Electrode Assembly Optical Inspection for Non-Destructive Defect Detection

The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection methods with an automated optical inspection system using lasers and cameras. The laser irradiation unit emits light that reflects off the electrode assembly surfaces, and the image acquisition unit captures these reflections to automatically detect defects like miswinding and alignment issues, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual destruction inspection.

The patent creates optical copies (images) of the electrode assembly surfaces through laser irradiation and camera capture. These digital images serve as replicas that can be analyzed automatically by the processor to detect defects, allowing thorough inspection without physically destroying the battery or requiring manual examination time.

The patent employs inexpensive laser light sources and standard imaging cameras instead of expensive X-ray or CT scanning equipment. The laser beams and captured images are transient optical phenomena that can be generated and discarded repeatedly at low cost, providing non-destructive inspection capability without the high equipment costs of radiographic methods.

The patent substitutes complex radiographic imaging systems (X-ray/CT) with a simpler optical imaging system using lasers and cameras. This replacement maintains the non-destructive inspection capability while dramatically reducing equipment complexity and cost by using everyday optical components instead of specialized medical or industrial imaging machinery.

The patent divides the inspection system into distinct functional modules: a laser irradiation unit for emitting light, an image acquisition unit for capturing reflections, and a processor for analyzing images. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, enabling automated high-speed inspection while keeping individual components relatively simple and manageable.

The patent designs the optical inspection system to perform multiple inspection functions (detecting miswinding, alignment issues, surface defects) using the same basic laser-and-camera apparatus. This multi-functionality increases productivity by eliminating the need for separate specialized equipment for each defect type, thereby improving inspection speed without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.