Faulty sagger detection device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a defective firing crucible detection device. The defective firing crucible detection device according to the present invention is a defective firing crucible detection device for detecting defects in a firing crucible on which an anode material raw material is placed, and comprises an inverter for inverting the firing crucible, an air knife unit for removing foreign matter by spraying air onto the inverted firing crucible, and a vision inspection unit for detecting defective firing crucibles by performing a vision inspection on the firing crucible from which foreign matter has been removed.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a defective firing crucible detection device. Background Technology

[0002] Unlike primary batteries, secondary batteries are rechargeable and are currently the subject of extensive research and development due to their potential for miniaturization and high capacity. As technological development and demand for mobile devices increase, the demand for secondary batteries as an energy source is rising rapidly.

[0003] Secondary batteries are classified into coin batteries, cylindrical batteries, prismatic batteries, and pouch batteries according to the shape of the battery case. Secondary batteries house an electrode assembly and an electrolyte. In a secondary battery, the electrode assembly mounted inside the battery case is a rechargeable power generation device consisting of a laminated structure of electrodes and a separator.

[0004] Electrode assemblies can be roughly classified into a jelly-roll type, which is wound with a separator interposed between a sheet-type anode and a cathode coated with an electrode active material; a stack type, which is sequentially stacked with a plurality of anodes and cathodes interposed with a separator; and a stack / folding type, which is wound with stack-type unit cells into a long separating film.

[0005] Here, in order to produce the cathode material, which is the positive active material, the raw material for the cathode material was introduced into a kiln and heated to manufacture it.

[0006] At this time, the raw materials for the cathode material are loaded into multiple firing crucibles and undergo a firing process for a long time to manufacture the cathode material.

[0007] And, the anode material that has undergone the calcination process is recovered from the calcination crucible.

[0008] Afterwards, the firing crucibles were identified as old, defective firing crucibles and good firing crucibles, and the good firing crucibles were reintroduced into the firing furnace, while the old, defective firing crucibles were removed.

[0009] However, the existing method of identifying defective firing crucibles involves workers visually inspecting each one individually, which has resulted in problems such as difficulty in identifying highly contaminated firing crucibles and long inspection times. Prior art literature

[0010] Korean Published Patent No. 10-2014-0015647 The problem to be solved

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is to provide a defective firing crucible detection device capable of easily identifying defective firing crucibles. means of solving the problem

[0012] A defective firing crucible detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a defective firing crucible detection device for detecting defects in a firing crucible on which an anode material raw material is placed, and may include an inverter for inverting the firing crucible, an air knife unit for removing foreign matter by spraying air onto the inverted firing crucible, and a vision inspection unit for detecting defective firing crucibles by vision inspecting the firing crucible from which foreign matter has been removed. Effects of the invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the firing crucible is inverted using an inverter and foreign matter is removed from the firing crucible through an air knife section, so that defects in the firing crucible can be accurately identified during vision inspection, and production costs including labor costs can be reduced as automation is possible. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0014] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the concept of a defective firing crucible detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view exemplarily showing a vision inspection unit in a defective firing crucible detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the concept of a defective firing crucible detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view exemplarily showing a vision inspection unit and an unloading unit in a defective firing crucible detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0015] The objects, specific advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing in this specification, the same components are assigned the same number whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Also, in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known technologies that could unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention are omitted.

[0016] Defective firing crucible detection device according to one embodiment

[0017] FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating the concept of a defective firing crucible detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view exemplarily illustrating a vision inspection unit in a defective firing crucible detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 1 illustrates the inverter and air knife unit of the defective firing crucible detection device, and FIG. 2 illustrates the vision inspection unit of the defective firing crucible detection device.

[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a defective firing crucible (10) detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a defective firing crucible (10) detection device for detecting defects in a firing crucible (10) on which an anode material raw material is placed, and includes an inverter (110) for inverting the firing crucible (10), an air knife unit (120) for removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10), and a vision inspection unit (130) for detecting defective firing crucibles (10).

[0019] A defective firing crucible (10) detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a detection unit (140) that analyzes an image detected through a vision inspection unit (130).

[0020] The inverter (110) rotates and inverts the firing crucible (10) to remove foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10).

[0021] A firing crucible (10) may have one side (11) open to form a receiving portion (12) in which a cathode material raw material is placed and received. At this time, the firing crucible (10) may be a container made of ceramic material.

[0022] The inverter (110) can invert the receiving portion (12) of the firing crucible (10) so that it faces downward. That is, for example, referring to FIG. 1, the firing crucible (10) with one side (11) facing upward can be rotated 180 degrees with respect to the reference plane (S) by the inverter (110) so that one side (11) of the firing crucible (10) faces downward. Accordingly, foreign matter (P) located in the receiving portion (12) of the firing crucible (10) can be easily removed through the air knife portion (120) and dropped downward.

[0023] Additionally, the inverter (110) can invert the firing crucible (10) before removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10) with the air knife section (120), and after removing the foreign matter (P), the firing crucible (10) including the thermal imaging camera (132, 134) can be inverted again before vision inspection through the vision inspection section (130).

[0024] In addition, the inversion device (110) may include a plurality of support rollers (113) that support the lower part of the firing crucible (10), a gripping part (112) that grips the firing crucible seated on the plurality of support rollers (113), and a rotating part (111) that rotates the plurality of support rollers (113) and the gripping part (112).

[0025] A plurality of support rollers (113) can support the lower part of the firing crucible (10) by having the firing crucible (10) that has been fired and is being transported rest on the upper part of the firing crucible (10).

[0026] The gripping part (112) can fix the firing crucible (10) to the inverter (110) by pressing both sides and the top of the firing crucible (10).

[0027] The rotating part (111) can reverse the fixed sintering crucible (10) through the gripping part (112) by rotating the gripping part (112) and a plurality of support rollers (113).

[0028] The air knife part (120) can remove foreign matter (P) by spraying air (A) into the inverted firing crucible (10).

[0029] Additionally, the air knife section (120) is positioned in the lower direction of the firing crucible (10) to remove foreign matter (P) located in the firing crucible (10).

[0030] In addition, the air knife part (120) moves in the horizontal direction (M) and can remove foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10).

[0031] The vision inspection unit (130) can detect defective firing crucibles (10) by vision inspecting the firing crucible (10) from which foreign matter (P) has been removed.

[0032] In addition, the vision inspection unit (130) may further include visible light cameras (131, 133).

[0033] Additionally, the vision inspection unit (130) may further include a thermal imaging camera (132, 134). Accordingly, parts such as cracks and peeling of the firing crucible (10) that are difficult to detect with a visible light camera (131, 133) can be detected.

[0034] A thermal imaging camera (132, 134) and a visible light camera (131, 133) can perform vision inspection of the top and sides of the firing crucible (10).

[0035] The detection unit (140) can detect defective firing crucibles (10) by analyzing the image detected through the vision inspection unit (130).

[0036] The detection unit (140) can classify defective firing crucibles (10) through a convolutional neural network (CNN).

[0037] A defective firing crucible (10) detection device according to one embodiment of the present invention configured as above can accurately determine defects in the firing crucible (10) during vision inspection by inverting the firing crucible (10) through an inverter (110) and removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10) through an air knife part (120), and can be automated so that production costs including labor costs can be reduced.

[0038] Defective firing crucible detection device according to another embodiment

[0039] Hereinafter, a defective firing crucible detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a front view showing the concept of a defective firing crucible detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a front view exemplarily showing a vision inspection unit and an unloading unit in a defective firing crucible detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a defective firing crucible (10) detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention is a defective firing crucible (10) detection device for detecting defects in a firing crucible (10) on which an anode material raw material is placed, and includes an inverter (110) for inverting the firing crucible (10), an air knife unit (120) for removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10), and a vision inspection unit (130) for detecting defective firing crucibles (10).

[0042] A defective firing crucible (10) detection device according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a detection unit (140) that analyzes an image detected through a vision inspection unit (130), a dust recovery unit (150) that recovers dust generated when removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10), and an unload unit (160) that unloads the detected defective firing crucible (10).

[0043] A defective firing crucible (10) detection device (200) according to another embodiment of the present invention has a difference in that it further includes a dust recovery unit (150) and an unload unit (160) compared to the defective firing crucible (10) detection device according to the aforementioned embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments of the defective firing crucible (10) detection device will omit or briefly describe details that overlap with the embodiments of the defective firing crucible (10) detection device described above, and will focus on describing the differences.

[0044] More specifically, the inverter (110) rotates and inverts the firing crucible (10).

[0045] A firing crucible (10) may have one side (11) open to form a receiving portion (12) in which a positive material raw material is placed and received. At this time, the inverter (110) may invert the receiving portion (12) of the firing crucible (10) so that it faces downward.

[0046] Additionally, the inverter (110) can invert the firing crucible (10) before removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10) with the air knife section (120), and after removing the foreign matter (P), the firing crucible (10) including the thermal imaging camera (132, 134) can be inverted again before vision inspection through the vision inspection section (130).

[0047] The air knife part (120) can remove foreign matter (P) by spraying air (A) into the inverted firing crucible (10).

[0048] The air knife section (120) is positioned in the lower direction of the firing crucible (10) and can remove foreign matter (P) located in the firing crucible (10).

[0049] The air knife section (120) moves horizontally and can remove foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10).

[0050] The vision inspection unit (130) can detect defective firing crucibles (10) by vision inspecting the firing crucible (10) from which foreign matter (P) has been removed.

[0051] Additionally, the vision inspection unit (130) may further include visible light cameras (131, 133). Furthermore, the vision inspection unit (130) may further include thermal imaging cameras (132, 134).

[0052] A thermal imaging camera (132, 134) and a visible light camera (131, 133) can perform vision inspection of the top and sides of the firing crucible (10).

[0053] The detection unit (140) can detect defective firing crucibles (10) by analyzing the image detected through the vision inspection unit (130).

[0054] The detection unit (140) can classify defective firing crucibles (10) through a convolutional neural network (CNN).

[0055] The dust recovery unit (150) can recover dust generated when removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10) through the air knife unit (120).

[0056] The dust recovery unit (150) may include a blocking unit (151) and a duct (152).

[0057] The blocking part (151) can surround the air knife part (120) and the inverter (110) so that foreign matter (P) removed from the firing crucible (10) through the air knife part (120) can be stacked on the bottom without flying far away.

[0058] The duct (152) can suck up and recover dust generated when removing foreign matter (P) from the firing crucible (10) through the air knife section (120).

[0059] The unload unit (160) can unload defective firing crucibles (10) detected through the vision inspection unit (130).

[0060] Additionally, the unloading unit (160) can separate and move the firing crucible (10) detected as defective through the gripping jig, including the gripping jig.

[0061] < Experimental Example >

[0062] The detection capability of a sagger through a CNN (convolutional neural network), which is the detection unit of a defective sagger detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, was tested and is shown in Table 1 below.

[0063] A ResNet50 neural network used for image classification was trained using the transfer learning method by creating a training set of 70% randomly selected sagger images (good / bad = 84 / 75 images) classified by skilled workers.

[0064] Training Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Accuracy 0.83 0.83 0.87 0.85 0.87 0.77 0.83 0.77 0.77 0.81

[0065] The test results showed that the detection accuracy of defective firing crucibles averaged 82.7%.

[0066] Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific embodiments, this is for the purpose of specifically explaining the invention, and the secondary battery manufacturing apparatus and secondary battery manufacturing method according to the present invention are not limited thereto. It should be understood that various implementations are possible by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0067] In addition, the specific scope of protection of the invention will be clarified by the appended patent claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0068] 10: Calcination crucible 11: One side 12: Reception Department 110: Inverter 111: Rotating part 112: Pajibu 113: Support roller 120: Air Knife Section 130: Vision Inspection Department 131,133: Visible light camera 132,134: Thermal imaging camera 140: Detector 150: Dust Recovery Unit 151: Blocking section 152: Duct 160: Unload section A: Air S: Reference plane P: Foreign matter

Claims

Claim 1 A defective firing crucible detection device for detecting defects in a firing crucible on which a cathode material raw material is placed, comprising: a reversing unit that rotates and inverts the firing crucible; an air knife unit that sprays air onto the inverted firing crucible to remove foreign matter; and a vision inspection unit that performs vision inspection on the firing crucible from which foreign matter has been removed to detect defective firing crucibles. Claim 2 A defective firing crucible detection device according to claim 1, wherein one side of the firing crucible is open to form a receiving portion for settling and receiving the anode material raw material, and the inverter inverts the receiving portion of the firing crucible so as to face downward. Claim 3 A defective firing crucible detection device according to claim 2, wherein the air knife portion is located in the lower direction of the firing crucible to remove foreign matter located in the firing crucible. Claim 4 A defective firing crucible detection device according to claim 3, wherein the air knife part moves in a horizontal direction and removes foreign matter from the firing crucible. Claim 5 A defective firing crucible detection device according to claim 3, wherein the inverter inverts the firing crucible before removing foreign matter from the firing crucible with the air knife section, and after removing foreign matter, inverts the firing crucible again before performing vision inspection through the vision inspection section. Claim 6 The defect firing crucible detection device of claim 1, wherein the vision inspection unit includes a visible light camera. Claim 7 The defective firing crucible detection device of claim 6, wherein the vision inspection unit further comprises a thermal imaging camera. Claim 8 In claim 7, the thermal imaging camera and the visible light camera are a defective firing crucible detection device for vision inspecting the top and side of the firing crucible. Claim 9 A defective crucible detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects defective crucibles by analyzing an image detected through the vision inspection unit, wherein the detection unit classifies defective crucibles through a CNN (convolutional neural network). Claim 10 A defective firing crucible detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a dust recovery unit for recovering dust generated when removing foreign matter from the firing crucible through the air knife unit. Claim 11 A defective firing crucible detection device according to claim 1, further comprising an unloading unit for unloading a defective firing crucible detected through the vision inspection unit.

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