Battery Tab Layer Inspection for Folded Tab Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for inspecting battery tabs during the winding process are inefficient and prone to missed inspections, particularly when tabs are folded into the electrode plate, leading to potential short circuits and thermal runaway.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that analyze the side view of battery tabs by identifying connected domains and intersection points to accurately determine the number of layers, reducing the missed inspection rate through image recognition and connected domain analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual visual inspection is used to inspect battery tabs, then the inspection process is simple to implement, but the inspection efficiency is low and the missed inspection rate is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with an automated image recognition system that captures images of battery tabs and uses algorithmic analysis to detect folding defects. This substitution of mechanical/manual inspection with an automated optical-digital system dramatically improves inspection efficiency while maintaining implementation feasibility through standard imaging equipment.
2Reliability
If Hi-pot testing is used to inspect battery tabs, then the inspection rate is high for tabs folded onto separator, but it is difficult to identify tabs folded into layer of tab
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from electrical testing (Hi-pot) to optical imaging analysis, examining tabs from a visual/spatial dimension rather than an electrical dimension. By analyzing the side view images and detecting changes in tab contour, layer distribution, and intersection point patterns, the system can identify both types of folding defects that were previously undetectable through electrical testing alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tab structure analysis into distinct connected domains and further divides them into regions based on intersection points. This segmentation allows the system to independently analyze different portions of the tab assembly, counting layers in each region and comparing them to detect folding defects with high precision across various folding scenarios.
3Measurement precision
If direct identification of total number of layers is performed without connected domain analysis, then the inspection process is simpler, but the determining accuracy is lower and missed inspection rate is higher
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the complex task of counting total tab layers into manageable segments: first identifying connected domains (groups of bonded tabs), then further segmenting each domain into regions based on intersection points, and finally counting layers in each region. This hierarchical segmentation transforms a difficult global counting problem into a series of simpler local counting tasks, significantly improving accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces connected domains as an intermediary structure between the raw image and the final layer count. Connected domains serve as intermediate analytical units that group related tabs together, allowing the system to systematically track and count layers through multiple bonding regions. This intermediary representation simplifies the complex relationships in the tab assembly and enables more accurate measurement.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application discloses a method for inspecting a battery tab, the method including: obtaining a sectional view of a plurality of layers of tabs of a battery to be inspected; identifying and analyzing the sectional view to obtain a plurality of connected domains, where each connected domain includes one tab or a plurality of tabs that are bonded with each other; determining, based on positions and a number of intersection points of tab bonding in each connected domain, a number of layers of tabs corresponding to the connected domain; calculating a total number of layers of the plurality of layers of tabs in the sectional view based on the number of layers of tabs corresponding to the connected domain; and determining, based on the total number of layers of tabs and a preset real number of layers of tabs, whether the plurality of layers of tabs are folded. The present application provides a method and an apparatus for inspecting a battery tab and a storage medium, which can automatically identify folding of a tab, and can not only improve the inspection efficiency, but also effectively reduce the missed inspection rate.