Battery inspection device and method

Abstract

A battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is for inspecting a battery including an electrode assembly, and may comprise: at least one processor; and a memory for storing one or more commands executed via the at least one processor. Here, the one or more commands may include commands for: acquiring a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery; defining, in the vertical cross-sectional image, a region of interest (ROI) including an end region of the electrode assembly; calculating a gray value for each height with respect to the ROI; and determining the position of an electrode end on the basis of a rate of change in the gray value.

Description

Battery inspection device and method

[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0149210 filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on October 29, 2024, and all contents disclosed in the document of said Korean patent application are incorporated into this specification.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery inspection device and method, and more specifically, to a battery inspection device and method capable of determining whether an electrode assembly is defective using a vertical cross-sectional image of a battery.

[0003] Secondary batteries are batteries that can be reused through charging even after discharge, and can be used as an energy source for small devices such as mobile phones, tablet PCs, and vacuum cleaners, and are also used as an energy source for medium and large devices such as automobiles and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for smart grids.

[0004] Secondary batteries can be classified into can-type batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a cylindrical metal can, and pouch-type batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a pouch-type case. Generally, cylindrical can-type batteries are known to have relatively high capacity and structural stability.

[0005] A jelly roll structure electrode assembly embedded in a cylindrical battery can be manufactured by winding a laminate, in which a positive electrode sheet, a separator, and a negative electrode sheet are sequentially stacked, for a certain number of winding turns. During the process of transporting the laminate (positive electrode, separator, negative electrode) in a roll-to-roll manner to manufacture the jelly roll electrode assembly, if the laminate travels in a meandering manner, the positive or negative end of the finished jelly roll electrode assembly may not be flat with respect to the horizontal direction and a height difference may occur.

[0006] Generally, image-based defect inspection technology using X-ray images is utilized to determine meandering defects in such electrode structures; however, this conventional inspection technology has limitations in terms of inspection accuracy and speed.

[0007] A related prior art is KR 10-2024-0094660 A.

[0008] The objective of the present invention, which aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, is to provide a battery inspection device capable of determining whether an electrode assembly is defective using a vertical cross-sectional image of a battery.

[0009] Another objective of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems is to provide a battery inspection method using such a battery inspection device.

[0010] A battery inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above objective may include at least one processor and a memory for storing at least one instruction executed through the at least one processor, as a battery inspection device for inspecting a battery including an electrode assembly.

[0011] The above at least one command may include: a command to acquire a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery; a command to define a Region of Interest (ROI) in the vertical cross-sectional image, which includes an end region of the electrode assembly; a command to calculate a gray value by height for the ROI; and a command to determine the position of the electrode end based on the rate of change of the gray value.

[0012] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include a command for determining the position of the electrode end as a height representing the maximum rate of change within a preset range.

[0013] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include: a command for determining a first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a first grayscale range, as the position of the first electrode end; and a command for determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a second grayscale range, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0014] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include: a command for determining a first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a first height range, as the position of the first electrode end; and a command for determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a second height range, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0015] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include: a command for determining a first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within the entire height range, as the position of the first electrode end; a command for checking the rate of change of gray from a height spaced upward by a set distance from the first height; and a command for determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change among the checked rates of change of gray, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0016] The above at least one command may further include a command to calculate a separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end; and a command to determine whether the electrode assembly is defective based on whether the separation distance exceeds a threshold distance.

[0017] The command defining the ROI may include a command defining a plurality of ROIs corresponding to each of the turns of the electrode assembly.

[0018] The above at least one command may further include a command for determining whether the electrode assembly has a meandering defect based on the positions of the electrode ends determined for each of the plurality of ROIs.

[0019] A command for determining whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly may include: a command for calculating the separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end for each of the plurality of ROIs; and a command for determining whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly based on the number of turns in which the separation distance exceeds a threshold distance.

[0020]

[0021] A battery inspection method according to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above other objectives may include, as a battery inspection method using a battery inspection device, a step of acquiring a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery; a step of defining a Region of Interest (ROI) including an end region of the electrode assembly in the vertical cross-sectional image; a step of calculating a gray value by height for the ROI; and a step of determining the position of the electrode end based on the rate of change of the gray value.

[0022] The step of determining the position of the electrode end may include determining the height representing the maximum rate of change within a preset range as the position of the electrode end.

[0023] The step of determining the position of the electrode end may include: determining a first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a first grayscale range, as the position of the first electrode end; and determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a second grayscale range, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0024] The step of determining the position of the electrode end may include: determining a first height that represents the maximum rate of change within a first height range as the position of the first electrode end; and determining a second height that represents the maximum rate of change within a second height range as the position of the second electrode end.

[0025] The step of determining the position of the electrode end may include: determining a first height that represents the maximum rate of change within the entire height range as the position of the first electrode end; checking the rate of change of gray from a height spaced upward by a set distance from the first height; and determining a second height that represents the maximum rate of change among the checked rates of change of gray as the position of the second electrode end.

[0026] The battery inspection method described above may further include the step of calculating a separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end; and the step of determining whether the electrode assembly is defective based on whether the separation distance exceeds a threshold distance.

[0027] The step of defining the ROI may include defining a plurality of ROIs corresponding to each of the turns of the electrode assembly.

[0028] The battery inspection method described above may further include a step of determining whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly based on the positions of the electrode ends determined for each of the plurality of ROIs.

[0029] The step of determining whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly may include: a step of calculating the separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end for each of the plurality of ROIs; and a step of determining whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly based on the number of turns in which the separation distance exceeds a threshold distance.

[0030] According to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, the inspection accuracy and inspection speed regarding whether an electrode assembly is defective can be improved.

[0031] Figure 1 shows the appearance of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 shows the structure of a wound electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows the appearance of a wound electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a battery inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation sequence of a battery inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIGS. 6 to 10 are reference drawings for explaining a battery inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation of a battery inspection method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIGS. 12 and 13 are reference diagrams for explaining a battery inspection method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] 100: Battery

[0041] 200: Tomography device

[0042] 300, 1400: Battery testing device

[0043] The present invention is susceptible to various modifications and may have various embodiments; specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. Similar reference numerals have been used for similar components in the description of each drawing.

[0044] Terms such as first, second, A, B, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. The term "and / or" includes a combination of a plurality of related described items or any of a plurality of related described items.

[0045] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0046] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the presence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0047] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0048] Hereinafter, the present invention and various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0049]

[0050] FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 2 shows the structure of a wound electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows the external appearance of a wound electrode assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] A battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention can inspect whether a cylindrical battery (1) is defective.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 1, a cylindrical battery (1) may include a battery housing (BH), a first electrode terminal (E1) and a second electrode terminal (E2) formed on the outer surface of the battery housing (BH). Here, the first electrode terminal (E1) and the second electrode terminal (E2) are terminals having opposite polarities to each other, for example, the first electrode terminal (E1) is a positive terminal and the second electrode terminal (E2) is a negative terminal, or the first electrode terminal (E1) is a negative terminal and the second electrode terminal (E2) is a positive terminal,

[0053] The battery (1) may include an insulating gasket (20) that blocks the electrical connection between the battery housing (BH) and the first electrode terminal (E1).

[0054] Referring to FIG. 2, a wound-type (jelly roll type) electrode assembly (10) can be accommodated within a battery housing (BH).

[0055] The electrode assembly (10) may include a first electrode (11) having a first polarity, a second electrode (12) having a second polarity, a separator (13) interposed between the first electrode (11) and the second electrode (12), and an insulating layer (14) covering at least a portion of the first electrode (11).

[0056] The first electrode (11) and the second electrode (12) may have a sheet shape. Here, the electrode assembly (10) may be manufactured by winding a laminate in which the first electrode (11), the separator (13), and the second electrode (12) are sequentially stacked for a certain number of winding turns.

[0057] The first electrode (11) and the second electrode (12) may include an uncoated portion (11a, 12a) at the long end where the active material layer is not coated. Additionally, the first electrode (11) and the second electrode (12) may include a retaining portion (11b, 12b) in which the active material layer is coated in an area excluding the uncoated portion (11a, 12a).

[0058] Referring to FIG. 3, at least a portion of the first and second sections (11a, 12a) may be bent toward the center. Here, at least a portion of the first and second sections (11a, 12a) may be divided into a plurality of segments, and the plurality of segments may be overlapped in multiple layers while being bent toward the center.

[0059] Meanwhile, in the process of transporting a laminate (first electrode, separator, second electrode) in a roll-to-roll manner to manufacture a jelly roll type electrode assembly (10) illustrated in FIG. 2, if the laminate travels in a meandering manner, the end of the first electrode or the second negative electrode of the completed electrode assembly (10) may not be flat with respect to the horizontal direction and a height difference may occur.

[0060] Generally, image-based defect inspection technology using X-ray images is utilized to determine meandering defects in such electrode structures; however, this conventional inspection technology has limitations in terms of inspection accuracy and speed.

[0061]

[0062] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a battery inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] A battery inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention can be utilized in a process step for inspecting whether there is a meandering defect in an electrode assembly included in a battery (100).

[0064] A battery inspection system may include a tomography device (200) that generates a vertical cross-sectional image of a battery (100), and a battery inspection device (300) that obtains a vertical cross-sectional image of a battery from the tomography device (200) and determines whether there is a defect in an electrode structure included in the battery (100) using the vertical cross-sectional image.

[0065] The battery (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention corresponds to a cylindrical battery cell, and the electrode assembly included inside the battery (100) may correspond to a wound type (jelly roll type) electrode assembly, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0066] The tomography device (200) is a device that generates a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery (100). Here, the tomography device (200) can generate a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery (100) by irradiating the battery (100) with X-rays and detecting the X-rays that have penetrated the interior of the battery (100).

[0067] The battery inspection device (300) can obtain a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery (100) from a tomography device (200) and determine whether there is a defect in the electrode structure included in the battery (100) using the vertical cross-sectional image. Here, the vertical cross-sectional image may refer to a vertical cross-sectional image passing through the central axis of the battery (100).

[0068] The battery inspection device (300) can define one or more Regions of Interest (ROIs) that include the end regions of the electrode assembly in a vertical cross-sectional image, and determine the position of the electrode end in the ROI. Subsequently, the battery inspection device (300) can determine whether the electrode structure is defective based on the position of the electrode end in the ROI.

[0069] In an embodiment, the battery inspection device (300) may define a plurality of ROIs that include end regions of the electrode assembly in a vertical cross-sectional image, and determine the position of the electrode end in each of the ROIs. Subsequently, the battery inspection device (300) may determine whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly based on the positions of the electrode end determined for each of the plurality of ROIs.

[0070]

[0071] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation of a battery inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6 to 10 are reference diagrams for explaining a battery inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] A battery inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be performed by a battery inspection device linked with a tomography device.

[0073] The battery inspection device can acquire a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery (S510). Here, the battery inspection device can receive a vertical cross-sectional image from a tomography device.

[0074] The vertical cross-sectional image may be an image of at least a portion of the vertical cross-section passing through the center of the battery. For example, the vertical cross-sectional image may be an image of the lower portion of the vertical cross-section passing through the central axis of the cylindrical battery, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0075] The battery inspection device may define one or more ROIs that include end regions of the electrode assembly in a vertical cross-sectional image (S520). Here, the ROI may be defined as an area corresponding to a specific winding turn of the electrode assembly. For example, referring to FIG. 7, the wound electrode assembly may be manufactured by winding it 56 times, and the battery inspection device may define the area of ​​a specific turn as the ROI.

[0076] The battery inspection device can define an ROI in a vertical cross-sectional image based on an ROI setting signal input by a user, or define an ROI in a vertical cross-sectional image using an image analysis tool such as a line detection algorithm.

[0077] The battery inspection device can calculate a gray value by height for the ROI defined in S520 (S530).

[0078] For example, the battery inspection device can generate a height-wise grayscale graph (Fig. 9) for the ROI shown in Fig. 8, where the height of the battery is defined on the y-axis and the grayscale on the x-axis. Here, the grayscale is a numerical representation of brightness, where black is defined as [0] and white as

[0255] .

[0079] The battery inspection device can determine the position of the electrode end based on the rate of change of gray (S540).

[0080] Referring to FIG. 9, the lower region (unclear region) exhibits a high grayness, and the grayness may decrease rapidly near the position of the first electrode end (boundary between the unclear region and the first electrode region). The grayness in the first electrode region is maintained at a constant level, and the grayness may decrease gradually starting from near the position of the second electrode end (boundary between the first electrode region and the second electrode region).

[0081] The present invention can more accurately determine the end position for one or more of the first electrode and the second electrode by utilizing the rate of change of grayness.

[0082] Specifically, the battery inspection device can determine the position of the electrode end as the height indicating the maximum rate of change within a preset range.

[0083] In the first embodiment, the battery inspection device can determine the position of the first electrode end by determining the first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within the first grayscale range, and the position of the second electrode end by determining the second height, which represents the maximum rate of change within the second grayscale range.

[0084] For example, referring to FIG. 10, the battery inspection device can calculate the rate of change of grayscale by height in a first range greater than or equal to Gref (e.g., 65) and determine the first height (h1) that indicates the maximum rate of change in the first range as the location of the negative end. Additionally, the battery inspection device can calculate the rate of change of grayscale by height in a second range less than Gref (e.g., 65) and determine the second height (h2) that indicates the maximum rate of change in the second range as the location of the positive end.

[0085] In the second embodiment, the battery inspection device may determine a first height that indicates a maximum rate of change within a first height range as the position of the first electrode end, and determine a second height that indicates a maximum rate of change within a second height range as the position of the second electrode end.

[0086] For example, referring to FIG. 10, the battery inspection device can calculate the rate of change of grayscale by height in a first range less than Href (e.g., 60 pixels) and determine the first height (h1) showing the maximum rate of change in the first range as the location of the negative end. Additionally, the battery inspection device can calculate the rate of change of grayscale by height in a second range greater than or equal to Href (e.g., 60 pixels) and determine the second height (h2) showing the maximum rate of change in the second range as the location of the positive end.

[0087] In the third embodiment, the battery inspection device may determine a first height, which exhibits the maximum rate of change within the entire height range, as the position of the first electrode end. Subsequently, the battery inspection device may check the rate of change of grayscale starting from a height spaced upward by a set distance from the first height, and determine a second height, which exhibits the maximum rate of change among the checked rates of change of grayscale, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0088] For example, referring to FIG. 10, the battery inspection device can calculate the rate of change of grayscale by height over the entire range and determine the first height (h1) representing the maximum rate of change as the location of the negative end. Subsequently, the battery inspection device can check the rate of change of grayscale starting from a height spaced upward by a set distance (e.g., 30 pixels) from the first height (h1), and determine the second height (h2) representing the maximum rate of change among the checked rates of change of grayscale as the location of the positive end.

[0089] The battery inspection device can calculate the separation distance (d = h2 - h1) between the position (h1) of the first electrode end and the position (h2) of the second electrode end. Subsequently, the battery inspection device can determine whether the electrode assembly is defective based on whether the separation distance (d) between the first and second electrode ends exceeds a critical distance.

[0090] For example, if the separation distance (d) between the first and second electrode ends exceeds 32 pixels, the battery inspection device may determine the electrode assembly to be defective.

[0091]

[0092] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation of a battery inspection method according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 and 13 are reference diagrams for explaining a battery inspection method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] The battery inspection device can acquire a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery (S1110). Here, the battery inspection device can receive a vertical cross-sectional image from a tomography device.

[0094] The battery inspection device can define a plurality of ROIs, including end regions of the electrode assembly, in a vertical cross-sectional image (S1120). Here, each ROI can be defined as a region corresponding to each of the winding turns of the electrode assembly. For example, referring to FIG. 12, the wound electrode assembly can be manufactured by winding it 56 times, and the battery inspection device can define 112 ROIs corresponding to each of the winding turn regions in a vertical cross-sectional image.

[0095] The battery inspection device can define ROIs in a vertical cross-sectional image based on an ROI setting signal input by a user, or define ROIs in a vertical cross-sectional image using an image analysis tool such as a line detection algorithm.

[0096] The battery inspection device can calculate a gray value by height for each of the ROIs defined in S1120 (S1130).

[0097] For example, the battery inspection device can generate a height-wise grayscale graph (Fig. 9) for each of the 112 ROIs, in which the height of the battery is defined on the y-axis and the grayscale is defined on the x-axis.

[0098] The battery inspection device can determine the position of the electrode end for each ROI based on the rate of change of grayscale (S1140). Here, the battery inspection device can determine the position of the first electrode end (h1) and the position of the second electrode end (h2) for each ROI.

[0099] For example, the battery inspection device can determine the location of the negative end (h1) and the location of the positive end (h2) for each of the ROIs, as shown in FIG. 13. Meanwhile, the line connecting the location of the negative end (h1) of each of the ROIs can be seen as a negative end line representing the boundary line between the non-negative region and the negative electrode, and the line connecting the location of the positive end (h2) of each of the ROIs can be seen as a positive end line representing the boundary line between the negative electrode and the positive electrode.

[0100] The battery inspection device can determine whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly based on the positions of the electrode ends determined for each of the plurality of ROIs (S1150).

[0101] For example, the battery inspection device can calculate the separation distance (d = h2 - h1) between the position (h1) of the first electrode end and the position (h2) of the second electrode end for each of the ROIs. Subsequently, the battery inspection device can determine the number of turns (or the number of ROIs) in which the separation distance (d) between the first and second electrode ends exceeds a threshold distance. If the number of turns in which the separation distance (d) exceeds the threshold distance (e.g., 32 pixels) is greater than or equal to a set value (e.g., 2), the battery inspection device can determine that the electrode assembly is defective due to meandering.

[0102]

[0103] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] A battery inspection device (1400) according to an embodiment of the present invention can be linked with a tomography device.

[0105] The battery inspection device (1400) may include at least one processor (1410), a memory (1420) that stores at least one instruction executed through the processor, and a transceiver (1430) that is connected to a network to perform communication.

[0106] The above at least one command may include: a command to acquire a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery; a command to define a Region of Interest (ROI) in the vertical cross-sectional image, which includes an end region of the electrode assembly; a command to calculate a gray value by height for the ROI; and a command to determine the position of the electrode end based on the rate of change of the gray value.

[0107] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include a command for determining the position of the electrode end as a height representing the maximum rate of change within a preset range.

[0108] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include: a command for determining a first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a first grayscale range, as the position of the first electrode end; and a command for determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a second grayscale range, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0109] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include: a command for determining a first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a first height range, as the position of the first electrode end; and a command for determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a second height range, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0110] The command for determining the position of the electrode end may include: a command for determining a first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within the entire height range, as the position of the first electrode end; a command for checking the rate of change of gray from a height spaced upward by a set distance from the first height; and a command for determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change among the checked rates of change of gray, as the position of the second electrode end.

[0111] The above at least one command may further include a command to calculate a separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end; and a command to determine whether the electrode assembly is defective based on whether the separation distance exceeds a threshold distance.

[0112] The command defining the ROI may include a command defining a plurality of ROIs corresponding to each of the turns of the electrode assembly.

[0113] The above at least one command may further include a command for determining whether the electrode assembly has a meandering defect based on the positions of the electrode ends determined for each of the plurality of ROIs.

[0114] A command for determining whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly may include: a command for calculating the separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end for each of the plurality of ROIs; and a command for determining whether there is a meandering defect in the electrode assembly based on the number of turns in which the separation distance exceeds a threshold distance.

[0115] The battery inspection device (1400) may also further include an input interface device (1440), an output interface device (1450), a storage device (1460), etc. Each component included in the battery inspection device (1400) may be connected by a bus (1470) to communicate with one another.

[0116] Here, the processor (1410) may mean a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor on which methods according to embodiments of the present invention are performed. Additionally, the memory may be composed of at least one of a volatile / transitory storage medium and a non-volatile / non-transitory storage medium. For example, the memory may be composed of at least one of a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), and may include an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory).

[0117]

[0118] The operation of the method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be implemented as a computer-readable program or code on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include any type of recording device in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed across networked computer systems, so that the computer-readable program or code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0119] The operation of the method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in various forms related to the program, such as a computer program or code itself or a computer program product.

[0120] Additionally, computer-readable recording media may include one or more of volatile / transitory recording media and non-volatile / non-transitory recording media.

[0121] Computer-readable recording media may include hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, and may include, for example, various types of servers located on a network. Program instructions may include machine code, such as that generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0122] Some aspects of the invention have been described in the context of a device, but may also be described according to a corresponding method, wherein a block or device corresponds to a method step or a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may also be described according to a corresponding block or item or a feature of a corresponding device. Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware device, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a programmable computer, or an electronic circuit. In some embodiments, one or more of the most important method steps may be performed by such a device.

[0123] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.

Claims

1. A battery inspection device for inspecting a battery including an electrode assembly, At least one processor; and It includes a memory that stores at least one instruction executed through the above-mentioned at least one processor, and The above at least one command is, A command to acquire a vertical cross-sectional image of the above battery; A command defining a Region of Interest (ROI) that includes the end region of the electrode assembly in the above vertical cross-sectional image; A command to calculate a gray value by height for the above ROI; and A battery inspection device comprising a command to determine the position of an electrode end based on the rate of change of the above grayscale.

2. In Claim 1, The command for determining the position of the electrode end is, A battery inspection device comprising a command to determine the position of the electrode end at a height indicating the maximum rate of change within a preset range.

3. In Claim 2, The command for determining the position of the electrode end is, A command to determine the position of the first electrode end as the first height representing the maximum rate of change within the first grayscale range; and A battery inspection device comprising a command to determine the position of the second electrode end of a second height that represents the maximum rate of change within a second grayscale range.

4. In Claim 2, The command for determining the position of the electrode end is, A command to determine the position of the first electrode end of the first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within the first height range; and A battery inspection device comprising a command to determine the position of the second electrode end of a second height that represents the maximum rate of change within a second height range.

5. In Claim 2, The command for determining the position of the electrode end is, A command to determine the position of the first electrode end as the first height representing the maximum rate of change within the entire height range; A command to check the rate of change of grayscale from a height spaced upward by a set distance from the first height; and A battery inspection device comprising a command to determine the position of the second electrode end as the second height representing the maximum rate of change among the rates of change of grayscale confirmed.

6. In any one of claims 3 to 5, The above at least one command is, A command to calculate the separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end; and A battery inspection device further comprising a command to determine whether the electrode assembly is defective based on whether the above separation distance exceeds a critical distance.

7. In Claim 1, The command defining the above ROI is, A battery inspection device comprising a command defining a plurality of ROIs corresponding to each of the turns of the electrode assembly.

8. In Claim 7, The above at least one command is, A battery inspection device further comprising a command to determine whether the electrode assembly has a meandering defect based on the positions of the electrode ends determined for each of the plurality of ROIs.

9. In Claim 8, A command for determining whether there is a meandering defect in the above electrode assembly is, For each of the plurality of ROIs above, a command to calculate the separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end; and A battery inspection device comprising a command to determine whether the electrode assembly has a meandering defect based on the number of turns in which the above separation distance exceeds a critical distance.

10. A method for testing a battery using a battery testing device, A step of obtaining a vertical cross-sectional image of the battery; A step of defining a Region of Interest (ROI) that includes the end region of the electrode assembly in the above vertical cross-sectional image; For the above ROI, a step of calculating a gray value by height; and A battery inspection method comprising the step of determining the position of the electrode end based on the rate of change of the grayscale.

11. In Claim 10, The step of determining the position of the electrode end is, A battery inspection method comprising the step of determining the position of the electrode end at a height indicating the maximum rate of change within a preset range.

12. In Claim 11, The step of determining the position of the electrode end is, A step of determining the position of the first electrode end as the first height exhibiting the maximum rate of change within the first grayscale range; and A battery inspection method comprising the step of determining the position of the second electrode end of a second height that represents the maximum rate of change within a second grayscale range.

13. In Claim 11, The step of determining the position of the electrode end is, A step of determining the first height, which represents the maximum rate of change within the first height range, as the position of the first electrode end; and A battery inspection method comprising the step of determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change within a second height range, as the position of a second electrode end.

14. In Claim 11, The step of determining the position of the electrode end is, A step of determining the position of the first electrode end as the first height that represents the maximum rate of change within the entire height range; A step of checking the rate of change of grayscale from a height spaced upward by a set distance from the first height; and A battery inspection method comprising the step of determining a second height, which represents the maximum rate of change among the rates of change of grayness confirmed, as the position of the second electrode end.

15. In any one of claims 12 to 14, A step of calculating the separation distance between the position of the first electrode end and the position of the second electrode end; and A battery inspection method further comprising the step of determining whether the electrode assembly is defective based on whether the above separation distance exceeds a critical distance.

16. In Claim 10, The step of defining the above ROI is, A battery inspection method comprising the step of defining a plurality of ROIs corresponding to each of the turns of the electrode assembly.

17. In Claim 16, A battery inspection method further comprising the step of determining whether the electrode assembly has a meandering defect based on the positions of the electrode ends determined for each of the plurality of ROIs.

18. In Claim 17, The step of determining whether there is a meandering defect in the above electrode assembly is, For each of the plurality of ROIs, a step of calculating a separation distance between the position of a first electrode end and the position of a second electrode end; and A battery inspection method comprising the step of determining whether the electrode assembly has a meandering defect based on the number of turns in which the above separation distance exceeds a critical distance.

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