System and method for monitoring electrode drying process

Abstract

A system for monitoring an electrode drying process, according to one embodiment of the present invention, may comprise: a sensor unit that measures, for each of a plurality of sections in a drying oven performing the drying process each time the electrode drying process is performed, moisture measurement values and temperature measurement values for an electrode surface for each section; and a control unit that, on the basis of the moisture measurement values and the temperature measurement values, identifies the number of quality-impact sections affecting electrode quality from among the plurality of sections in the drying oven, determines whether correction of drying oven conditions for a state of the drying oven is required on the basis of whether the moisture measurement values are less than or equal to a correction determination reference value and whether the number of quality-impact sections is greater than or equal to a reference number, and controls progress of a subsequent drying process by adjusting the drying oven conditions according to a determination result on necessity of correction of the drying oven conditions.

Description

Electrode drying process monitoring system and method

[0001] Cross-citation with related application(s)

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0102273, filed August 1, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to a system and method for monitoring an electrode drying process.

[0004] The electrode manufacturing process used in secondary batteries involves an electrode drying process, which involves drying the slurry after coating using a drying oven. During this electrode drying process, a period of capillary migration of the binder within the electrode occurs. This capillary migration, in turn, affects the quality of the electrode. For example, if the binder capillary migration occurs rapidly over a relatively short period of time, the binder may become unevenly distributed, resulting in defects in the electrode's appearance (e.g., thermal wrinkles, cracks, etc.) or reduced electrode adhesion, degrading key electrode qualities.

[0005] Accordingly, monitoring the electrode drying process and adjusting the drying oven's condition accordingly are necessary to maintain and improve electrode quality. However, conventional methods have involved dividing the drying oven into multiple sections, measuring the electrode surface temperature for each section, or visually checking the electrode surface drying condition. However, this method is not quantitative and relies heavily on subjective judgment, leading to problems in ensuring consistency.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a system and method for monitoring an electrode drying process, which can improve the quality of an electrode by controlling the electrode drying process based on the results of analyzing data obtained from an electrode drying oven.

[0007] In a monitoring system for a plurality of sections in a drying oven that performs a drying process for an electrode according to one embodiment of the present invention, the system may include a sensor unit that measures the moisture content and temperature of an electrode surface in each of the plurality of sections each time the electrode drying process is performed to determine a moisture measurement value and a temperature measurement value, and a control unit that determines the number of quality-affecting sections that affect the quality of the electrode based on the moisture measurement value and the temperature measurement value of each section among the plurality of sections, determines whether correction of drying oven conditions for the state of the drying oven is necessary based on whether the moisture measurement value is below a correction judgment reference value and whether the number of quality-affecting sections is greater than or equal to the reference number, and controls the progress of a next drying process by adjusting the drying oven conditions according to the result of the determination of whether correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary.

[0008] The sensor unit may include an electrode surface moisture measurement unit that calculates an average value of moisture content on the electrode surface in real time for each of the plurality of sections to determine the moisture measurement value, and an electrode surface temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature on the electrode surface in real time for each of the plurality of sections and determines an average value of the measured temperatures as the temperature measurement value.

[0009] The sensor unit may include an electrode surface moisture measurement unit that measures moisture content on the electrode surface at a specific point in each of the plurality of sections and determines the moisture measurement value, and an electrode surface temperature measurement unit that measures temperature on the electrode surface at a specific point in each of the plurality of sections and determines the temperature measurement value.

[0010] The control unit may include a section-by-section characteristic determination unit that determines whether each of the plurality of sections corresponds to one of the quality impact section, drying completion section, and general section based on moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each section within the drying oven each time the drying process is performed.

[0011] The above section-by-section characteristic determination unit can determine whether the section corresponds to the quality impact section based on whether the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each of the plurality of sections correspond to a first reference range, and can determine whether the section corresponds to the drying completion section based on whether the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each of the plurality of sections correspond to a second reference range that is greater than the first reference range.

[0012] The above section-by-section characteristic judgment unit can determine whether the section corresponds to the quality impact section based on whether the change rate of the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each of the plurality of sections corresponds to the section setting reference value.

[0013] The control unit may include a correction necessity determination unit that determines that correction of the drying oven conditions is not necessary when the moisture measurement value is below the correction judgment standard value and the number of the quality impact sections is greater than or equal to the standard number, and determines that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary when the moisture measurement value exceeds the correction judgment standard value or the number of the quality impact sections is less than the standard number.

[0014] The above correction necessity judgment unit may determine that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary, and if the number of hot air speed corrections received from the storage unit is greater than or equal to a standard number of times, it may determine that correction of the temperature inside the drying oven is necessary, and if the number of hot air speed corrections is less than the standard number of times, it may determine that correction of the speed of hot air supplied inside the drying oven is necessary.

[0015] The control unit may include a drying oven control unit that, when receiving a determination result indicating that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary, transmits a control signal for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven to a circulation fan installed in the drying oven, and, when receiving a determination result indicating that correction of the drying oven conditions is not necessary, transmits a control signal for maintaining the drying oven conditions to the circulation fan and a heating unit installed in the drying oven.

[0016] The above drying oven control unit can transmit a control signal for correcting the speed of the hot air to the circulation fan and at the same time count the number of hot air speed corrections stored in the storage unit.

[0017] The above drying oven control unit, when receiving a determination result that the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven needs to be corrected, can transmit a control signal for correcting the speed of the hot air to the circulation fan, and when receiving a determination result that the temperature inside the drying oven needs to be corrected, can transmit a control signal for correcting the temperature of the hot air or a control signal for correcting the temperature of the heating unit to the circulation fan or the heating unit, respectively.

[0018] When the drying oven control unit receives a judgment result that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary, if the moisture measurement value of a specific section among a plurality of sections of the drying oven exceeds the correction judgment reference value, the drying oven control unit can transmit a control signal to correct the speed of the hot air to the circulation fan installed in the section immediately before the section.

[0019] When the drying oven control unit receives a judgment result that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary, and when the number of sections corresponding to the quality impact section among the plurality of sections of the drying oven is less than the standard number, the control signal for correcting the speed of the hot air can be transmitted to the circulation fan installed in the section before and after the quality impact section.

[0020] When the drying oven control unit receives a judgment result that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary, if the moisture measurement value of a specific section among a plurality of sections of the drying oven exceeds the correction judgment reference value, the control unit may transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the hot air to a circulation fan installed in a section immediately preceding the section, or transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the heating unit installed in a section immediately preceding the section.

[0021] When the drying oven control unit receives a judgment result that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary, and when the number of sections corresponding to the quality impact section among the plurality of sections of the drying oven is less than the reference number, the control unit may transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the hot air to a circulation fan installed in a section before and after the quality impact section, or transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the heating section installed in a section before and after the quality impact section.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for monitoring an electrode drying process may include: a step in which a control unit obtains first drying process data including first moisture measurement values ​​and first temperature measurement values ​​for each of a plurality of sections in a drying oven that has performed a first drying process from a sensor unit; a step in which the number of first quality-affecting sections that affect the quality of an electrode among the plurality of sections is specified based on the first moisture measurement values ​​and the first temperature measurement values; a step in which the number of first quality-affecting sections and the first moisture measurement values ​​are determined based on whether correction of a first drying oven condition for a state of the drying oven that has performed the first drying process is necessary; and a step in which, when it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is necessary, a step in which the second drying process is performed by adjusting the speed of hot air in the drying oven, and when it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is not necessary, a step in which the second drying process is performed while maintaining the first drying oven condition.

[0023] The step of determining whether the first drying oven condition requires correction may determine that the first drying oven condition requires correction if the number of the first quality impact sections is less than the standard number and the first moisture measurement value exceeds the correction judgment standard value.

[0024] The step of performing the second drying process may include a step of transmitting a control signal for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven to a circulation fan installed in the drying oven and counting the number of times the hot air speed is corrected when it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is necessary, and a step of transmitting a control signal for maintaining the first drying oven condition to the circulation fan and heating unit when it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is not necessary.

[0025] The step of counting the number of times the hot air speed is corrected may include a step of correcting the speed of a circulation fan installed in a section immediately before the section when the first moisture measurement value of a specific section among the plurality of sections of the drying oven exceeds a correction judgment reference value, and a step of correcting the speed of a circulation fan installed in sections before and after the first quality impact section when the number of sections corresponding to the first quality impact section among the plurality of sections of the drying oven is less than the reference number.

[0026] The method comprises the steps of: obtaining second drying process data including second moisture measurement values ​​and second temperature measurement values ​​for each of a plurality of sections within a drying oven that has performed the second drying process from the sensor unit; specifying the number of second quality impact sections among the plurality of sections based on the second moisture measurement values ​​and the second temperature measurement values; determining whether correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary for the state of the drying oven that has performed the second drying process based on the number of second quality impact sections and the second moisture measurement values; determining the type of the second drying oven conditions that require correction based on the number of hot air speed corrections received from the storage unit; and, if it is determined that correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary, and it is determined that correction of the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven is necessary among the second drying oven conditions, adjusting the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven to perform a third drying process; and if it is determined that correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary, and if correction of the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven is necessary among the second drying oven conditions, If it is determined that temperature compensation is necessary, the third drying process may be performed by adjusting the temperature of hot air supplied into the drying oven or the temperature of a heating unit installed in the drying oven. If it is determined that compensation of the second drying oven conditions is not necessary, a step of performing the third drying process while maintaining the second drying oven conditions may be further included.

[0027] The step of determining the type of the second drying oven condition may include a step of determining that correction of the second drying oven condition is necessary when the number of the second quality impact sections is less than a standard number and the second moisture measurement value exceeds a correction judgment standard value, and a step of determining the type of the second drying oven condition that requires correction based on whether the number of hot air speed corrections is greater than or equal to the standard number when it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is necessary.

[0028] The step of determining the type of the second drying oven condition may include a step of determining that temperature correction inside the drying oven is necessary when the number of times the hot air speed is corrected is greater than or equal to a reference number, and a step of determining that speed correction of hot air supplied inside the drying oven is necessary when the number of times the hot air speed is corrected is less than or equal to a reference number.

[0029] The step of performing the third drying process may include a step of transmitting a control signal for correcting the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven to a circulation fan installed in the drying oven when it is determined that correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary and correction of the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven is necessary; a step of transmitting a control signal for correcting the temperature of the hot air to the circulation fan when it is determined that correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary and correction of the temperature inside the drying oven is necessary, or a step of transmitting a control signal for correcting the temperature of the heating unit installed in the drying oven to the heating unit; and a step of transmitting a control signal for maintaining the second drying oven conditions to the circulation fan and the heating unit when it is determined that correction of the second drying oven conditions is not necessary.

[0030] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the quality of the electrode can be optimized by controlling the electrode drying process through judgment based on quantitative criteria.

[0031] In addition, when the environment around the drying oven changes due to external factors, etc., the speed and temperature of the hot air inside the drying oven can be automatically compensated to prevent a decline in the quality of the electrode.

[0032] The effects that can be obtained from the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining an electrode drying process monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an electrode drying process monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method for monitoring an electrode drying process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] In describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, detailed descriptions of related known technologies will be omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification. In addition, the attached drawings are provided solely to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical concepts disclosed in this specification are not limited by the attached drawings, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0037] Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0038] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components intervening.

[0039] In this application, terms such as “include” or “have” are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0040] The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings below.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining an electrode drying process monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 1, an electrode drying process monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention monitors the drying process of an electrode (1) performed in a drying oven (10) to obtain drying process data, and based on the results of analyzing the obtained drying process data, corrects drying oven conditions for the state of the drying oven (10) to maintain and manage the quality of an electrode (1) produced through the drying process.

[0043] The drying oven (10) is a device for drying the electrode (1) introduced therein. The drying oven (10) may include a plurality of sections (11: 11-1, to 11-6) that are connected to each other. In Fig. 1, the drying oven (10) is illustrated as including six sections, but this is for convenience of explanation, and the number of the plurality of sections (11) included in the drying oven (10) is not limited thereto. The number of the plurality of sections (11) included in the drying oven (10) may be set to various numbers depending on the characteristics of the drying process performed through the drying oven (10).

[0044] A drying oven (10) may include a circulation fan (12: 12-1, to 12-6), a heating section (13: 13-1, to 13-6), an air supply fan (14), an exhaust fan (15), and a conveying section (16: 16-1, to 16-6). The circulation fan (12) is a device that supplies hot air into a plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10), and may be installed in each of the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10). The temperature and speed of the hot air generated by the circulation fan (12) may be set differently for each of the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10).

[0045] The heating unit (13) is a device that heats hot air supplied into the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10), and may be installed in each of the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10). At this time, the temperature of the hot air heated through the heating unit (13) may be set differently for each of the plurality of sections (11) in the drying oven (10). According to an embodiment, the heating unit (13) may be a device that heats the air inside the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10). At this time, the temperature of the air inside the drying oven (10) heated through the heating unit (13) may be set differently for each of the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10).

[0046] The supply fan (14) can supply outside air into the drying oven (10). The exhaust fan (15) can exhaust air generated inside the drying oven (10) to the outside. That is, the outside air supplied into the drying oven (10) through the supply fan (14) can pass through multiple sections (11) inside the drying oven (10) and be exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port. The arrows illustrated in Fig. 1 indicate the flow of air inside and outside the drying oven (10).

[0047] The transfer unit (16) is a device for moving the electrode (1) within the drying oven (10), and can move within a plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10). In Fig. 1, the transfer unit is illustrated as having a separate configuration for each of the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10), but the shape of the transfer unit (16) is not limited thereto, and the shape of the transfer unit (16) can be designed in various ways depending on the shape of the drying oven (10). For example, the transfer unit (16) can be designed in a shape that penetrates a plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10).

[0048] The drying process data may include data obtained for each drying process performed in the drying oven (10). For example, the drying process data may include the date the drying process was performed, the moisture content and temperature of the electrode surface measured for each of multiple sections (11) within the drying oven (10), etc.

[0049] Drying oven conditions refer to the state conditions of the drying oven (10) set to perform the drying process, and may be set differently for each drying process. The drying oven conditions may include the speed and temperature of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) through the circulation fan (12), and the temperature of the heating unit (13).

[0050] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an electrode drying process monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 2, an electrode drying process monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a sensor unit (110: 110-1, ˜110-6) and a control unit (120).

[0052] The sensor unit (110) may be installed in each of a plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10). Each time a drying process is performed, the sensor unit (110) may measure the moisture content and temperature of the electrode surface of each section for each of the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10) to determine moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values. The sensor unit (110) may transmit the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​to the control unit (120). According to an embodiment, the sensor unit (110) may include an electrode surface moisture measurement unit (111) and an electrode surface temperature measurement unit (112).

[0053] The electrode surface moisture measuring unit (111) can measure the moisture content of the electrode surface in each of the plurality of sections (11) included in the drying oven (10). According to an embodiment, the electrode surface moisture measuring unit (111) may be an infrared moisture measuring device.

[0054] The electrode surface moisture measurement unit (111) can determine a moisture measurement value by calculating an average value of the moisture content of the electrode surface in real time for each of a plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10). For example, the electrode surface moisture measurement unit (111) can measure the moisture content of the electrode surface in real time for each of a plurality of sections (11) while the drying process is being performed, and calculate an average value of the moisture content measured in real time to determine a moisture measurement value.

[0055] The electrode surface moisture measurement unit (111) can determine a moisture measurement value by measuring the moisture content of the electrode surface at a specific point in each of a plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10). Here, the specific point may be a point where the section starts or a point where the section ends. For example, the electrode surface moisture measurement unit (111) can measure the moisture content of the electrode surface at a point where the section starts in each of a plurality of sections (11) and determine the measured moisture content as a moisture measurement value for the section.

[0056] The electrode surface temperature measuring unit (112) can determine a temperature measurement value for the electrode surface in each of a plurality of sections (11) included in the drying oven (10). According to an embodiment, the electrode surface temperature measuring unit (112) may be an infrared temperature measuring device.

[0057] The electrode surface temperature measuring unit (112) can measure the electrode surface temperature in real time for each of a plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) and determine the average value of the measured temperatures as the temperature measurement value. For example, the electrode surface temperature measuring unit (112) can measure the electrode surface temperature in real time for each of a plurality of sections (11) while the drying process is being performed and designate the average of the electrode surface temperatures measured in real time as the temperature measurement value.

[0058] The electrode surface temperature measuring unit (112) can measure the electrode surface temperature at a specific point in each of a plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) and determine the measured temperature as a temperature measurement value. Here, the specific point may be a point where the section starts or a point where the section ends. For example, the electrode surface temperature measuring unit (112) can determine the electrode surface temperature measured at a point where the section ends in each of a plurality of sections (11) as a temperature measurement value for the section.

[0059] The control unit (120) controls the progress of the drying process performed in the drying oven (10), and can receive moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​from the sensor unit (110). Based on the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values, the control unit (120) can determine the number of quality-affecting sections corresponding to sections that affect the quality of the electrode among a plurality of sections (11) in the drying oven (10). Based on the number of quality-affecting sections and the moisture measurement values, the control unit (120) can determine whether correction is necessary for the drying oven conditions of the drying oven (10) that performed the corresponding drying process. Depending on the determination result, the control unit (120) can adjust or maintain the drying oven conditions of the drying oven (10).

[0060] According to an embodiment, the control unit (120) may include a section-by-section feature determination unit (121), a correction requirement determination unit (122), a drying oven control unit (123), and a storage unit (124).

[0061] The section-by-section characteristic judgment unit (121) can judge whether each section corresponds to a quality impact section, a drying completion section, or a general section based on the moisture measurement value and temperature measurement value of each of the multiple sections (11) in the drying oven (10) each time the drying process is performed.

[0062] Here, the quality impact section refers to a section that affects the quality of the electrode produced through the drying process. For example, the quality impact section may be a section in which capillary migration of the binder occurs among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) performing the drying process. The conditions of the drying oven (10) may be set differently for each drying process. Accordingly, the number of sections corresponding to the quality impact section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) may be different for each drying process. This is because the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each section may vary depending on the conditions of the drying oven (10) performing the drying process (temperature and speed of the hot air, temperature of the heating unit (13), etc.). The number of sections corresponding to the quality impact section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) may be proportional to the quality of the electrode produced through the drying process.

[0063] The drying completion section refers to the section where the drying process for the electrode is completed. Among the multiple sections (11) of the drying oven (10), the section corresponding to the drying completion section may be different for each drying process. For example, in a drying oven (10) including six sections (11-1 to 11-6), assuming that the temperature conditions of the heating unit (13) are the same but the first drying process and the second drying process with different hot air conditions are performed, the drying completion section in the first drying process where the temperature and speed of the hot air are relatively high may be the third section (11-3), and the drying completion section in the second drying process where the temperature and speed of the hot air are relatively low may be the fifth section (11-5).

[0064] The general section refers to the remaining sections among the multiple sections (11) of the drying oven (10) that do not correspond to the quality impact section and the drying completion section.

[0065] The section-by-section characteristic determination unit (121) can determine whether the section is a quality impact section based on whether the section-by-section moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​received from the sensor unit (110) correspond to the first reference range. In addition, the section-by-section characteristic determination unit (121) can determine whether the section is a quality impact section based on whether the change rate of the section-by-section moisture measurement values ​​and the change rate of the temperature measurement values ​​received from the sensor unit (110) correspond to the section setting reference value. At this time, the first reference range and the section setting reference value may be different for each electrode generated through the drying process and may be stored in the storage unit (124). Here, the change rate of the moisture measurement value may be a value obtained by dividing the difference between the moisture content of the electrode surface measured at the start point of the section and the moisture content of the electrode surface measured at the end point of the section for each of the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) by the moisture content of the electrode surface measured at the start point of the section. The rate of change of the temperature measurement value may be a value obtained by dividing the difference between the electrode surface temperature measured at the starting point of each section (11) of the drying oven (10) and the electrode surface temperature measured at the ending point of the section by the electrode surface temperature measured at the starting point of the section. The section-by-section characteristic determination unit (121) may determine whether the section is a drying completion section based on whether the section-by-section moisture measurement value and temperature measurement value received from the sensor unit (110) correspond to the second reference range. At this time, the second reference range of the moisture measurement value and the temperature measurement value may be an expected moisture content range value and an expected temperature range value for the electrode immediately after the drying process is completed, and may be recorded in the storage unit (124). In addition, the second reference range may have a larger value than the first reference range.

[0066] The section-by-section characteristic judgment unit (121) can specify the number of quality impact sections among the multiple sections (11) in the drying oven (10) each time the drying process is performed and transmit the result to the correction necessity judgment unit (122).

[0067] The correction need determination unit (122) can receive the number of quality impact sections from the section-by-section characteristic determination unit (121). The correction need determination unit (122) can receive moisture measurement values ​​from the sensor unit (110). The correction need determination unit (122) can determine whether correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary based on the number of quality impact sections and the moisture measurement values. For example, the correction need determination unit (122) can determine that correction of the drying oven conditions is not necessary if the number of quality impact sections is greater than or equal to a reference number and the moisture measurement value is less than or equal to a correction judgment reference value. The correction need determination unit (122) can determine that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary if the number of quality impact sections is less than or equal to a reference number or the moisture measurement value exceeds the correction judgment reference value.

[0068] If the correction necessity determination unit (122) determines that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary, it can determine the type of drying oven conditions that require correction based on whether the number of hot air speed corrections is greater than or equal to a standard number. At this time, the correction necessity determination unit (122) can receive the number of hot air speed corrections from the storage unit (124). For example, if the number of hot air speed corrections is less than three, the correction necessity determination unit (122) can determine that correction of the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) is necessary. Alternatively, if the number of hot air speed corrections is three or more, the correction necessity determination unit (122) can determine that correction of the internal temperature of the drying oven (10) is necessary.

[0069] If the correction necessity judgment unit (122) determines that correction is necessary and that correction of the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) is necessary, the unit may transmit a hot air speed correction signal indicating that the hot air speed inside the drying oven (10) needs to be adjusted to the drying oven control unit (123). If the correction necessity judgment unit (122) determines that correction is necessary and that correction of the temperature inside the drying oven (10) is necessary, the unit may transmit a temperature correction signal indicating that the temperature inside the drying oven (10) needs to be adjusted to the drying oven control unit (123). If the correction necessity judgment unit (122) determines that correction is not necessary, the unit may transmit a condition maintenance signal indicating that the drying oven conditions need to be maintained to the drying oven control unit (123).

[0070] Here, the hot air speed correction signal, the temperature correction signal, and the condition maintenance signal may include the judgment results of whether or not correction is necessary and the type of drying oven condition requiring correction, performed by the correction necessity judgment unit (122). For example, the hot air speed correction signal may include the judgment result that the number of quality impact sections is less than the standard number and thus correction of the drying oven condition is necessary. As another example, the temperature correction signal may include the judgment result that the moisture measurement value of any section among a plurality of sections exceeds the correction judgment standard value and thus correction of the drying oven condition is necessary. As another example, the condition maintenance signal may include the judgment result that the number of quality impact sections is greater than or equal to the standard number and the moisture measurement values ​​of each of the plurality of sections are all less than or equal to the correction judgment standard value and thus correction of the drying oven condition is not necessary.

[0071] When the drying oven control unit (123) receives a hot air speed correction signal from the correction necessity judgment unit (122), it can transmit a control signal to the circulation fan (12) for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven (10). For example, when the drying oven control unit (123) receives a hot air speed correction signal, it can transmit a signal to the circulation fan (12) for controlling the speed of the circulation fan (12) to increase.

[0072] According to an embodiment, the drying oven control unit (123) may correct the speed of the circulation fan (12) installed in the section immediately before the section when the moisture measurement value of a specific section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) exceeds the correction judgment reference value. According to an embodiment, the drying oven control unit (123) may correct the speed of the circulation fan (12) installed in the sections before and after the quality impact section when the number of sections corresponding to the quality impact section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) is less than the reference number.

[0073] According to an embodiment, the drying oven control unit (123) can transmit a control signal for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) to the circulation fan (12) and at the same time count the number of hot air speed corrections stored in the storage unit (124). For example, when the number of hot air speed corrections stored in the storage unit (124) is 2, the drying oven control unit (123) can transmit a control signal for correcting the speed of the hot air to the circulation fan (12) and at the same time increase the number of hot air speed corrections by 1 to 3.

[0074] When the drying oven control unit (123) receives a temperature correction signal from the correction necessity determination unit (122), it can transmit a control signal to the circulation fan (12) for correcting the temperature of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) or transmit a control signal to the heating unit (13) for correcting the temperature of the heating unit (13) installed in the drying oven (10). For example, when the drying oven control unit (123) receives a temperature correction signal, it can transmit a signal to the circulation fan (12) for controlling the temperature of the hot air emitted from the circulation fan (12) to increase. Alternatively, the drying oven control unit (123) can transmit a signal to the heating unit (13) for controlling the temperature of the heating unit (13) to increase.

[0075] According to an embodiment, when the moisture measurement value of a specific section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) exceeds the correction judgment reference value, the drying oven control unit (123) may transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the hot air to the circulation fan (12) installed in the section immediately preceding the section, or may transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the heating unit (13) installed in the section immediately preceding the section.

[0076] According to an embodiment, when the number of sections corresponding to the quality-affecting section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) is less than a standard number, the drying oven control unit (123) may transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the hot air to the circulation fan (12) installed in the section before and after the quality-affecting section, or may transmit a control signal to correct the temperature of the heating unit (13) installed in the section before and after the quality-affecting section.

[0077] When the drying oven control unit (123) receives a condition maintenance signal from the correction necessity judgment unit (122), it can transmit a control signal to the circulation fan (12) and heating unit (13) to maintain the drying oven conditions.

[0078] The storage unit (124) can store the interval setting reference value, the interval setting reference value, the first reference range, the second reference range, the reference number, the reference number of times, and the number of times of hot air speed correction.

[0079] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method for monitoring an electrode drying process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 3, an electrode drying process monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a first drying process data acquisition step (S110), a step of determining whether correction is necessary (S120), and a first drying process correction step (S100) including a hot air speed correction or first drying oven condition maintenance step (S130).

[0081] In the first drying process data acquisition step (S110), the control unit (120) can acquire the first drying process data from the sensor unit (110). Here, the first drying process data refers to data acquired in the drying oven (10) that performed the first drying process, and may include first moisture measurement values ​​and first temperature measurement values ​​for each of the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10). The control unit (120) can specify the number of first quality-affecting sections that affect the quality of the electrode among the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10) based on the first moisture measurement values ​​and the first temperature measurement values. Here, the number of first quality-affecting sections refers to the number of sections that affect the quality of the electrode among the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10) that performed the first drying process.

[0082] In the step S120 for determining whether correction is necessary, the control unit (120) can determine whether correction is necessary for the first drying oven conditions for the state of the drying oven that performed the first drying process based on the number of first quality impact sections and the first moisture measurement value. For example, in the step S120 for determining whether correction is necessary, the control unit (120) can determine that correction is not necessary for the first drying oven conditions if the number of first quality impact sections is equal to or greater than the reference number and the first moisture measurement value is equal to or less than the correction judgment reference value.

[0083] In the hot air speed correction or first drying oven condition maintenance step (S130), if the control unit (120) determines that correction for the first drying oven condition is necessary, the second drying process can be performed by adjusting the speed of the hot air inside the drying oven (10), and if correction for the first drying oven condition is determined not to be necessary, the second drying process can be performed while maintaining the first drying oven condition.

[0084] According to an embodiment, the hot air speed correction or first drying oven condition maintenance step (S130) may include a step (S131) ​​of transmitting a control signal for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) to the circulation fan (12) when the control unit (120) determines that correction for the first drying oven condition is necessary, and counting the number of hot air speed corrections, and a step (S132) of transmitting a control signal for maintaining the first drying oven condition to the circulation fan (12) and the heating unit (13) when it is determined that correction for the first drying oven condition is not necessary.

[0085] According to an embodiment, the hot air speed correction or first drying oven condition maintenance step (S130) may include a step (S133) of correcting the speed of a circulation fan (12) installed in a section immediately before the section when the first moisture measurement value of a specific section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) exceeds the correction judgment reference value, and a step (S134) of correcting the speed of a circulation fan (12) installed in sections before and after the first quality impact section when the number of sections corresponding to the first quality impact section among the plurality of sections (11) of the drying oven (10) is less than the reference number.

[0086] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for monitoring an electrode drying process may further include a second drying process correction step (S200) in addition to the first drying process correction step (S100). The second drying process correction step (S200) may include a second drying process data acquisition step (S210), a correction necessity determination step (S220), and a hot air speed correction step, a temperature correction step within a drying oven, or a second drying oven condition maintenance step (S230).

[0087] In the second drying process data acquisition step (S210), the control unit (120) can acquire second drying process data from the sensor unit (110). Here, the second drying process data refers to data acquired in the drying oven (10) that performed the second drying process, and may include second moisture measurement values ​​and second temperature measurement values ​​for each of the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10). The control unit (120) can specify the number of second quality-affecting sections that affect the quality of the electrode among the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10) based on the second moisture measurement values ​​and the second temperature measurement values. Here, the number of second quality-affecting sections refers to the number of sections that affect the quality of the electrode among the plurality of sections (11) within the drying oven (10) that performed the second drying process.

[0088] In the step of determining whether correction is necessary (S220), the control unit (120) determines whether correction is necessary for the second drying oven conditions based on the number of second quality impact sections and the second moisture measurement value, and determines the type of second drying oven conditions requiring correction based on the number of hot air speed corrections received from the storage unit (124).

[0089] According to an embodiment, the step of determining whether correction is necessary (S220) may include a step (S221) in which the control unit (120) determines whether correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary based on the number of second quality impact sections and the second moisture measurement value, and, if correction of the second drying oven conditions is determined to be necessary, a step (S222) in which the type of the second drying oven conditions requiring correction is determined based on whether the number of hot air speed corrections is equal to or greater than a standard number of times. For example, if the number of hot air speed corrections is three or more, the control unit (120) may determine that correction of the internal temperature of the drying oven (10) is necessary, and if the number of hot air speed corrections is less than three, the control unit (120) may determine that correction of the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) is necessary.

[0090] In the step (S230) of correcting the hot air speed, correcting the temperature inside the drying oven, or maintaining the second drying oven conditions, if the control unit (120) determines that correction for the second drying oven conditions is necessary, and if it is determined that correction for the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) is necessary among the second drying oven conditions, the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) is adjusted to carry out the third drying process, and if it is determined that correction for the second drying oven conditions is necessary, and if it is determined that correction for the temperature inside the drying oven (10) is necessary among the second drying oven conditions, the temperature of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) or the temperature of the heating unit installed in the drying oven (10) is adjusted to carry out the third drying process, and if it is determined that correction for the second drying oven conditions is not necessary, the third drying process can be carried out while maintaining the second drying oven conditions.

[0091] According to an embodiment, the step (S230) of correcting the hot air speed, correcting the temperature inside the drying oven, or maintaining the second drying oven condition is performed by the control unit (120) when it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is necessary and correction of the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) is necessary, a step (S231) of transmitting a control signal for correcting the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) to the circulation fan (12), a step (S232) of transmitting a control signal for correcting the temperature of the hot air supplied into the drying oven (10) to the circulation fan (12) or a control signal for correcting the temperature of the heating unit (13) installed in the drying oven (10) to the heating unit (13), and when it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is not necessary, a step (S233) of transmitting a control signal for maintaining the second drying oven condition to the circulation fan (12) and It may include a step (S233) of transmitting to the heating unit (13).

[0092] For the third drying process and the drying processes after the third drying process, the first drying process correction step (S100) and the second drying process correction step (S200) described above can be repeatedly applied.

[0093] Meanwhile, the above-described method can be written as a program that can be executed on a computer, and can be implemented on a general-purpose digital computer that operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include a storage medium such as a magnetic storage medium such as a ROM, RAM, USB, floppy disk, or hard disk, or an optical readable medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD.

[0094] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a monitoring system for multiple sections within a drying oven that performs a drying process for an electrode, A sensor unit that measures the moisture content and temperature of the electrode surface in each of the plurality of sections each time the electrode drying process is performed to determine moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values; and Among the plurality of sections, a control unit is included that determines the number of quality-affecting sections that affect the quality of the electrode based on the moisture measurement value and the temperature measurement value of each section, determines whether correction of drying oven conditions for the state of the drying oven is necessary based on whether the moisture measurement value is below a correction judgment reference value and the number of quality-affecting sections is greater than or equal to the reference number, and controls the progress of the next drying process by adjusting the drying oven conditions according to the result of the determination of whether correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

2. In paragraph 1, The above sensor part, An electrode surface moisture measurement unit that calculates an average value of moisture content on the electrode surface in real time for each of the plurality of sections to determine the moisture measurement value; and Including an electrode surface temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature of the electrode surface in real time for each of the plurality of sections and determines the average value of the measured temperatures as the temperature measurement value. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

3. In paragraph 1, The above sensor part, An electrode surface moisture measuring unit that measures the moisture content on the electrode surface at a specific point in each of the plurality of sections and determines the moisture measurement value; and Including an electrode surface temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature of the electrode surface at a specific point in each of the plurality of sections and determines the temperature measurement value. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

4. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, Each time the above drying process is performed, a section-by-section characteristic determination unit is included that determines whether each of the plurality of sections corresponds to one of the quality impact section, drying completion section, and general section based on the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each section within the drying oven. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

5. In paragraph 4, The above section-by-section feature judgment unit is, For each of the above multiple sections, whether the section corresponds to the quality impact section is determined based on whether the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each of the multiple sections correspond to the first reference range, It is determined whether the section corresponds to the drying completion section based on whether the above multiple section-by-section moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​correspond to a second reference range greater than the first reference range. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

6. In paragraph 4, The above section-by-section feature judgment unit is, For each of the above multiple sections, it is determined whether the section corresponds to the quality impact section based on whether the rate of change of the moisture measurement values ​​and temperature measurement values ​​for each of the multiple sections corresponds to the section setting reference value. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

7. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, If the above moisture measurement value is below the correction judgment standard value and the number of quality impact sections is above the standard number, it is determined that correction of the drying oven conditions is not necessary. Including a correction necessity judgment unit that determines that correction of the drying oven conditions is necessary when the moisture measurement value exceeds the correction judgment standard value or the number of the quality impact section is less than the standard number, Electrode drying process monitoring system.

8. In paragraph 7, The above correction necessity judgment department is, If it is determined that the above drying oven conditions require correction, If the number of times the hot air speed is corrected from the storage unit is greater than or equal to the standard number, it is determined that the temperature inside the drying oven needs to be corrected, and if the number of times the hot air speed is corrected is less than the standard number, it is determined that the speed of the hot air supplied inside the drying oven needs to be corrected. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

9. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, When a judgment result indicating that correction of the above drying oven conditions is necessary is received, a control signal for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven is transmitted to the circulation fan installed in the drying oven. In case a judgment result is received that correction of the above drying oven conditions is not necessary, a drying oven control unit that transmits a control signal for maintaining the above drying oven conditions to the circulation fan and the heating unit installed in the drying oven is included. Electrode drying process monitoring system 10. In paragraph 9, The above drying oven control unit is, At the same time as transmitting a control signal to the circulation fan to correct the speed of the hot air, the number of times the hot air speed is corrected stored in the storage unit is counted. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

11. In paragraph 9, The above drying oven control unit is, When receiving a judgment result that the speed of the hot air supplied into the above drying oven needs to be corrected, a control signal for correcting the speed of the hot air is transmitted to the circulation fan, When a result of determining that temperature compensation is necessary inside the drying oven is received, a control signal for compensating the temperature of the hot air or a control signal for compensating the temperature of the heating unit is transmitted to the circulation fan or the heating unit, respectively. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

12. In paragraph 9, The above drying oven control unit is, When a result of determining that correction of the above drying oven conditions is necessary is received, if the moisture measurement value of a specific section among multiple sections of the drying oven exceeds the correction judgment reference value, a control signal is transmitted to correct the speed of the hot air to the circulation fan installed in the section immediately before the section. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

13. In paragraph 9, The above drying oven control unit is, When receiving a judgment result that correction of the above drying oven conditions is necessary, if the number of sections corresponding to the quality impact section among the multiple sections of the drying oven is less than the standard number, a control signal is transmitted to correct the speed of the hot air to the circulation fan installed in the section before and after the quality impact section. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

14. In paragraph 11, The above drying oven control unit is, When a judgment result indicating that correction of the above drying oven conditions is necessary is received, if the moisture measurement value of a specific section among multiple sections of the drying oven exceeds the correction judgment reference value, a control signal for correcting the temperature of the hot air is transmitted to a circulation fan installed in the section immediately preceding the section, or a control signal for correcting the temperature of the heating section is transmitted to a heating section installed in the section immediately preceding the section. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

15. In paragraph 11, The above drying oven control unit is, When receiving a judgment result that correction of the above drying oven conditions is necessary, if the number of sections corresponding to the quality impact section among the multiple sections of the drying oven is less than the standard number, a control signal for correcting the temperature of the hot air is transmitted to a circulation fan installed in the section before and after the quality impact section, or a control signal for correcting the temperature of the heating section is transmitted to a heating section installed in the section before and after the quality impact section. Electrode drying process monitoring system.

16. A step in which the control unit obtains first drying process data including first moisture measurement values ​​and first temperature measurement values ​​for each of a plurality of sections in a drying oven that has performed a first drying process from a sensor unit, and specifies the number of first quality-affecting sections that affect the quality of the electrode among the plurality of sections based on the first moisture measurement values ​​and the first temperature measurement values; A step of determining whether correction of the first drying oven conditions is necessary for the state of the drying oven that performed the first drying process based on the number of the first quality impact sections and the first moisture measurement value; and In a case where it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is necessary, a second drying process is performed by adjusting the speed of the hot air inside the drying oven, and in a case where it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is not necessary, a step of performing the second drying process while maintaining the first drying oven condition is included. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

17. In paragraph 16, The step of determining whether the above first drying oven condition requires correction is as follows: If the number of the first quality impact section is less than the standard number and the first moisture measurement value exceeds the correction judgment standard value, it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is necessary. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

18. In paragraph 16, The step of performing the above second drying process is: In a case where it is determined that correction of the above first drying oven condition is necessary, a step of transmitting a control signal for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven to a circulation fan installed in the drying oven and counting the number of times the hot air speed is corrected; and In a case where it is determined that correction of the first drying oven condition is not necessary, a step of transmitting a control signal for maintaining the first drying oven condition to the circulation fan and heating unit is included. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

19. In paragraph 18, The step of counting the number of times the above hot air speed is corrected is: A step of correcting the speed of a circulation fan installed in a section immediately before the section in which the first moisture measurement value of a specific section among the multiple sections of the drying oven exceeds the correction judgment reference value; and In the case where the number of sections corresponding to the first quality impact section among the plurality of sections of the drying oven is less than the standard number, a step of correcting the speed of the circulation fan installed in the sections before and after the first quality impact section is included. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

20. In paragraph 16, A step in which the control unit obtains second drying process data including second moisture measurement values ​​and second temperature measurement values ​​for each of a plurality of sections in a drying oven that performs the second drying process from the sensor unit, and specifies the number of second quality impact sections among the plurality of sections based on the second moisture measurement values ​​and the second temperature measurement values; A step of determining whether correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary for the state of the drying oven that performed the second drying process based on the number of the second quality impact sections and the second moisture measurement value, and determining the type of the second drying oven conditions that require correction based on the number of hot air speed corrections received from the storage unit; and If it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is necessary, and if it is determined that correction of the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven is necessary among the second drying oven conditions, the third drying process is performed by adjusting the speed of the hot air supplied into the drying oven, and if it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is necessary, and if it is determined that correction of the temperature inside the drying oven is necessary among the second drying oven conditions, the third drying process is performed by adjusting the temperature of the hot air supplied into the drying oven or the temperature of the heating unit installed in the drying oven, and if it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is not necessary, the third drying process is performed while maintaining the second drying oven conditions. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

21. In paragraph 20, The step of determining the type of the second drying oven condition is: A step of determining that correction of the second drying oven conditions is necessary when the number of the second quality impact section is less than the standard number and the second moisture measurement value exceeds the correction judgment standard value; and In a case where it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is necessary, a step of determining the type of the second drying oven condition requiring correction is included based on whether the number of times the hot air speed is corrected is equal to or greater than a standard number of times. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

22. In paragraph 21, The step of determining the type of the second drying oven condition is: A step of determining that temperature correction inside the drying oven is necessary when the number of times the hot air speed is corrected is greater than the standard number of times; and Including a step of determining that speed correction of the hot air supplied into the drying oven is necessary when the number of times the hot air speed correction is performed is less than the standard number of times. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

23. In paragraph 20, The step of performing the third drying process is as follows: When it is determined that the second drying oven condition needs to be corrected and the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven needs to be corrected, a step of transmitting a control signal for correcting the speed of hot air supplied into the drying oven to a circulation fan installed in the drying oven; When it is determined that the second drying oven condition needs to be corrected and the temperature inside the drying oven needs to be corrected, a step of transmitting a control signal for correcting the temperature of the hot air to the circulation fan or a control signal for correcting the temperature of the heating unit installed in the drying oven to the heating unit; and In a case where it is determined that correction of the second drying oven condition is not necessary, a step of transmitting a control signal for maintaining the second drying oven condition to the circulation fan and the heating unit is included. Method for monitoring electrode drying process.

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