Battery inspection system and battery inspection method

Abstract

According to some embodiments, the battery inspection system includes: a transfer device configured to transfer a battery cell; an inspection device configured to generate a plurality of inspection images for the battery cell; and a control device configured to determine a correction value for external dimensions of the battery cell on the basis of the plurality of inspection images, and determine whether the battery cell is defective, on the basis of the correction value.

Description

Battery inspection system and battery inspection method

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0059710, filed May 7, 2024, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0004689, filed January 11, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a battery testing system and a battery testing method.

[0005] Recently, active research and development has been conducted on secondary batteries. The term "secondary battery" refers to a rechargeable battery, encompassing both conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, as well as recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries can boast higher energy densities than conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. They can be manufactured in small and lightweight designs, making them highly versatile power sources for mobile devices. Recently, their use has expanded to include power sources for electric vehicles, attracting attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0006] In the manufacturing process of cylindrical battery cells, defects in the cells can be inspected using vision inspection. As manufactured battery cells pass through a measurement area along a conveyor line, a vision inspector can photograph each cell to generate a vision image. Based on the dimensional information extracted from the vision image, manufacturing defects in the battery cells can be detected. However, significant variation in cell dimensional values ​​can be a problem, due to errors caused by contamination or foreign matter in the vision inspector, or deviations in the operation of the equipment that positions each battery cell within the measurement area.

[0007] One purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a battery inspection system and a battery inspection method that can increase inspection accuracy by minimizing the dimensional values ​​of battery cells due to errors in a vision inspection device and / or a transport device.

[0008] The technical objectives of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the technical tasks mentioned above, and other technical tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the descriptions below.

[0009] According to some embodiments, a battery inspection system includes a transport device configured to transport a battery cell; an inspection device configured to generate a plurality of inspection images of the battery cell; and a control device configured to determine a correction value for an external dimension of the battery cell based on the plurality of inspection images and to determine whether the battery cell is defective based on the correction value.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the transport device is configured to transport the battery cell along a rotational path and to photograph the battery cell transported along the rotational path from a plurality of different angles to generate the plurality of inspection images.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the transport device is configured to rotate the battery cell at a constant angular interval in the measurement area during the rotational path, and the inspection device is configured to generate the plurality of inspection images at the constant angular interval.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the transport device comprises a plurality of disks configured to transport the battery cells along the rotational path, a first transport line configured to supply the battery cells to the plurality of disks, and a second transport line configured to transport the battery cells supplied from the plurality of disks.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the control device is configured to extract a plurality of appearance dimensions corresponding to the plurality of inspection images, determine whether an appearance dimension including measurement noise exists among the plurality of appearance dimensions, and determine the correction value based on at least some of the remaining appearance dimensions excluding the appearance dimension including the measurement noise among the plurality of appearance dimensions.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the control device is configured to determine a manufacturing quality of the battery cell based on an external dimension including the measurement noise, and to adjust the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval based on the manufacturing quality.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the control device is configured to adjust a conveying parameter of the conveying device based on the manufacturing quality, the conveying parameter including a rotational speed of the plurality of disks, a conveying speed of the first conveying line, and a conveying speed of the second conveying line.

[0016] According to some embodiments, the transport device includes a normal cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be normal and a defective cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be defective, wherein the defective cell transport line is configured to transport battery cells determined to be defective back to the rotation path for re-inspection.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the control device is configured to adjust the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval when inspecting a battery cell that is transferred back to the rotation path for re-inspection.

[0018] According to some embodiments, a battery inspection method includes the steps of: transporting a battery cell through a transport device; generating a plurality of inspection images of the battery cell through an inspection device; determining a correction value for an external dimension of the battery cell based on the plurality of inspection images through a control device; and determining, through the control device, whether the battery cell is defective based on the correction value.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the step of transporting the battery cell includes the step of transporting the battery cell along a rotational path, and the step of generating the plurality of inspection images includes the step of photographing the battery cell transported along the rotational path from a plurality of different angles to generate the plurality of inspection images.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the step of transferring the battery cell includes the step of rotating the battery cell at a constant angular interval in the measurement area along the rotational path, and the step of generating the plurality of inspection images includes the step of generating the plurality of inspection images at the constant angular interval.

[0021] According to some embodiments, the transport device comprises a plurality of disks configured to transport the battery cells along the rotational path, a first transport line configured to supply the battery cells to the plurality of disks, and a second transport line configured to transport the battery cells supplied from the plurality of disks.

[0022] According to some embodiments, the step of determining the correction value includes: extracting a plurality of appearance dimensions corresponding to the plurality of inspection images; determining whether an appearance dimension including measurement noise exists among the plurality of appearance dimensions; and determining the correction value based on at least some of the remaining appearance dimensions excluding the appearance dimension including the measurement noise among the plurality of appearance dimensions.

[0023] According to some embodiments, the battery inspection method further includes: determining, through the control device, the manufacturing quality of the battery cell based on an external dimension including the measurement noise; and adjusting, through the control device, the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval based on the manufacturing quality.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the battery inspection method further comprises a step of adjusting, through the control device, a transport parameter of the transport device based on the manufacturing quality, wherein the transport parameter includes a rotational speed of the plurality of disks, a transport speed of the first transport line, and a transport speed of the second transport line.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the transport device includes a normal cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be normal and a defective cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be defective, wherein the defective cell transport line is configured to transport battery cells determined to be defective back to the rotation path for re-inspection.

[0026] According to some embodiments, the battery inspection method further includes, through the control device, adjusting the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval when inspecting a battery cell that is transferred back to the rotation path for re-inspection.

[0027] According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, a battery inspection system and a battery inspection method can be provided that can increase inspection accuracy by minimizing the dimensional value of a battery cell due to an error of a vision inspection device and / or a transport device.

[0028] The technical effects according to the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art according to the disclosure of this document.

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates how a battery testing system operates according to some embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates elements constituting a battery testing system according to some embodiments.

[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates the structure of a battery inspection system that generates inspection images while transporting battery cells along a rotational path according to some embodiments.

[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for extracting external dimensions of a battery cell from an inspection image according to some embodiments.

[0033] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for reducing the dispersion of external dimensions of a battery cell according to some embodiments.

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates a table for explaining a method of generating a correction value of an appearance dimension based on a plurality of measured dimension values ​​according to some embodiments.

[0035] FIG. 7 illustrates steps of a battery testing method according to some embodiments.

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments described in this document are described with reference to the attached drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the disclosure of this document to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments described in this document are included.

[0037] The embodiments and terminology used in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to a specific embodiment, but should be understood to encompass various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiment. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the item, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0038] In this document, the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", "first", "second", "A", "B", "(a)", or "(b)" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding component from other corresponding components, and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order) unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0039] In this document, when a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected,” with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” or “coupled” or “connected,” it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired or wirelessly), or indirectly (e.g., via a third component).

[0040] The methods according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory, CD-ROM), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) through an application store or directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0041] According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates how a battery testing system operates according to some embodiments.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, a battery inspection system (120) can inspect a battery cell (110) and generate defect information (130). The battery cell (110) can be manufactured through a manufacturing process and inspected by the battery inspection system (120) immediately after manufacturing.

[0044] The battery cell (110) may include a cylindrical battery cell. The cylindrical cell may be manufactured through a cylindrical manufacturing process. According to an embodiment, the cylindrical cell may be manufactured through a lamination process for electrodes and a separator, a winding process for an electrode / separator assembly, and a process for sealing the winding resultant into a can.

[0045] The battery inspection system (120) may include a system for inspecting whether the battery cell (110) has been properly manufactured. When the battery cell (110) is manufactured through a lamination process, a winding process, a sealing process, etc. in a manufacturing line, the battery inspection system (120) may inspect whether the battery cell (110) satisfies a standard specification. In an embodiment, the battery inspection system (120) may inspect the quality of the battery cell (110) based on the external dimensions of the battery cell (110).

[0046] The defect information (130) may include information regarding whether the battery cell (110) is defective. According to an embodiment, the defect information (130) may be determined based on the external dimensions of the battery cell (110). The defect information (130) may indicate whether the lamination process, winding process, sealing process, etc. for the battery cell (110) were properly performed.

[0047] FIG. 2 illustrates elements constituting a battery testing system according to some embodiments.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 2, the battery inspection system (120) may include a transport device (121), an inspection device (122), and a control device (123). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and some components may be omitted from the battery inspection system (120), or other general-purpose components may be further included in the battery inspection system (120).

[0049] The transport device (121) may include a means for transporting a manufactured battery cell (110) to an inspection position. According to an embodiment, the transport device (121) may include a transport means such as a conveyor belt, a rotating disk, etc. The transport device (121) may transport the manufactured battery cell (110) along a rotational path, and a measurement area may be formed on the rotational path.

[0050] The inspection device (122) can inspect the battery cell (110) transported by the transport device (121) to generate inspection data. According to an embodiment, the inspection device (122) can photograph the battery cell (110) to generate an inspection image. To this end, the inspection device (122) can include a vision inspection device such as a camera or an image sensor. When the battery cell (110) is transported to the measurement area by the transport device (121), the inspection device (122) can generate a plurality of inspection data for the battery cell (110).

[0051] The control device (123) can determine whether the battery cell (110) is defective based on a plurality of inspection data for the battery cell (110). The control device (123) can control the operations of the transfer device (121) and the inspection device (122). According to an embodiment, the control device (123) can remove noise from the plurality of inspection data and determine whether the battery cell (110) is defective through statistical processing on the remaining data from which the noise has been removed.

[0052] The control device (123) may have a general-purpose memory and processor structure. The memory may include ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, PRAM, MRAM, RRAM, FRAM, DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, PRAM, HDD, SSD, SD, Micro-SD, or a combination thereof. The processor may include a microprocessor, CPU, GPU, AP, or a combination thereof. The processor may execute data, commands, programs, software, applications, etc. stored in the memory to perform control operations.

[0053] The transport device (121) may be configured to transport the battery cell (110) along a rotational path. When the battery cell (110) is manufactured through a lamination process, a winding process, a sealing process, or the like, the transport device (121) may transport the manufactured battery cell (110) along the rotational path to an inspection position. According to an embodiment, the rotational path may be implemented through one or more disks, and the inspection position of the battery cell (110) may be adjusted by the rotational angle of the disks.

[0054] The inspection device (122) may be configured to capture a battery cell (110) being transported along a rotational path from a plurality of different angles to generate a plurality of inspection images. The battery cell (110) may be positioned at a plurality of angles in the inspection area by the transport device (121), and the inspection device (122) may capture the battery cell (110) at each of the plurality of angles to generate an inspection image.

[0055] The control device (123) may be configured to determine a correction value for the external dimension of the battery cell (110) based on a plurality of inspection images. According to an embodiment, the control device (123) may extract a plurality of external dimension values ​​from the plurality of inspection images, perform noise removal and statistical processing on the plurality of external dimension values, and use the results to determine a correction value for the external dimension of the battery cell (110).

[0056] The control device (123) may be configured to determine whether the battery cell (110) is defective based on the correction value. According to an embodiment, a normal range of the external dimensions may be preset, and whether the battery cell (110) is defective may be determined based on whether the correction value for the external dimensions of the battery cell (110) is outside the normal range.

[0057] According to an embodiment, the transport device (121) may be configured to rotate the battery cell (110) at a constant angular interval within the measurement area during the rotation path, and the inspection device (122) may be configured to generate a plurality of inspection images at a constant angular interval. For example, the constant angular interval may be 15°, 12°, 10°, 8°, 5°, 3°, 2°, 1°, etc., and may be changed to another value as needed. The inspection device (122) may capture the battery cell (110) at each angle within the measurement area.

[0058] According to an embodiment, the transport device (121) may include a plurality of disks configured to transport battery cells (110) along a rotational path, a first transport line configured to supply battery cells (110) to the plurality of disks, and a second transport line configured to transport battery cells (110) supplied from the plurality of disks. A rotational path may be formed by the plurality of disks, and an inspection area may be included within the rotational path. Manufactured battery cells (110) may be supplied to the plurality of disks through the first transport line, and inspected battery cells (110) may be delivered to a re-inspection line or a packaging line through the second transport line.

[0059] According to an embodiment, the control device (123) may be configured to extract a plurality of external dimensions corresponding to a plurality of inspection images, determine whether an external dimension including measurement noise exists among the plurality of external dimensions, and determine a correction value based on at least some of the remaining external dimensions excluding the external dimension including measurement noise among the plurality of external dimensions. For example, if contamination or foreign matter exists in a lens or photographing means of the inspection device (122), noise may be included in the inspection image. Whether or not noise exists in the external dimensions extracted from each inspection image may be statistically determined. A reference value for noise determination may be changed according to the requirements of the battery inspection system (120). Since the correction value may be determined based on the remaining external dimensions excluding the noise dimension, dispersion due to measurement error may be reduced, and inspection performance may be improved.

[0060] According to an embodiment, the control device (123) may be configured to determine the manufacturing quality of the battery cell (110) based on the external dimensions including measurement noise, and adjust the number of multiple inspection images and the constant angular interval based on the manufacturing quality. For example, the manufacturing quality of the battery cell (110) may be determined based on the number and / or deviation of the external dimensions including measurement noise. The deviation may be a deviation from the mean or median. If the ratio of noisy cells is excessively high or the deviation of noise is excessively large, the quality of the lamination process, the winding process, and / or the sealing process may be evaluated as low. In this case, the number of multiple inspection images may be increased, and the constant angular interval may be decreased to further tighten the inspection criteria and further improve the inspection accuracy. Through this, a situation in which an unsuitable battery cell (110) is incorrectly judged as a normal cell may be prevented.

[0061] According to an embodiment, the control device (123) may be configured to adjust the transport parameters of the transport device (121) based on the manufacturing quality, wherein the transport parameters may include the rotational speeds of the plurality of disks, the transport speed of the first transport line, and the transport speed of the second transport line. The time required for inspection of the battery cell (110) may be changed by the transport parameters. For example, if the manufacturing quality is determined to be low, the rotational speed and transport speed of the transport device (121) may be decreased to increase the time required for inspection so that a more accurate inspection can be performed. Conversely, if the current manufacturing quality is determined to be very high, exceeding a reference value, the rotational speed and transport speed of the transport device (121) may be increased to increase inspection efficiency.

[0062] According to an embodiment, the transport device (121) may include a normal cell transport line configured to transport battery cells (110) determined to be normal and a defective cell transport line configured to transport battery cells (110) determined to be defective, and the defective cell transport line may be configured to transport battery cells (110) determined to be defective back to the rotation path for re-inspection. The control unit (123) may control the transport device (121) depending on whether the battery cell (110) is defective or not, and may transport the battery cell (110) to the normal cell transport line or the defective cell transport line. The normal cell transport line may transport the battery cell (110) to a packaging line, and the defective cell transport line may transport the battery cell (110) to a location for re-inspection. The location for re-inspection may be a starting point of the rotation path.

[0063] According to an embodiment, the control device (123) may be configured to adjust the number of inspection images and the constant angular interval when inspecting a battery cell (110) that is transferred back to the rotation path for re-inspection. Re-inspection of a battery cell (110) that has already been determined to be defective may be performed at a higher standard. To this end, the number of inspection images may be increased, and the constant angular interval may be decreased. Accordingly, the re-inspected battery cell (110) may be diagnosed more accurately than the previous inspection.

[0064] FIG. 3 illustrates the structure of a battery inspection system that generates inspection images while transporting battery cells along a rotational path according to some embodiments.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 3, a battery cell (110) can be transported along a first transport line (310), a plurality of disks (320), and a second transport line (340). The battery cell (110) can be photographed by an inspection device (122) in a measurement area (330) on a rotation path (350).

[0066] The first transfer line (310) can transfer the manufactured battery cell (110) to a plurality of disks (320). The plurality of disks (320) can form a rotation path (350). The plurality of disks (320) can rotate the battery cell (110) at a constant angular interval in a measurement area (330) on the rotation path (350).

[0067] The inspection device (122) can capture images of the battery cells (110) at regular angular intervals in the measurement area (330) to generate inspection images. Once the generation of the inspection images is complete, the plurality of disks (320) can transfer the battery cells (110) to the second transfer line (340). The second transfer line (340) can transfer the battery cells (110) to either the normal cell transfer line or the defective cell transfer line, depending on whether the battery cells (110) are defective.

[0068] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for extracting external dimensions of a battery cell from an inspection image according to some embodiments.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 4, a method for extracting the external dimensions of a battery cell (110) from an inspection image (400) may be illustrated. The inspection image (400) may include an image captured of a battery cell (110) rotating at a constant angular interval in a measurement area.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the battery cell (110) may be a cylindrical battery cell. The cylindrical battery cell may be manufactured by sealing a cylindrical jelly roll in a battery can. The inspection image (400) may show the external appearance of the battery can sealing the jelly roll.

[0071] The battery can of the inspection image (400) may include a body portion and a head portion. The body portion and the head portion may be separated by a neck portion. The width of the neck portion may be measured as d3, and the widths of the head portion and the body portion may be measured as d4. The height of the head portion may be measured as d1. A protrusion may be formed in the head portion, and the height of the protrusion may be measured as d2.

[0072] Additionally, the difference between d4 and d3 can be measured. The difference between d4 and d3 can include a left difference value and a right difference value. The external dimensions on the inspection image (400) can be extracted through image processing. For example, the external dimensions can be calculated based on the difference in pixel values ​​or brightness values ​​of the inspection image (400).

[0073] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for reducing the dispersion of external dimensions of a battery cell according to some embodiments.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 5, a flowchart (500) illustrating a method for reducing the dispersion of external dimensions of a battery cell may be illustrated. The flowchart (500) may include steps (510) to (590).

[0075] In step (510), a battery cell (110) may enter a battery inspection system (120). For example, the battery cell (110) may enter a rotation path (350) via a first transfer line (310). In step (520), the battery cell (110) may enter a measurement area (330). For example, the measurement area (330) may include an angular range of 325° or more and 355° or less. The angle of the battery cell (110) may be an angle of an encoder that rotates a plurality of disks (320).

[0076] In step (530), the inspection device (122) may generate an inspection image by measuring the battery cell (110) at a specific angle included in the measurement area (330). In step (540), the current angle of the battery cell (110) may be compared with a maximum value. If the current angle is less than the maximum value, the measurement in step (530) may be performed again while the angle of the disk encoder is increased by a certain interval.

[0077] If the current angle is greater than the maximum value, outlier values ​​may be removed from the multiple external dimensions corresponding to the multiple inspection images in step (550). Outlier removal may be performed statistically. In step (560), an average or median may be calculated for the remaining values ​​after removing noise values.

[0078] In step (570), it can be determined whether the correction value of the external dimension expressed as an average or median value satisfies a set standard. The set standard may include a range of normal values. In step (580), if the correction value is outside the range of normal values, the corresponding battery cell (110) may be diagnosed as NG. The battery cell diagnosed as NG may be transferred back to the battery inspection system (120) for re-inspection. In step (590), if the correction value does not fall outside the range of normal values, the corresponding battery cell (110) may be diagnosed as normal and may be transferred to the next process, such as a packaging line.

[0079] FIG. 6 illustrates a table for explaining a method of generating a correction value of an appearance dimension based on a plurality of measured dimension values ​​according to some embodiments.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 6, a table (600) may be illustrated to explain a method of generating a correction value of an appearance dimension based on a plurality of measured dimension values.

[0081] In the table (600), the range of the measurement area may be an angular range of 325° or more and 355° or less. The angle of the battery cell (110) may be an angle of a disk encoder that rotates a plurality of disks (320). In the measurement area, the angle of the battery cell (110) may increase by a predetermined angular interval. The predetermined angular interval may be 3°. Meanwhile, the specific values ​​of the angular range and angular interval may vary depending on the process design.

[0082] In table (600), outliers containing noise may not be detected in the first to fifth measurements. Therefore, outlier removal may not be performed when calculating the average. However, with respect to the standard deviation σ, values ​​exceeding 1σ, 1.5σ, 2σ, 2.5σ, 3σ, or other values ​​may be determined as outliers, and outliers may be excluded when calculating the average.

[0083] Based on the frequency or size of occurrence of outliers, the angular interval of 3*?* may be increased or decreased, and the transport parameters such as the transport speed and rotation speed of the transport device (121) may be changed. In addition, the set angular interval and / or transport parameters may be additionally changed for battery cells (110) that are resupplied for re-inspection, thereby further improving the inspection accuracy.

[0084] FIG. 7 illustrates steps of a battery testing method according to some embodiments.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 7, the battery inspection method (700) may include steps (710) to (740). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and some steps may be omitted or other general steps may be added, and the steps of the battery inspection method (700) may be executed in a different order than the illustrated order.

[0086] The battery inspection method (700) may be composed of steps that are processed in a time-series manner in the battery inspection system (120). Therefore, even if the content is omitted below, the content described above for the battery inspection system (120) may be equally applied to the battery inspection method (700).

[0087] Steps (710) to (740) of the battery inspection method (700) can be performed by the transport device (121), inspection device (122), and control device (123) of the battery inspection system (120).

[0088] In step (710), the battery inspection system (120) can perform a step of transporting the battery cell along a rotation path through a transport device.

[0089] In step (720), the battery inspection system (120) may perform a step of generating a plurality of inspection images by photographing a battery cell being transported along a rotation path from a plurality of different angles through an inspection device.

[0090] In step (730), the battery inspection system (120) may perform a step of determining a correction value for the external dimensions of the battery cell based on a plurality of inspection images through a control device.

[0091] In step (740), the battery inspection system (120) may perform a step of determining whether a battery cell is defective based on a correction value through a control device.

[0092] According to an embodiment, the battery inspection method (700) may be implemented in the form of a computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium. That is, the computer program may include instructions for implementing the battery inspection method (700), and the instructions of the program may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium. The computer program may include a mobile application.

[0093] According to an embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute computer program instructions such as ROMs, RAMs, flash memories, and the like. The computer program instructions may include machine language codes generated by a compiler and high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0094] The terms "include," "comprise," or "have" used herein, unless otherwise specifically stated, imply that the corresponding component may be included, and therefore should be interpreted to include other components rather than to exclude other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in dictionaries, should be interpreted to be consistent with their contextual meaning in the relevant art, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this document.

[0095] The above description is merely an illustrative description of the technical idea disclosed in this document, and those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the embodiments disclosed in this document, but to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea disclosed in this document is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the technical idea disclosed in this document should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document.

[0096] [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 110: Battery cell 120: Battery inspection system

[0098] 130: Bad information 121: Transport device

[0099] 122: Inspection device 123: Control device

Claims

1. A transport device configured to transport battery cells; An inspection device configured to generate a plurality of inspection images for the battery cell; and A battery inspection system comprising a control device configured to determine a correction value for an external dimension of the battery cell based on the plurality of inspection images, and to determine whether the battery cell is defective based on the correction value.

2. In paragraph 1, The above transport device transports the battery cell along a rotational path, A battery inspection system configured to generate a plurality of inspection images by photographing the battery cell being transported along the rotation path from a plurality of different angles.

3. In paragraph 2, The above transport device is configured to rotate the battery cell at a constant angular interval in the measurement area during the rotation path, A battery inspection system, wherein the inspection device is configured to generate a plurality of inspection images at constant angular intervals.

4. In paragraph 3, A battery testing system, wherein the transport device comprises a plurality of disks configured to transport the battery cells along the rotational path, a first transport line configured to supply the battery cells to the plurality of disks, and a second transport line configured to transport the battery cells supplied from the plurality of disks.

5. In paragraph 3, The above control device extracts a plurality of external dimensions corresponding to the plurality of inspection images, Determine whether there is an appearance dimension that includes measurement noise among the above multiple appearance dimensions, A battery inspection system configured to determine the correction value based on at least some of the remaining appearance dimensions excluding the appearance dimension including the measurement noise among the plurality of appearance dimensions.

6. In paragraph 5, The control device determines the manufacturing quality of the battery cell based on the external dimensions including the measurement noise, A battery inspection system configured to adjust the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval based on the manufacturing quality.

7. In paragraph 6, The control device is configured to adjust the transport parameters of the transport device based on the manufacturing quality, A battery testing system, wherein the above transport parameters include the rotational speeds of the plurality of disks, the transport speed of the first transport line, and the transport speed of the second transport line.

8. In paragraph 3, The above transport device includes a normal cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be normal and a defective cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be defective. A battery inspection system, wherein the above-described defective cell transfer line is configured to transfer battery cells judged as defective back to the above-described rotation path for re-inspection.

9. In paragraph 8, A battery inspection system, wherein the control device is configured to adjust the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval when inspecting a battery cell that is transferred back to the rotation path for re-inspection.

10. A step of transporting battery cells through a transport device; A step of generating a plurality of inspection images for the battery cell through an inspection device; A step of determining a correction value for the external dimensions of the battery cell based on the plurality of inspection images through a control device; and A battery inspection method, comprising a step of determining whether the battery cell is defective based on the correction value through the control device.

11. In paragraph 10, The step of transporting the battery cell includes the step of transporting the battery cell along a rotational path, A battery inspection method, wherein the step of generating the plurality of inspection images includes the step of generating the plurality of inspection images by photographing the battery cell being transported along the rotational path from a plurality of different angles.

12. In paragraph 11, The step of transferring the battery cell includes the step of rotating the battery cell at a constant angular interval in the measurement area during the rotation path, A battery inspection method, wherein the step of generating the plurality of inspection images includes the step of generating the plurality of inspection images at constant angular intervals.

13. In paragraph 12, A battery inspection method, wherein the transport device comprises a plurality of disks configured to transport the battery cells along the rotational path, a first transport line configured to supply the battery cells to the plurality of disks, and a second transport line configured to transport the battery cells supplied from the plurality of disks.

14. In paragraph 12, The step of determining the above correction value is: A step of extracting a plurality of external dimensions corresponding to the plurality of inspection images; A step of determining whether there is an appearance dimension that includes measurement noise among the above plurality of appearance dimensions; and A battery inspection method, comprising a step of determining the correction value based on at least some of the remaining appearance dimensions excluding the appearance dimension including the measurement noise among the plurality of appearance dimensions.

15. In paragraph 14, A step of determining the manufacturing quality of the battery cell based on the external dimensions including the measurement noise through the control device; and A battery inspection method further comprising a step of adjusting the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval based on the manufacturing quality through the control device.

16. In paragraph 15, Further comprising a step of adjusting the transport parameters of the transport device based on the manufacturing quality through the control device; A battery inspection method, wherein the above-mentioned transport parameters include the rotational speeds of the plurality of disks, the transport speed of the first transport line, and the transport speed of the second transport line.

17. In paragraph 12, The above transport device includes a normal cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be normal and a defective cell transport line configured to transport battery cells determined to be defective. A battery inspection method, wherein the defective cell transfer line is configured to transfer battery cells judged as defective back to the rotation path for re-inspection.

18. In paragraph 17, A battery inspection method further comprising the step of adjusting the number of the plurality of inspection images and the constant angular interval when inspecting a battery cell that is transferred back to the rotation path for re-inspection through the control device.

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