Battery Cell Crush Inspection Using Line-Scan Imaging

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cell crush inspection methods are unable to meet the faster production requirements of modern battery cell production lines, as they require stopping the cell assembly for image capture, which disrupts the production flow.

Innovation Solution

A high-speed image acquisition system using line scan cameras acquires images of flowing cell assemblies, extracts image features, and performs similarity matching with a preset crush model to rapidly identify defects without interrupting the production line.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional image acquisition methods are used to capture cell images, then image quality can be ensured, but the production line must be stopped which reduces productivity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecrush inspection accuracyVSAvoidproduction speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from static image acquisition (requiring stopped production) to dynamic image acquisition (capturing images during flow). The line scan camera continuously captures images of cells moving through the inspection area, allowing inspection without stopping the production line, thus resolving the contradiction between inspection accuracy and productivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical stopping and positioning systems with an optical-dynamic system. Instead of mechanically stopping cells for inspection, the system uses a line scan camera with synchronized scanning that captures images of moving cells, substituting mechanical intervention with optical capture and digital processing

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

2Productivity

If high-speed image acquisition is used to maintain production flow, then productivity is improved, but image processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction speedVSAvoidimage processing system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing images during acquisition and extracting features in real-time as cells pass through the inspection area. This allows the system to prepare and analyze image data before the cell reaches the decision point, reducing the complexity burden during critical inspection moments while maintaining high speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The image processing is segmented into distinct stages: image acquisition by line scan camera, pre-processing, feature extraction, and comparison with standard images. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, managing overall system complexity while enabling high-speed operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4350619B1Method, apparatus and system for inspecting battery cell crush
Publication Date: 2025.11.26 CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY (HONG KONG) LIMITED
  • EP4350619B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4350619B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4350619B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present application relates to a method, apparatus and system for inspecting a cell crush, a computer device, a storage medium, and a computer program product. The method includes: acquiring images of a flowing cell assembly by a high-speed image acquisition device; extracting image features from the images of the cell assembly; performing similarity matching between the image features and a preset crush model to obtain a similarity matching result; and obtaining a cell crush inspection result based on the similarity matching result. Obtaining the cell crush inspection result allows for rapid cell crush inspection.