Battery Tab Fold Detection Through Dual-Face Layer Imaging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for detecting tab folding in lithium battery manufacturing are not accurate enough, leading to potential safety hazards and quality issues due to incomplete detection of folded tabs during the winding and stacking processes.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that utilize image analysis by obtaining images of both lateral faces of battery tabs, synthesizing them using a multi-frame image synthesis algorithm, and analyzing characteristic parameters such as curvature, thickness, and direction change trends to determine the number of layers and accurately assess whether the tabs are folded, thereby improving detection accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a single image of one lateral face of tabs is obtained for detection, then the detection process is simple, but the detection accuracy is insufficient to reliably determine tab folding

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoiddetection process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from single-face detection to dual-face detection by obtaining images of both lateral faces of the tabs. This dimensional expansion allows the system to capture folding information from multiple perspectives, significantly improving detection accuracy while managing complexity through systematic image processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If multiple images at different focal lengths are captured and synthesized, then the image definition and layer counting accuracy improve, but the detection time and processing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelayer counting accuracyVSAvoiddetection time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary image synthesis by combining multiple images at different focal lengths into a single high-definition image before analysis. This pre-processing step ensures that the subsequent layer counting and folding detection operate on optimized data, improving accuracy while managing processing time through efficient synthesis algorithms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4166935B1Apparatus and method for detecting tab folding, and image analyzer
Publication Date: 2024.02.14 CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY (HONG KONG) LIMITED
  • EP4166935B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1C
  • EP4166935B1 patent drawingFigure 1D~1F
  • EP4166935B1 patent drawingFigure 1G~1H

AI summary

Embodiments of this application relate to the technical field of batteries, and provide an apparatus and method for detecting tab folds, and an image analyzer. The apparatus for detecting tab folds includes: a first image obtaining module, configured to obtain a first image of a first lateral face of tabs of a battery cell; a second image obtaining module, configured to obtain a second image of a second lateral face of the tabs, where the second lateral face is different from the first lateral face; and an image analyzer, configured to obtain, based on the first image, a first number of layers of the tabs corresponding to the first lateral face, and obtain, based on the second image, a second number of layers of the tabs corresponding to the second lateral face, and determine, based on at least one of the first number of layers or the second number of layers, whether the tabs are in a folded state.