Cylindrical battery side inspection device

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an inspection device for a side surface of a cylindrical battery, the device having a first region that is a part of the side surface, a second region that is another part of the side surface, a third region that is yet another part of the side surface, and a fourth region that is a remaining part of the side surface, the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region being adjacent to one another and sequentially arranged along a circumference, the device comprising: a first illuminator that irradiates light in a direction toward the side surface of the cylindrical battery; Provided is a side inspection device for cylindrical batteries, comprising: a plurality of mirrors including a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror and a fourth mirror that cause light to be incident on each of the second region, the third region and the fourth region and again reflect each of the light reflected by each of the first region, the second region, the third region and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery; and a camera into which the light reflected again by each of the plurality of mirrors is incident and which forms an image including images of the first region, the second region, the third region and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0140139, filed on October 20, 2021, and all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a side surface inspection device for cylindrical batteries. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a side surface inspection device for cylindrical batteries that can perform side surface visual inspection without rotating or rolling the cylindrical battery. [Background technology]

[0003] As technological development and demand for mobile devices increases, rechargeable secondary batteries are widely used as a power source for various mobile devices. Secondary batteries are also attracting attention as a power source for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, which are being proposed as a solution to the air pollution caused by existing gasoline and diesel vehicles.

[0004] Secondary batteries are classified into coin-type batteries, cylindrical batteries, prismatic batteries, and pouch-type batteries depending on the shape of the battery case. Among these, when inspecting the side appearance of a cylindrical battery, the battery must be rotated or rolled 360 degrees to acquire an image, which creates noise in the image and reduces the quality of the image and the detection ability of the inspection equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0103180 (August 23, 2021) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device that can perform a side surface visual inspection without rotating or rolling the cylindrical battery.

[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device that can prevent image noise and improve the image quality and detection capability of the inspection device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one embodiment of the present invention is an inspection device for the side surfaces of cylindrical batteries, wherein the cylindrical battery has a first region that is a part of the side surface of the cylindrical battery, a second region that is another part of the side surface, a third region that is yet another part of the side surface, and a fourth region that is a remaining part of the side surface, the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region being adjacent to one another and arranged in sequence along a circumference, and the device includes a first illuminator that irradiates light in a direction toward the side surface of the cylindrical battery, and light irradiated from the first illuminator is reflected by the first illuminator to the first region of the cylindrical battery, The present invention provides a side surface inspection device for cylindrical batteries, comprising: a plurality of mirrors including a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, and a fourth mirror that cause light to be incident on each of the second region, the third region, and the fourth region, and that re-reflect each of the light reflected by each of the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery; and a camera that receives the light reflected again by each of the plurality of mirrors and forms an image including images of the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] One of the effects of the present disclosure is that it can provide a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device that can perform side surface visual inspection without rotating or rolling the cylindrical battery.

[0010] Another advantage of the present disclosure is that it provides a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device that can prevent image noise and improve the image quality and detection capability of the inspection device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of an inspection device for a cylindrical battery side surface according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5a] 1 is a diagram showing the optical path of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5b] 1 is a diagram showing the optical path of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5c] 1 is a diagram showing the optical path of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5d] 1 is a diagram showing the optical path of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some or all of the components may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the accompanying drawings or the contents described in this specification, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery.

[0015] Referring to the drawings, cylindrical battery 200 has an overall cylindrical shape. Cylindrical battery 200 has one surface 200U, another surface 200B opposite to one surface 200U, and a curved side surface 200S connecting one surface 200U and the other surface 200B.

[0016] In this specification, the cylindrical battery 200 is described as having a first region A1 that is a portion of the side surface 200S, a second region A2 that is another portion of the side surface 200S, a third region A3 that is yet another portion of the side surface 200S, and a fourth region A4 that is the remaining portion of the side surface 200S. The first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 are adjacent to each other and sequentially arranged along the circumference of the cylindrical battery 200. However, the first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 are configured to distinguish each region of the side surface 200S of the cylindrical battery 200 from each other, and do not have visually recognizable boundaries between the first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4.

[0017] The first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 may be regions obtained by dividing the side surface 200S of the cylindrical battery 200 into four equal parts. In other words, the first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 may be the side surfaces of each part when the cylindrical battery 200 is divided into four equal parts along a cut surface passing through the central axis of the cylindrical battery 200. Therefore, the first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 may have substantially the same area as each other.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a partial area of ​​an apparatus for inspecting the side surface of a cylindrical battery according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Referring to the drawings, a cylindrical battery side surface inspection apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes at least one of a first illuminator 110, a plurality of mirrors 120, a camera 130 including a lens 130L, a prism 140, and a second illuminator 150. As shown in the figure, these components can be arranged in the following order on a cross section: cylindrical battery 200, prism 140, first illuminator 110, and lens 130L of camera 130. It goes without saying that the cylindrical battery side surface inspection apparatus 100 is intended to inspect the side surface of the cylindrical battery 200 described above.

[0022] The above-described components of the cylindrical battery side surface inspection apparatus 100 may be disposed inside the frame F or may be disposed on the frame F and connected to the frame F. The frame F may form the exterior of the cylindrical battery side surface inspection apparatus 100. Therefore, the cylindrical battery side surface inspection apparatus 100 may be configured as a single module.

[0023] The first illuminator 110 emits light in a direction toward the side surface 200S of the cylindrical battery 200 (to the left with reference to FIG. 3).

[0024] The first illuminator 110 may be disposed facing the cylindrical battery 200 between the cylindrical battery 200 and a lens 130L of the camera 130, which will be described later. The fact that the first illuminator 110 is disposed facing the cylindrical battery 200 does not mean that other components may be disposed between the first illuminator 110 and the cylindrical battery 200. For example, as shown in the figure, a prism 140 may be disposed between the first illuminator 110 and the cylindrical battery 200.

[0025] In this case, the first illuminator 110 is disposed facing the side surface 200S of the cylindrical battery 200. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the first illuminator 110 may be disposed facing the first region A1 and the fourth region A4 of the cylindrical battery 200. The first illuminator 110 may irradiate light onto at least one of the plurality of mirrors 120 and the prism 140. However, the prism 140 may be disposed between the cylindrical battery 200 and the first illuminator 110, and therefore the first illuminator 110 may not irradiate light directly onto the cylindrical battery 200. The cylindrical battery 200 may be indirectly irradiated with light irradiated from the first illuminator 110 via the plurality of mirrors 120 and / or the prism 140.

[0026] A part of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 passes through the prism 140, the first mirror 121, the first area A1 of the cylindrical battery 200, the first mirror 121, and the prism 140 and is incident on the lens 130L of the camera 130, and another part of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 passes through the second mirror 122, the second area A2 of the cylindrical battery 200, and the second mirror 122 and is incident on the lens 130L of the camera 130. Another portion of the light emitted from first illuminator 110 passes through third mirror 123, third area A3 of cylindrical battery 200, and third mirror 123 to enter lens 130L of camera 130, and another portion of the light emitted from first illuminator 110 passes through prism 140, fourth mirror 124, fourth area A4 of cylindrical battery 200, fourth mirror 124, and prism 140 to enter lens 130L of camera 130. The path of such light emitted from first illuminator 110 is shown in detail in FIG.

[0027] The first illuminator 110 may be a coaxial illuminator. That is, the first illuminator 110 may be positioned so that light emitted from the first illuminator 110 and reflected by the cylindrical battery 200 faces the lens 130L of the camera 130.

[0028] The plurality of mirrors 120 include a first mirror 121, a second mirror 122, a third mirror 123, and a fourth mirror 124 that respectively reflect light irradiated from the first illumination 110 to the first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 of the cylindrical battery 200, and again reflect the light reflected from the first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 of the cylindrical battery 200. Each of the first mirror 121, the second mirror 122, the third mirror 123, and the fourth mirror 124 may be disposed a predetermined distance away from the side surface 200S of the cylindrical battery 200 and facing the first region A1, the second region A2, the third region A3, and the fourth region A4 of the cylindrical battery 200. However, the number and arrangement of the multiple mirrors 120 may be changed depending on the design.

[0029] That is, the first mirror 121 reflects the light irradiated from the first illuminator 110 to the first region A1 of the cylindrical battery 200 and again reflects the light reflected from the first region A1 of the cylindrical battery 200. The second mirror 122 reflects the light irradiated from the first illuminator 110 to the second region A2 of the cylindrical battery 200 and again reflects the light reflected from the second region A2 of the cylindrical battery 200. The third mirror 123 reflects the light irradiated from the first illuminator 110 to the third region A3 of the cylindrical battery 200 and again reflects the light reflected from the third region A3 of the cylindrical battery 200. The fourth mirror 124 reflects the light irradiated from the first illuminator 110 to the fourth region A4 of the cylindrical battery 200 and again reflects the light reflected from the fourth region A4 of the cylindrical battery 200.

[0030] At this time, at least one of the lights incident on the first mirror 121, the second mirror 122, the third mirror 123, and the fourth mirror 124 may be light emitted from the first illuminator 110 and reflected by the prism 140. For example, the lights incident on the first mirror 121 and the fourth mirror 124 may be light emitted from the first illuminator 110 and reflected by the prism 140.

[0031] Similarly, at least one of the lights reflected by the cylindrical cell 200, incident on each of the first mirror 121, the second mirror 122, the third mirror 123, and the fourth mirror 124, and then reflected again can be reflected again by the prism 140. For example, the lights reflected by the cylindrical cell 200, incident on each of the first mirror 121 and the fourth mirror 124, and then reflected again can be reflected again by the prism 140.

[0032] Light reflected by the cylindrical battery 200 and then reflected again by each of the multiple mirrors 120 enters the camera 130. It will be apparent that the light reflected by each of the multiple mirrors 120 enters in a direction facing the lens 130L of the camera 130. Through this, the camera 130 forms an image that includes images of the first area A1, the second area A2, the third area A3, and the fourth area A4 of the cylindrical battery 200. In other words, the camera 130 can form a single image such that images of each area of ​​the side surface 200S of the cylindrical battery 200 are included in the same frame.

[0033] The lens 130L of the camera 130 may be an L-shaped lens including a lens mirror 130M that reflects light incident on the lens 130L. The lens mirror 130M may be disposed at an angle of approximately 45° to the lens 130L. Therefore, the light incident on the lens 130L is reflected upward with respect to FIG. 3 by the lens mirror 130M to form an image.

[0034] The prism 140 can adjust the paths of at least a portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 and incident on the multiple mirrors 120, and at least a portion of the light reflected by the cylindrical cell 200 and reflected again by the multiple mirrors 120. In other words, the prism 140 can adjust the path of at least a portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 so that the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 is incident on each of the first mirror 121, the second mirror 122, the third mirror 123, and the fourth mirror 124. In addition, the prism 140 can adjust the path of at least one of the lights reflected by the cylindrical battery 200 and then reflected again by each of the first mirror 121, the second mirror 122, the third mirror 123, and the fourth mirror 124, so that the lights reflected again by each of the first mirror 121, the second mirror 122, the third mirror 123, and the fourth mirror 124 are incident on the lens 130L of the camera 130.

[0035] The prism 140 may be disposed between the cylindrical battery 200 and the first light 110, facing the first light 110. Therefore, the path of at least a portion of the light emitted from the first light 110 can be adjusted. The prism 140 may also be disposed between the cylindrical battery 200 and the lens 130L of the camera 130, facing the lens 130L of the camera 130. In this case, the distance between the prism 140 and the first light 110 may be shorter than the distance between the prism 140 and the lens 130L of the camera 130. That is, these configurations may be arranged in the following order on the cross section: cylindrical battery 200, prism 140, first light 110, and lens 130L of the camera 130. Therefore, the path of at least a portion of the light reflected by the cylindrical battery 200 and again reflected by the multiple mirrors 120 can be adjusted so that it enters the lens 130L of the camera 130.

[0036] The second light 150 may be disposed on one surface 200U of the cylindrical battery 200. Preferably, the second light 150 may be disposed so as to overlap the cylindrical battery 200 in a plane. The second light 150 may irradiate the cylindrical battery 200 with light to improve the visibility of the cylindrical battery 200. The second light 150 may be a ring light. The second light 150 may be disposed in connection with the frame F, but is not limited thereto, and the method of disposing the second light 150 may be modified according to the design.

[0037] The cylindrical battery side surface inspection device 100 may also include a transport means (not shown) for supporting the cylindrical battery 200 during inspection and for transporting the cylindrical battery 200 after inspection.

[0038] Meanwhile, when inspecting the side appearance of a cylindrical battery, the battery must be rotated or rolled 360 degrees to acquire an image, which creates noise in the image and reduces the quality of the image and the detection capability of the inspection equipment.

[0039] The cylindrical battery side surface inspection device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention can perform an appearance inspection through a single image that includes images of all areas of the side surface 200S of the cylindrical battery 200 by utilizing the lighting 110, 150 and the mirror 120. Therefore, the side appearance inspection can be performed without the cylindrical battery rotating or rolling. This prevents image noise and improves the image quality and the detection capability of the inspection device.

[0040] 5 shows the optical path of an apparatus for inspecting the side surface of a cylindrical battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, the second illumination 150 is omitted from the drawing.

[0041] FIG. 5( a ) shows the path of light that is reflected after entering the first area A 1 of the cylindrical battery 200 .

[0042] Referring to the figure, a portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 passes through the prism 140, the first mirror 121, the first region A1 of the cylindrical battery 200, the first mirror 121, and the prism 140 before being incident on the lens 130L of the camera 130. Specifically, a portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 is incident on the prism 140 and then reflected onto the first mirror 121, and the light incident on the first mirror 121 is reflected again and incident on the first region A1 of the cylindrical battery 200. The light incident on the first region A1 of the cylindrical battery 200 is reflected and incident on the first mirror 121, and the light incident on the first mirror 121 is reflected again and incident on the prism 140, and then reflected again and incident on the lens 130L of the camera 130.

[0043] FIG. 5( b ) shows the path of light that is reflected after entering the second area A2 of the cylindrical battery 200.

[0044] Referring to the drawing, another portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 passes through the second mirror 122, the second area A2 of the cylindrical battery 200, and the second mirror 122 and enters the lens 130L of the camera 130. Specifically, another portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 is incident on the second mirror 122, is reflected, and then enters the second area A2 of the cylindrical battery 200. The light that entered the second area A2 of the cylindrical battery 200 is reflected again and enters the second mirror 122, and is then reflected again and enters the lens 130L of the camera 130.

[0045] FIG. 5( c ) shows the path of light that is reflected after entering the third area A3 of the cylindrical battery 200 .

[0046] Referring to the drawing, another portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 passes through the third mirror 123, the third area A3 of the cylindrical battery 200, and the third mirror 123 to enter the lens 130L of the camera 130. Specifically, another portion of the light emitted from the first illuminator 110 is incident on the third mirror 123, reflected, and then incident on the third area A3 of the cylindrical battery 200. The light incident on the third area A3 of the cylindrical battery 200 is reflected again to enter the third mirror 123, and then reflected again to enter the lens 130L of the camera 130.

[0047] FIG. 5( d ) shows the path of light that is reflected after entering the fourth area A4 of the cylindrical battery 200 .

[0048] Referring to the drawing, another portion of the light emitted from the first light source 110 passes through the prism 140, the fourth mirror 124, the fourth area A4 of the cylindrical battery 200, the fourth mirror 124, and the prism 140 before being incident on the lens 130L of the camera 130. Specifically, another portion of the light emitted from the first light source 110 is incident on the prism 140 and then reflected to be incident on the fourth mirror 124. The light incident on the fourth area A4 of the cylindrical battery 200 is reflected and incident on the fourth mirror 124. The light incident on the fourth area A4 of the cylindrical battery 200 is reflected and incident on the fourth mirror 124. The light incident on the fourth mirror 124 is reflected and incident on the prism 140 and then reflected again to be incident on the lens 130L of the camera 130.

[0049] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above as an example, it is not intended that the present invention be limited to the above-described embodiment. Those skilled in the art may appropriately modify an embodiment of the present invention by omitting, changing, or replacing all or part of the configuration of the present invention, or by adding other configurations, without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention, by referring to this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0050] In this specification, the terms "first," "second," etc. are used to distinguish components from one another and do not imply a priority or an absolute order between components. A first component in one part of this specification may be referred to as a second component in another part of this specification.

[0051] The terms and expressions in this specification should be interpreted broadly and not in a restrictive sense. In this specification, the expression "comprise" does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components other than the mentioned components.

[0052] In this specification, the singular forms include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0053] The embodiments described as examples in this specification can be combined with each other, and unless there is a contradiction, the content described in a particular embodiment can be applied to other embodiments in the same manner even if it is not described in other embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 100 Side inspection device 110 First Light 121 First Mirror 122 Second Mirror 123 Third Mirror 124 The Fourth Mirror 130 Camera 130L lens 130M Lens Mirror 140 Prism 150 Second Lighting 200 cylindrical batteries 200B Other side 200S side 200U one side A1 First Area A2 Second Area A3 The third area A4 The Fourth Area F Frame

Claims

1. A cylindrical battery side surface inspection device, the cylindrical battery has a first region that is a part of a side surface of the cylindrical battery, a second region that is another part of the side surface, a third region that is still another part of the side surface, and a fourth region that is a remaining part of the side surface, the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region being adjacent to one another and sequentially arranged along a circumference; a first light that emits light in a direction toward a side surface of the cylindrical battery; a plurality of mirrors including a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, and a fourth mirror, each of which reflects light emitted from the first illumination and makes the light incident on the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery, and which again reflects the light reflected by the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery; a camera that receives the light reflected again by each of the plurality of mirrors and forms an image including images of the first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery; a prism that adjusts the path of at least a portion of the light that is emitted from the first illumination and enters the plurality of mirrors and at least a portion of the light that is reflected by the cylindrical cell and then reflected again by the plurality of mirrors; the prism is disposed between the cylindrical battery and the first light source and facing the first light source; the first light is disposed opposite the first region and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery; a portion of the light irradiated from the first illumination passes through the prism, the first mirror, the first region of the cylindrical battery, the first mirror, and the prism and enters the lens of the camera; another portion of the light irradiated from the first illumination passes through the second mirror, the second region of the cylindrical battery, and the second mirror and enters the lens of the camera; another portion of the light irradiated from the first illumination passes through the third mirror, the third region of the cylindrical battery, and the third mirror and enters the lens of the camera; and a still further portion of the light irradiated from the first illumination passes through the prism, the fourth mirror, the fourth region of the cylindrical battery, the fourth mirror, and the prism and enters the lens of the camera. Cylindrical battery side inspection equipment.

2. the first illumination irradiates light onto at least one of the prism and the plurality of mirrors; The cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to claim 1.

3. the first light is disposed between the cylindrical battery and the lens of the camera and facing the cylindrical battery; The cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to claim 1.

4. The camera lens is an L-shaped lens including a lens mirror that reflects light incident on the lens. The cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to claim 1.

5. a second light disposed on one surface of the cylindrical battery; The cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to claim 1.

6. The first region, the second region, the third region, and the fourth region of the cylindrical battery are regions obtained by dividing the side surface of the cylindrical battery into four equal parts. The cylindrical battery side surface inspection device according to claim 1.

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