Electrode Tab Inspection with Transparent Guide Openings

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electrode sheet defect inspection devices suffer from inspection errors due to shadows formed by conventional tab guides, leading to incorrect identification of defects during the inspection of tab parts.

Innovation Solution

The device incorporates a tab guide part with a transparent material in its opening region to prevent shadows, ensuring accurate inspection by using upper and lower guide members with transparent components to expose tab parts for defect marking and inspection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a camera is used to photograph the entire surface of a wide-width electrode sheet in one shot, then productivity is improved by reducing the number of shots required, but the inspection device becomes excessively large and costly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinspection speedVSAvoiddevice size
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The electrode sheet surface is divided into multiple regions, each photographed by a separate camera. The cameras capture images of adjacent regions simultaneously, and the images are stitched together to form a complete inspection image. This segmentation approach enables high-speed inspection without requiring a single large camera system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The inspection system transitions from a single-camera approach to a multi-camera array arrangement. By positioning multiple cameras side-by-side with their photographing regions adjacent to each other, the system effectively expands the inspection coverage in the horizontal dimension, achieving wide-area inspection without proportionally increasing device footprint

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

2Area of stationary object

If multiple cameras are arranged side-by-side to photograph adjacent regions, then the photographing width is increased, but misalignment between images causes stitching errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephotographing widthVSAvoidimage alignment accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

A light guide member is introduced as an intermediary element between the cameras and the electrode sheet. This light guide uniformly distributes illumination across the entire inspection region, ensuring consistent lighting conditions in overlapping areas. The uniform lighting eliminates shadows and brightness variations that would otherwise cause errors in image stitching and defect detection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The lighting system is designed to provide homogeneous illumination across all photographing regions. By using a light guide member that distributes light uniformly, the system ensures that each camera receives consistent lighting conditions, which is critical for accurate image stitching and defect identification across the entire electrode sheet surface

Inventive Principle:
Principle #33Homogeneity

3Area of stationary object

If the camera is positioned close to the electrode sheet to capture the entire width, then the photographing width increases, but perspective distortion causes circular defects to appear elliptical

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephotographing widthVSAvoiddefect shape accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using a single camera positioned close to the electrode sheet (which would cause perspective distortion), the system employs multiple cameras positioned at optimized distances. Each camera captures its specific region with minimal distortion, and the local quality of each image is preserved. This approach maintains accurate defect shape representation while achieving wide-area coverage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system resolves the contradiction between wide coverage and low distortion by transitioning from a single-camera close-up approach to a multi-camera array. By distributing multiple cameras across the width of the electrode sheet, each camera can be positioned at an optimal distance that minimizes perspective distortion while collectively covering the entire surface area

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

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Prevents shadows during defect inspection, thereby improving accuracy and reducing erroneous markings, ensuring precise identification of defective tab parts.

Implementation Method 1

a light guide member for guiding light from the light source; a housing for housing the light source and the light guide member in an integrated manner

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight distribution: Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP4478036B1Electrode sheet defect inspection device
Publication Date: 2026.05.06 LG ENERGY SOLUTION LTD
  • EP4478036B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4478036B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4478036B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

An electrode sheet defect inspection device according to one example of the present invention comprise a vision inspection part provided to inspect defects in each tab part during a traveling process of an electrode sheet on which a plurality of tab parts is formed, a marking part printing a defective mark on the tab part determined to be defective, based on inspection information of the vision inspection part, a tab guide part disposed to pass the tab part of the electrode sheet passing through the marking part, having an opening for exposing a partial region of the tab part during traveling to the outside, and provided so that a partial region surrounding the opening is transparent, and a mark inspection part provided to inspect the defective mark indicated on the tab part exposed to the outside through the opening of the tab guide part.