Robot-Based Automated Inspection System for Electric Vehicle Battery Components
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- KR · KR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-12
Smart Images
Figure PAT00001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technology Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a system for inspecting battery components for electric vehicles, specifically a robot-based automated battery component inspection system. Background Technology
[0002] The inspection process for electric vehicle battery components (busbars) is primarily performed through visual inspection or simple vision inspection equipment.
[0003] The busbar is a key component that connects the electrode tabs of electric vehicle battery cells, and its dimensions and quality directly affect electrical connection stability and battery performance.
[0004] In the existing inspection process, operators directly judged the dimensions and appearance of products through visual inspection, while basic vision inspection determined product dimensions and defects by analyzing static images.
[0005] The primary limitation of these conventional visual inspections and basic vision inspections is the lack of inspection accuracy. This is because the determination of defective products is inconsistent, as the inspection relies on the operator's subjective judgment. Additionally, it is difficult to visually measure minute dimensions, such as slit spacing (0.5 mm ± 5 / 100).
[0006] Secondly, there is the issue of low speed and efficiency. Relying on the inspection speed of workers carries a high risk of bottlenecks in mass production situations. Since worker fatigue and concentration increase over time during visual inspection, inspection efficiency decreases.
[0007] Thirdly, there is the issue of the limitations of vision inspection equipment. Existing vision inspection devices were limited to simply processing static images, making it difficult to handle real-time analysis and complex classification tasks.
[0008] Furthermore, there has traditionally been a fundamental problem of insufficient automation. Consequently, the first issue arising from this is inefficiency in product transfer and sorting. Specifically, product transfer for visual inspection is performed manually, and product sorting is also carried out inefficiently. Additionally, productivity is reduced because the proper sorting and removal of good and defective products after inspection are not systematic.
[0009] Secondly, the limitations of repetitive tasks arise due to a lack of automation. In particular, tasks requiring repeatability precision (such as slit gap measurement and dimensional inspection) are handled manually in existing processes, leading to human error.
[0010] Furthermore, traditionally, quality reliability has also become an issue due to these reasons. Consequently, there is a problem where clients and prime contractors do not trust the quality of products produced based on visual inspection alone. In particular, since electric vehicle battery components are directly linked to safety and performance, the automation of inspection processes and improvements in precision are urgently required. The most significant issue is the increase in the defect rate; this is because accurate measurement and identification are difficult, leading to higher defect rates that ultimately have a negative impact on the entire production process.
[0011] Therefore, first, in order to overcome the limitations of visual inspection and automate the inspection process to simultaneously secure productivity and quality, it is necessary to achieve vision inspection and robot automation by increasing the accuracy of vision inspection equipment and improving the efficiency of post-inspection transfer and sorting processes through robot automation; second, a system is required that can improve precision and speed to precisely inspect slit spacing and dimensions by utilizing a robot with a repeatability of 0.03 mm and a high-resolution vision device; and third, a system suitable for a mass production environment is required to eliminate bottlenecks in the existing process and transition from initial production volume to mass production volume (approximately 15.48 million units per year). Prior art literature
[0012] Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0138968 (Date of publication: Nov. 22, 2021) The problem to be solved
[0013] Accordingly, the present invention aims to achieve vision inspection and robot automation by first, increasing the accuracy of vision inspection equipment and improving the efficiency of post-inspection transfer and sorting processes through robot automation to overcome the limitations of visual inspection and automate the inspection process to simultaneously secure productivity and quality; second, precision and speed can be improved to precisely inspect slit spacing and dimensions by utilizing a robot with a repeatability of 0.03 mm and a high-resolution vision device; and third, to eliminate bottlenecks in the existing process and transition from initial production volume to mass production volume (approximately 15.48 million units per year), thereby providing a robot-based automated inspection system for electric vehicle battery components suitable for a mass production environment. means of solving the problem
[0014] A robot-based automated inspection system for electric vehicle battery components according to the present invention for achieving such objectives comprises a product input module (10) into which a battery component subject to quality inspection is input, a vision inspection module (20) for inspecting the component transferred from the product input module (10), a sorting and tray loading module (30) for classifying good and defective products determined by the vision inspection module (20) and loading them separately, and a product discharge module (40) for discharging the good product transferred from the sorting and tray loading module (30).
[0015] The product input module (10), the vision inspection module (20), the sorting and tray loading module (30), and the product discharge module (40) are all preferably equipped with a transfer robot that picks and transports products from an inspection conveyor (21), and the sorting and tray loading module (30) is characterized by having a transfer tray in which good products and defective products are picked separately and then loaded.
[0016] Meanwhile, the above-described vision inspection module (20) is an inspection device for quality inspection of a slit (S) of a bus bar (B) having at least one slit (S) formed therein, and preferably includes a light-emitting part (22) that emits light toward the slit (S), a light-receiving part (23) that receives the light that has passed through the slit (S), and a transfer means for transferring the bus bar (B) between the light-emitting part (22) and the light-receiving part (23), thereby determining whether the width of the slit (S) is compliant with the specifications by measuring the width of the light irradiated to the light-receiving part (23) by the light-receiving part (23).
[0017] At this time, the conveying means is an inspection conveyor (21), and the inspection conveyor (21) is preferably provided with an inspection zone (211) through which light can pass, and the bus bar (B) is seated on the upper part of the inspection zone (211), and the inspection zone (211) may preferably be a section in which part of the inspection conveyor (21) is made of a transparent material, or an inspection hole formed with an area smaller than the area of the bus bar (B) and capable of containing all of the slit (S) formed in the bus bar (B).
[0018] Meanwhile, the battery component inspection automation system according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a transfer conveyor (15) preferably arranged parallel to the inspection conveyor (21) to transfer the bus bar (B) to the side of the inspection conveyor (21), and a horizontal movement module (50) that horizontally moves the bus bar (B) from the transfer conveyor (15) to the inspection conveyor (21).
[0019] Here, the horizontal movement module (50) may preferably include a vertical axis (51) that moves vertically toward the bus bar (B) or moves horizontally from the transfer conveyor (15) to the inspection conveyor (21), a support block (53) installed below the vertical axis (51), and a lifting means installed below the support block (53) to lift or place the bus bar (B).
[0020] At this time, the lifting means may preferably be a dry adhesive tube (54) having a tube of elastic material of a certain thickness, wherein the bottom surface becomes flat when air is removed from the inside, and a dry adhesive layer (541) is provided on the surface of the bottom surface, which forms a van der Waals bond with a contacting object, with ultrafine bristles (5411) having a cross-sectional diameter of tens of nanometers to several micrometers densely formed thereon.
[0021] In this case, the vertical axis (51) and the support block (53) may preferably be each provided with an air injection pipe (58) for injecting air into the dry adhesive tube (54) and an air intake pipe (57) for removing air.
[0022] Additionally, preferably, an exhaust check valve (56) connected to the air intake pipe (57) and an injection check valve (55) connected to the air injection pipe (58) may be provided inside the dry adhesive tube (54).
[0023] Thus, when the horizontal moving module (50) lifts or moves the bus bar (B) horizontally for transporting the bus bar (B), the air intake pipe (57) removes the air inside the dry adhesive tube (54) to form a flat bottom surface of the dry adhesive tube (54), and when the bus bar (B) is placed on the inspection conveyor (21), the air injection pipe (58) injects air into the dry adhesive tube (54) to inflate the bottom surface of the dry adhesive tube (54), thereby releasing the adhesive state between the dry adhesive tube (54) and the bus bar (B). Effects of the invention
[0024] First, the robot-based automated inspection system for electric vehicle battery components according to the present invention can achieve vision inspection and robot automation by increasing the accuracy of vision inspection equipment and improving the efficiency of post-inspection transfer and sorting processes through robot automation to overcome the limitations of visual inspection and simultaneously secure productivity and quality by automating the inspection process; second, precision and speed can be improved to precisely inspect slit spacing and dimensions by utilizing a robot with a repeatability of 0.03 mm and a high-resolution vision device; and third, it has the effect of being suitable for a mass production environment to eliminate bottlenecks in existing processes and transition from initial production volume to mass production volume (approximately 15.48 million units per year). Brief explanation of the drawing
[0025] FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of an automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a front view of the product input module in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a front view of the vision inspection module in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a front view of the product discharge module in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a front view of the part subject to vision inspection in Figure 3. Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of the vision inspection module of Figure 3. Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the vision inspection module of Figure 3. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a vision inspection device according to an additional embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a detailed conceptual diagram of the horizontal movement module in Figure 4. Figures 10 and 11 are operating state diagrams of the horizontal movement module. Specific details for implementing the invention
[0026] First, the terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms to best describe his invention.
[0027] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention; thus, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application.
[0028] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Meanwhile, in the drawings below, the size of specific components may be relatively exaggerated to aid in understanding the invention, and where there is no need to distinguish between multiple identical components, they may be represented as a single representative component.
[0029] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.
[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the battery component inspection system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention includes a product input module into which a battery component subject to quality inspection is input, a vision inspection module for inspecting a component transferred from the product input module, a sorting and tray loading module for classifying good and defective products determined by the vision inspection module and loading them separately, and a product discharge module for discharging a good product transferred from the sorting and tray loading module.
[0031] At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a transfer robot that picks and transports products from an inspection conveyor is provided in the product input module, the vision inspection module, the sorting and tray loading module, and the product discharge module, and a transfer tray in which good products and defective products are picked separately and then loaded may be provided in the sorting and tray loading module.
[0032] Meanwhile, the vision inspection module includes a light-emitting part (22), a light-receiving part (23), and a transfer means as shown in FIG. 6.
[0033] The object of inspection on the bus bar (B) is whether the width of the slit (S) formed on the body of the bus bar (B) is formed precisely with a minimized error range. Figure 1 illustrates the bus bar (B) to be inspected and the slit (S) formed on the bus bar (B).
[0034] However, conventionally, inspection of the width and specifications of the slit (S) formed in the bus bar (B) was carried out mainly relying on the proficiency of skilled inspection workers. However, as can be seen in FIG. 1, the width of the slit (S) is 0.5 mm, so it is fine and requires a high level of concentration for inspection; therefore, even a skilled worker may find it difficult to maintain concentration and may experience extreme fatigue.
[0035] As a result, there was a problem where the inspection process was delayed or defective products could be mixed in with good products even after going through the inspection process.
[0036] To prevent such problems, the present invention first provides a vision inspection module equipped with means that allows inspection to be performed automatically and quickly, and also allows even an inexperienced beginner to perform inspection with high accuracy. As shown in FIG. 6, the inspection process is configured to be performed automatically with a bus bar (B) seated on an inspection conveyor.
[0037] At this time, the above-mentioned conveying means corresponds to the inspection conveyor (21) of FIG. 6. And here, the inspection can be provided with a light-emitting part (22) that irradiates light (L) toward the slit (S) of the bus bar (B), and a light-receiving part (23) positioned on the opposite side of the light-emitting part (22) with the bus bar (B) in between, so as to face the light-emitting part (22).
[0038] At this time, the light-emitting part (22) and the light-receiving part (23) may both be components that make up a vision camera, but any known type of optical instrument capable of passing light (L) through a slit (S) to inspect the specifications of the slit (S) may be adopted as the light-emitting part (22) and the light-receiving part (23) regardless of the type or principle of light emission.
[0039] A bus bar (B) to be inspected is placed on the inspection conveyor (21). However, since the light-emitting part (22) must be able to emit light (L) from the lower part of the bus bar (B), the inspection conveyor (21)) requires a structure that allows the light (L) of the light-emitting part (22) placed at the lower part of the inspection conveyor (21) to be transmitted without obstruction.
[0040] In this regard, in a vision inspection module according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, an inspection zone (211) through which light (L) can pass is provided on the inspection conveyor (21), and the inspection zone (211) may be an area where part of the inspection conveyor (21) is made of a transparent material (not shown), or may be in the form of an inspection hole, i.e., an open hole, formed with an area that is smaller than the area of the bus bar (B) and can contain all of the slits (S) formed in the bus bar (B), as shown in FIG. 7.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 7, when the bus bar (B) is placed in the inspection zone (211) in this way, the light (L) irradiated from the light-emitting part (22) can pass directly through the slit (S) of the bus bar (B) without obstruction from the mat forming the inspection conveyor (21) and reach the light-receiving part (10), so that the inspection can be performed smoothly and accurately.
[0042] In addition, the entire inspection process can be performed automatically with high accuracy, allowing even beginners to perform accurate quality inspections, and the accuracy of the inspection can be improved to a precision of 0.5mm ± 4 / 100mm or higher.
[0043] Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 8 to 11, a bus bar vision inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a transfer conveyor (15) arranged parallel to an inspection conveyor (21) to transfer a bus bar (B) to the side of the inspection conveyor (21), and a horizontal movement module (50) that horizontally moves the bus bar (B) from the transfer conveyor (15) to the inspection conveyor (21).
[0044] Here, the horizontal movement module (50), with reference to FIG. 8, may include a vertical axis (51) that moves vertically toward the bus bar (B) or moves horizontally from the transfer conveyor (15) to the inspection conveyor (21), a support block (53) installed below the vertical axis (51), and a lifting means installed below the support block (53) to lift or place the bus bar (B).
[0045] At this time, referring to FIG. 9, the lifting means is a dry adhesive tube (54) that is a tube of elastic material with a certain thickness, and when air is removed from the inside, the bottom surface becomes flat, and the surface of the bottom surface is densely formed with ultrafine bristles (5411) having a cross-sectional diameter of tens of nanometers to several micrometers, and is equipped with a dry adhesive layer (541) that forms a van der Waals bond with an object in contact.
[0046] Here, the dry adhesive layer (541) utilizes the principle of strong adhesive force of the feet that allows geckos to walk on vertical walls as if they were flat ground. The ultrafine bristles forming the microstructure of the gecko's soles create a vacuum between the wall surface and the sole, and in particular, a structure is utilized in which instantaneous van der Waals bonding is formed between the ultrafine bristles and the wall surface, thereby maintaining adhesion with strong force.
[0047] Also, referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the vertical axis (51) and the support block (53) may each be equipped with an air injection pipe (58) for injecting air into the dry adhesive tube (54) and an air intake pipe (57) for removing air.
[0048] Additionally, inside the dry adhesive tube (54), an exhaust check valve (56) connected to the air intake pipe (57) and an injection check valve (55) connected to the air injection pipe (58) are each independently provided.
[0049] Thus, when the horizontal movement module (50) lifts or moves the bus bar (B) horizontally for transporting the bus bar (B), the air intake pipe (57) extracts the air inside the dry adhesive tube (54) so that the bottom surface of the dry adhesive tube (54) is formed flat, thereby ensuring that the dry adhesive tube (54) remains stably adhered to the surface of the bus bar (B) so that the bus bar (B) can be moved freely.
[0050] Additionally, when the bus bar (B) is placed on the inspection conveyor (21), the air injection pipe (58) injects air into the dry adhesive tube (54) to inflate the bottom surface of the dry adhesive tube (54), thereby releasing the adhesive state between the dry adhesive tube (54) and the bus bar (B).
[0051] In this way, the bonding and release between the bus bar (B) and the dry adhesive tube (54) can be controlled with precise timing, and since the transfer of such objects is possible with only air movement that is much weaker than the vacuum suction method typically used to move objects, the transfer of objects is possible even without the large power pneumatic system required when transferring objects by vacuum suction.
[0052] The present invention described above is not limited by the aforementioned embodiments and attached drawings, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various substitutions, modifications, and changes are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols
[0053] B : Bus Bar L : Light S : Slit 10 : Product input module 15: Transfer conveyor 20: Vision inspection module 21: Inspection conveyor 22: Light-emitting part 23: Light receiving unit 30: Sorting and tray loading module 40: Product discharge module 50: Horizontal movement module 51 : Vertical axis 52 : Parallel frame 53: Support block 54: Dry adhesive tube 55: Injection check valve 56: Exhaust check valve 57: Air intake pipe 58: Air injection pipe 211: Inspection Zone 541: Dry Adhesive Layer 5411 : Ultrafine cilia
Claims
Claim 1 A battery component inspection automation system comprising: a product input module into which a battery component subject to quality inspection is input; a vision inspection module for inspecting the component transferred from the product input module; a sorting and tray loading module for classifying good and defective products determined by the vision inspection module and loading them separately; and a product discharge module for discharging the good product transferred from the sorting and tray loading module. Claim 2 A battery component inspection automation system according to claim 1, characterized in that the product input module, the vision inspection module, the sorting and tray loading module, and the product discharge module are all equipped with a transfer robot that picks and transports products from an inspection conveyor, and the sorting and tray loading module is equipped with a transfer tray in which good products and defective products are picked separately and then loaded. Claim 3 A battery component inspection automation system according to claim 1, wherein the vision inspection module is an inspection device for quality inspection of a slit in a bus bar having at least one slit formed therein, comprising a light-emitting part that emits light toward the slit, a light-receiving part that receives the light that has passed through the slit, and a transfer means for transferring the bus bar between the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part, wherein the light-receiving part measures the width of the light irradiated onto the light-receiving part and determines whether the width of the slit conforms to the specifications. Claim 4 A battery component inspection automation system according to claim 3, wherein the conveying means is an inspection conveyor, the inspection conveyor is provided with an inspection zone through which light can pass, the bus bar is seated on the upper part of the inspection zone, and the inspection zone is an area in which part of the inspection conveyor is made of a transparent material, or an inspection hole formed with an area smaller than the area of the bus bar and capable of containing all of the slits formed in the bus bar. Claim 5 A battery component inspection automation system according to claim 3, further comprising: a transfer conveyor arranged parallel to the inspection conveyor and transporting the bus bar to the side of the inspection conveyor; and a horizontal movement module for horizontally moving the bus bar from the transfer conveyor to the inspection conveyor; wherein the horizontal movement module comprises a vertical axis that moves vertically toward the bus bar or moves horizontally from the transfer conveyor to the inspection conveyor, a support block installed below the vertical axis, and a lifting means installed below the support block for lifting or seating the bus bar. Claim 6 A battery component inspection automation system according to claim 5, wherein the lifting means is a dry adhesive tube having a certain thickness of elastic material, wherein the bottom surface becomes flat when air is removed from the inside, and the surface of the bottom surface is provided with a dry adhesive layer that forms a van der Waals bond with a contacting object, wherein ultrafine bristles having a cross-sectional diameter of tens of nanometers to several micrometers are densely formed. Claim 7 In claim 6, the vertical axis and the support block are each provided with an air injection pipe for injecting air into the dry adhesive tube and an air intake pipe for removing air, and inside the dry adhesive tube, an exhaust check valve connected to the air intake pipe and an injection check valve connected to the air injection pipe are provided, so that when the horizontal moving module lifts or moves the bus bar horizontally for transporting the bus bar, the air intake pipe removes air from inside the dry adhesive tube to form a flat bottom surface of the dry adhesive tube, and when the bus bar is placed on the inspection conveyor, the air injection pipe injects air into the dry adhesive tube to inflate the bottom surface of the dry adhesive tube, thereby releasing the adhesive state between the dry adhesive tube and the bus bar, characterized by an automated battery component inspection system.