Battery Tab Misalignment Detection During Electrode Winding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery manufacturing processes fail to detect misalignment of battery tabs until after the pressing process, leading to production of multiple defective cells with misaligned tabs, as winding and pressing are separate processes.

Innovation Solution

A misalignment detection method and apparatus that uses a winding shaft to determine the relative positional relationship between battery tabs and a reference part on the shaft, calculating the misalignment amount based on layer number and thickness, allowing prediction before pressing into a battery cell.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If misalignment detection is performed after the pressing process, then the detection can be done on the final product, but multiple defective cells have already been produced during winding and pressing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidproduction efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs misalignment detection during the winding process itself, before the pressing operation. By capturing images of the electrode plate on the winding shaft and analyzing tab positions in real-time, the system identifies misalignment defects early, allowing defective plates to be rejected before they undergo pressing and subsequent assembly into battery cells. This preliminary detection prevents the production of multiple defective cells from a single misaligned plate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If detection is performed early during winding, then defective cells can be prevented from progressing, but the detection system must accurately measure positional relationships during the winding process

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoiddetection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical measurement systems with an optical imaging system. A camera captures images of the electrode plate wound on the winding shaft, and image processing algorithms automatically determine the positions of tabs and reference parts. This substitution of mechanical measurement with optical detection enables accurate, non-contact measurement during the winding process, achieving both early detection and high measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a visual copy (image) of the electrode plate's physical state during winding. By capturing and analyzing the image data, the system determines the relative positional relationships between tabs and reference parts without physically measuring them. This copying approach allows for accurate, non-intrusive detection that does not interfere with the winding process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Loss of time

If the detection system captures images during winding, then real-time detection is achieved, but the system must process images quickly to maintain production speed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection timeVSAvoidproduction speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements continuous image capture and processing during the winding operation. The camera continuously images the electrode plate as it is wound onto the shaft, and the processing system continuously analyzes each image to detect misalignment. This continuous operation ensures that detection keeps pace with production speed, with no interruption or bottleneck in the workflow. The system processes images in real-time, maintaining both detection accuracy and production efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentEP4647715A1Battery tab misalignment detection method and apparatus, and battery electrode sheet winding system
Publication Date: 2025.11.12 CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • EP4647715A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4647715A1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP4647715A1 patent drawingFigure 6~8

AI summary

The present application provides a misalignment detection method and apparatus for battery tabs, and a battery electrode plate winding system. The misalignment detection method for battery tabs includes: using a winding shaft to wind a battery electrode plate; for an Nth (N is an integer greater than 0) layer of an electrode plate section wound on the winding shaft: obtaining, in a winding period, an image to be tested of the layer of the electrode plate section, where the image to be tested includes a battery tab region; determining a relative positional relationship, between a battery tab and a reference part on the winding shaft, in the image to be tested; and determining, according to the relative positional relationship and a layer number of the Nth layer of the electrode plate section on the winding shaft, a misalignment amount of the battery tab when the wound electrode plate is pressed into a battery cell.