measuring device according to claim 5, characterized by including.

8. The position adjustment module further includes a third moving unit for moving the sensing module along a third axis intersecting the first axis and the second axis respectively. The coating thickness measuring device according to claim 7, characterized by including.

9. The position adjustment module further includes a rotating unit for rotating the sensing module within a range of a certain rotation angle around a predetermined rotation axis. The coating thickness measuring device according to claim 7, characterized by including.

10. Including a plurality of the data acquisition units, The plurality of data acquisition units are arranged at intervals from each other in the width direction of the base material transported in the longitudinal direction by the coating roll. The coating thickness measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

11. A coating thickness measuring method performed by a device for measuring the thickness of a coating substance applied to a base material, Generating a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is stored in a distributed manner, While the substrate coated with the coating material is being transferred by the coating roll, obtaining thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll with respect to the contact portion; correcting the thickness data based on correction data pre-stored in a target storage area selected from among the plurality of storage areas, and generating corrected thickness data, wherein the plurality of storage areas respectively correspond to a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll by positions on the circumference, correction data for the corresponding section among the plurality of sections is stored in each of the plurality of storage areas, further comprising, before the step of generating the corrected thickness data, obtaining temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll, the step of generating the corrected thickness data includes correcting the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and the temperature data, wherein the pre-stored correction data includes a data table recording roundness values for each temperature of a section that contacts the contact portion of the substrate among a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll by position, a coating thickness measurement method.

12. A coating thickness measurement method performed by an apparatus for measuring the thickness of a coating material applied to a substrate, generating a virtual memory zone having a plurality of storage areas in which correction data is stored in a distributed manner, while the substrate coated with the coating material is being transferred by the coating roll, obtaining thickness data indicating the thickness of the coating material applied to the contact portion of the substrate that contacts the coating roll with respect to the contact portion; correcting the thickness data based on correction data pre-stored in a target storage area selected from among the plurality of storage areas, and generating corrected thickness data; further comprising, before the step of generating the corrected thickness data, a step of acquiring temperature data indicating the temperature of the coating roll; the step of generating the corrected thickness data includes correcting the thickness data based on the correction data pre-stored in the target storage area and the temperature data; The pre-stored correction data includes a data table recording roundness values for each temperature of a section that contacts the contact portion of the base material among a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the outer circumference of the coating roll for each position, a coating thickness measurement method.

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