CA1187939A - Method and system for testing and sorting batteries - Google Patents
Method and system for testing and sorting batteriesInfo
- Publication number
- CA1187939A CA1187939A CA000410638A CA410638A CA1187939A CA 1187939 A CA1187939 A CA 1187939A CA 000410638 A CA000410638 A CA 000410638A CA 410638 A CA410638 A CA 410638A CA 1187939 A CA1187939 A CA 1187939A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- batteries
- battery
- value
- time
- testing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
- B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
- B07C5/3412—Sorting according to other particular properties according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
- B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
- B07C5/344—Sorting according to other particular properties according to electric or electromagnetic properties
Abstract
TITLE:: METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TESTING AND SORTING BATTERIES A method and system for testing and sorting a production run of sheet-like batteries includes: testing each battery to obtain a first value of electrical energy; placing machine readable indicia on each battery corresponding to the first value; retesting each battery after passage of a period of time to obtain a second value of electrical energy machine reading the indicia and computing the rate of decay of electrical energy for each battery as a function of the difference between said first and second values per unit time; and sorting the batteries in accordance with the computed rate of decay to separate those batteries having an acceptable rate of decay from those batteries having too great a rate of decay.
Description
~23(j ~ 7~3~
TITLE: METHOI:) AND SYSTEM FOR T~STING AND
SOI~TING BATT~RIES
`3ACXGROI~D _ rlll, I\'J':NT 10 1 Thls invention rela~es to battery ~es-tlng and sorting. More particularly, it concerns a method for testing individual batteries for anticipated shelf~life and culling those individual batteries which are not acceptable.
In the merchandising o~ most battery powered appliances and the like, it is ac~epted pract.ice to separately packag~ and ret~il the batteries required for use of the appliance. Among the reason~ for this practice are a different manufacturing origin of the appliance and the batteries, different storing, shipping and handlin~ requirements of the appliance and battery, and possible damage to the appliance by defective batteries. Most germane to these reasons and others for separate merchandising of batt r.ies is that the electric charge stored by substantially all batteries deteriorates in time, without use, so that the batteries exhibit a shelf life o~ limited duration whereas the appliance with which ~hey are used will last indefinltely without use if proper storage conditions axe met.
~n exception to the ,practicc of separately mer-chandising batteries and related goods is exemplifled by the merchandising of photographic film for use in electrically powered cameras~ Film packs for use in instant cameras of the type aYalla~le from Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts under the trade designation "POLAROID SX-70 LAND FILM", ~ox example, include a sheet~like battery arranged to be enga~ed by camera supported cont.acts upon insertion of the ~ilm pack into the camera, thus assuring that the camera powering battery is replaced after exposure 3~
a~ld moto:ri~d processing of the l:imitcd n~ml~cL c~ Eilm uni~s supplied w.ith each film pack.
~rhe sheet-like bat~eries u~ed ln ~3uch film ~acks employ materials selected to require storage conditions which correspond ideally with those of the photographic ilm units included in the film pack. Also, the construction of su~h ~atteries has bee~ developed to a poin~ where ~he open cir~uit volt~ge d~cay rate is exceptionally low. In this latter respect, the disclosure of U.S. Pa~ent No. 4,028,479 is illu~trative. I~ spite of the complementary storage condition requireme~ts and constructioll of this type o~
b~ttery, however, the shel~-life characteristi~s of a given bat~ery axe difficul~ to discern at the -time of battery production and often will have a longev.ity ~alling below that of the corresponding shelf-life of the film units with which they are packaged.
To minimize film w~stage as a result of abnormally shox~ battery shelf-life, current procedures used in the manuacture and testing of such batteries involv~ a batch or production run sampling teehni~ue by which the anticipated shelE-life of each batch or run of batteries is ascertained before any o~ the individual b~atteri~s in such a b~tch or run are assembled and packaged with film units in a film packn Specifically, a sampling o~ batteries manufactured in 2S each production run or batch i5 tested immediat~ly upon completion for the volta~e of the stor~d electrical charge, and the voltage of the sample is recorded. Samples are then stored or a p~riod of time, retested or voltaye charge, the retested voltage compared with the original test voltage and the voltage decay rate comput~d to provicle a measurc of 3~
shelf-life. If the shelf~life of th~ sam~ling o~ any batch indicatcs a shelf-life shor~ex than i~ acceptable, the entlre batch or production run correspondinc3 to the sam~lin~3 is discarded ~o insure that only those batches or produc~ion runs o~ batteries exhibiting an acceptable shelf~life will be llsed.
While the present procedures have demonstrated statistical soundness, it has been ~ound khat the shelf-life of individual batteries in a given batch or production run may vary considerably. ~s a result, many of the ~atteries discarded as a result of the batch or production run samplin~
techni~ue are found to exhibit an acceptable shelf life.
Accordingly, current procedures are in need of improvement from ~he standpoint of reducing battery wastage.
SUMMA~Y OF THE INVENTION
~ . u .. . ..
In accordance with the present invention, a battery sort.ing method and system is provided by which each individual bat-tery of a production run is first tested after assen~ly to obtain a first value of electrical energy and forming on each battery ~o tested, machine readable indicia representative o~ both that first value of electrisal energy and the ~ime at which that value was obtained 50 that each battery carries such information. This eliminates dependence upon and coordination of remotely stored information which presents a major problem in large scale manufacturing. An ini~ial sorting of the batteries may be effected immediately following this step to cull batteries falllng below a specified minimum value of stored electrical energy at the time o manufacture.
The batteri~s remaining after this first sorting procedure, assuming such a tirst sorting stcp to be used, or all of the 7~3~
batteries if thc ~irst sortin<J ste~ ls not eTn}?loycd, arc then stored for a period oE time ade~uatc or dct~rminin~ an encrgy dccay ratc for each battary. The ~ime of stora~e ~ y va~y with the structural characteristics of the ba~teries so manufactured, the intended use of the battcries, the accuracy o predicted future decay and also -the sensitivi~y o e~uipment available to detect the value o electrical energy s~ored in aach battery. After storage, each indi-vidual battery o~ the produ~tion run is again tested to obtain a second value of electrical energyO The second test value as well as the time at which it was taken is compared with the first test ~alue and tirne at which it was takenl all as represented by th~ indicia previously printed on each battery, to compute an energy ciecay rate for each battery. The batterie~ are then sorted to cull those having a decay rate in excess of a predetermined maximum decay xate. The re~aining batteries are retained for use on the basis that the shelf-life thereof is acceptable as a projec~ion of the acceptable decay rate computed after the ~0 se~ond tast.
Among the objects of the present invention are~
therefore: the provision of an unique battery sorting method and system by whlch the shelf-life of each battery in a production run may be projacted with a high degree of accuracy; the provision of such a method and system by which defects in manufacture resulting in substandard individual hatteries may be de~ected and substandard individual batteries cul:Led; and ~he provision of such a battery sorting method and systam which is particularly, though not exclusively, adapted for batteries desi~ned to be packayed and merchandised wi:th relatecl goods of predictabla shelf-lifeO
7~3~
Other objects ~nd further ~co~ of a~plicability of the present invention will become appaxent from the detailed description to follow takcn in conjunction with tile accompanying drawings in which like components are designated by l:ike xeference numer~ls.
B~IEF DESCRIPTION QF THE D~W.INGS
Fig. 1 is a schematlc view illustra-ing the system of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a battery or which the soxting ~ethod and system of the present invention is particularly intended; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating in schematic form the organization of a battery testing staticn incorporated in the system of the present invention.
DETAILED DRSCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Although it will be apparent from the detailed desc.ription ~o follow tha~ the testing system and method of the present invention is applicable broadly to all types of batteries, the embodiment to be described is particularly intended fox production run te~;ting and sorting of sheet-like hat~eries typified by the disclosure of th~ aforementione~
U.S. Patent No. 4,028,47g. An example of such a batt~ry is illus~rated most clearly in ~ig. 2 and is generally designated in the drawin~s by the reference numeral 10. A most salient feature of the battery 10 from the standpoint of accom~lodation to the sy~tem and method of ~he present inven~lon, is that in addition to its flat rectangular sheet-like configuration, the terminals 1~ and 14 thereo~ are presented through c>penings lG and 18 in an ext~rior paper or cardboard layer ~0. The outer surface 2~ of the layer 20, coupled with the uniformly 3~
rectangular peripheral configuratiorl or shal~c oL` the battery and o~ ~he layer 20, facilitates the recep~ion of prlnted indicia 24 to be de~cribed in more detail below, in a precisely re~giste.red position relative to the ~e~li.nals 12 and 1~ and to the peripheral edges of the battery~
The batteries 10 are mass produced in batches or runs of several hundred or mo;re individual batterie~. The manufacture or ass mbly of each battery is completed by applica~ion of the cardboard layer 20 to the internal cell structuxe and by a peripheral heat sealing or honding of the 1 ayer 2Q to an insulative la~er or coverin~ (not shown) on the opposite side of the battery from tha layer 20. In accordance with the pr0sent invention and as shown in Fig.
1, eac~ battery 10 is passed upon manufactuxin~ completio by an appropriate dispenser or conveyor (not shown) to a first testing station 2~. ~t the station 26, a value of electrical energy stored in each battery 10 is, for example, obtained by, but not limited to, detecting th~ open clrcuit voltage of each battery. As ~hown in Fig. 3, this voltage i~ detected by a meter 28 having a pair of contact probes or bru~hes 30 and 32 adapted to engage both terminals 12 and 14 of each battery. The meter 28 may be any of several known types of volt meter~ capable of gen~rating a siynal corre~pond.in~ to the open circuit voltage acros~s the probes 30 and 32.
Located at the first station with the meter 28 is a recording device or printer 34. The printer 34 is responsive~
-~o a~d controlled by the me-ter 2~ and is operative to form thc printed indicia 24 directly on the outer surface 22 of the cardboard battery layer 20. As shown in Fig. 1, the prlnte~r 34 33~
is preferably spaced from the battery 10 and is a nvn~cont.lct printer, for examplc, an ink jet printer which esse3ltially exerts no force, or quite ne~ligi~le forc~, on ~he battery since only the ink contacts the battery sur;Eace. The non contact printing eliminates t.he possibility of battery damage due ~o printing and also may easily accommodate a wide variety oE ~attery configurations such as, for example, cylindrical~
While other non-contact printers such as, for example, a laser type will also be applicablc, the ink jet printer is relatively maintenance~ree and provides excellent indicia.
As most clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, the indicia is preerably provided as a bar~half bar code in the form of a series o variable height lines representing a binary or other type encoding capable of representing the preci~e voltage c~etected by the meter 23 in a form which may be sensed or read by machine. Other forms of indica may also be utiliæed, and wh.ile encoded indicia rather than alphanum2rical is preferred fcr xeliability, the latter could also be employed. Hence, the meter 28 and printer 34 provide testi~lg and marking means ?0 ~or providin~ a first value of battery enerly and for placing ~he mea~ured value on each battery in machine readable form.
Further, as noted below, these means also preEerahly dekermine and record the time of measurement as well as other manufac-turing inormation. Conse~uently, the indicia 20 may preferably, but not nec~ssarily, include machine readable information representative o the time at which the voltage :Eor a par~icular hattery 10 wa5 mcasured by the me-ter 28. As will be appreciated by those ski:Lled in the art, an encoded indicia of the type illustrated may include information relative to month, day of the month, hour and minute of each day.
~7--~7~33~
AEter pass.ing the first testing station 26, the batteries 10 may ~e advanced to a first sorting s~ation 36 operat~d undcr the control o~ the first tes-tiny station 26 ~o cull those batteri~s for which the initial voltage detected at ~he station 2~ was below a pr~dletermined acceptable limit.
Each acceptable battery passing the station 36 is rataillcd and passed to a storage station 38.
In practice, the storage station 38 may take a variety of specific forms such as a plurality of maga~ine-like recep~acles for warehouse storag2, or in-line storage bins in which the batteries 10 may be stored for a period o~ time, or delay period, determined in accordance with such factoxs as th¢ anticipated voltage decay rate of the batteries as well as th~ sensitivity of the metering e~uipm~nt u~ed in :L5 the system ~or d~tectiny the open cixcuit voltage for each batkexy. In other words, it is necessaxy only that the ba~teri~s remain at the ~torage station 38 for a period of -time ade~uate to undergo a discernible voltage decay from ~he voltage detected at thP first testing station 26.
2C ~owever, since the purpose i5 to extrapolate or predict from a me~sured decay ~he subsequent time, many months or ycars later, at which the bat~ry energy will fall below a given value/ a reasonable decay period of several weeks is pr~err2d.
~5 A~ter storage, the batteries are again tested by passing them to a secorid testing station 40. A5 suggested by the legend :in Fig. 1 of the drawings, at the station 40 the op~n circuit voltage of each battery 10 is aga1n detected, the voltage xecorded at the first tasting ~tation and repre-scnted by ~he indicia 24 on each hattery 10 is read, th~ kwo '7~3~
voltage readings are compared and the ~olta~e decay rate for each battery computed. Hence the station 40 prvvidcs testing and readin~ means for providi.n~ or obtaining a second value Eor each battery a~ter the time interval/ for reading the original value ~and original test time if provided) and Eor comparlng the first and s2co~d values and computing the ra~e of decay of the battery under tcst.
As above-indicated, the indicia 24 preferably carri~s information as to the time at which khe irst voltage reading was taken at the station 24. The availability o this information on each battery 10 at the second testi~g station 40 provides data by which the voltage decay rate for each battery may be directly computed. In the l~tter case, station 40 compares the two voltage ~alues and also the first and second test time to determine the specific l~n~th of t.ime the batteries 10 were retained between tests.
Alternatively, storage for a ~ixed pe.riod of time might be used in lieu o~ recordin~ the time of the first test voltage. In other words, if the time in~erval hetween each battexy 10 p~ssing the ~irst t~st station 26 and passing the secolld test station A0 was constant, the voltage decay rate could be computed without a need for recording ~he time of the test at the first station 26.
AEter passing the second station A0, the batt~ries are passed th;ouyh a second sorting station 42, which is responsive to and controlled by the test sta-tion 40 and operative to rej~ct those individual batteries 10 for which khe computed decay rate is in excess of a pre-established or acceptable decay xate. Thus, only those batteries wh:ich pass ~rom th~ sorting station 42 to a packaging ~s-tation (not shown) ~g_ .
7~3~
will havt3 a tested decay rate corresponding to ar- acceptable battery shelf-life.
It will be appreciated therefore, tha~ as a result of ~he pxesent inven~-ion, a highly effective ba~tery sorting method and system is provided by which the aforemen~ioned objectives are completely fulilled~ I-t is contemplated that chan~es and/or modifications may be made to ~he embodi~
men~ disclosed herein witllout d~parture from the invention~
Accordingly, it is expressly intended that th~ foxegoing 1~ descxiption is illustrative o a preferred embodlment, not limiting and that the true spirit and scop~ of the invention be determined by reference to the appended claims.
TITLE: METHOI:) AND SYSTEM FOR T~STING AND
SOI~TING BATT~RIES
`3ACXGROI~D _ rlll, I\'J':NT 10 1 Thls invention rela~es to battery ~es-tlng and sorting. More particularly, it concerns a method for testing individual batteries for anticipated shelf~life and culling those individual batteries which are not acceptable.
In the merchandising o~ most battery powered appliances and the like, it is ac~epted pract.ice to separately packag~ and ret~il the batteries required for use of the appliance. Among the reason~ for this practice are a different manufacturing origin of the appliance and the batteries, different storing, shipping and handlin~ requirements of the appliance and battery, and possible damage to the appliance by defective batteries. Most germane to these reasons and others for separate merchandising of batt r.ies is that the electric charge stored by substantially all batteries deteriorates in time, without use, so that the batteries exhibit a shelf life o~ limited duration whereas the appliance with which ~hey are used will last indefinltely without use if proper storage conditions axe met.
~n exception to the ,practicc of separately mer-chandising batteries and related goods is exemplifled by the merchandising of photographic film for use in electrically powered cameras~ Film packs for use in instant cameras of the type aYalla~le from Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts under the trade designation "POLAROID SX-70 LAND FILM", ~ox example, include a sheet~like battery arranged to be enga~ed by camera supported cont.acts upon insertion of the ~ilm pack into the camera, thus assuring that the camera powering battery is replaced after exposure 3~
a~ld moto:ri~d processing of the l:imitcd n~ml~cL c~ Eilm uni~s supplied w.ith each film pack.
~rhe sheet-like bat~eries u~ed ln ~3uch film ~acks employ materials selected to require storage conditions which correspond ideally with those of the photographic ilm units included in the film pack. Also, the construction of su~h ~atteries has bee~ developed to a poin~ where ~he open cir~uit volt~ge d~cay rate is exceptionally low. In this latter respect, the disclosure of U.S. Pa~ent No. 4,028,479 is illu~trative. I~ spite of the complementary storage condition requireme~ts and constructioll of this type o~
b~ttery, however, the shel~-life characteristi~s of a given bat~ery axe difficul~ to discern at the -time of battery production and often will have a longev.ity ~alling below that of the corresponding shelf-life of the film units with which they are packaged.
To minimize film w~stage as a result of abnormally shox~ battery shelf-life, current procedures used in the manuacture and testing of such batteries involv~ a batch or production run sampling teehni~ue by which the anticipated shelE-life of each batch or run of batteries is ascertained before any o~ the individual b~atteri~s in such a b~tch or run are assembled and packaged with film units in a film packn Specifically, a sampling o~ batteries manufactured in 2S each production run or batch i5 tested immediat~ly upon completion for the volta~e of the stor~d electrical charge, and the voltage of the sample is recorded. Samples are then stored or a p~riod of time, retested or voltaye charge, the retested voltage compared with the original test voltage and the voltage decay rate comput~d to provicle a measurc of 3~
shelf-life. If the shelf~life of th~ sam~ling o~ any batch indicatcs a shelf-life shor~ex than i~ acceptable, the entlre batch or production run correspondinc3 to the sam~lin~3 is discarded ~o insure that only those batches or produc~ion runs o~ batteries exhibiting an acceptable shelf~life will be llsed.
While the present procedures have demonstrated statistical soundness, it has been ~ound khat the shelf-life of individual batteries in a given batch or production run may vary considerably. ~s a result, many of the ~atteries discarded as a result of the batch or production run samplin~
techni~ue are found to exhibit an acceptable shelf life.
Accordingly, current procedures are in need of improvement from ~he standpoint of reducing battery wastage.
SUMMA~Y OF THE INVENTION
~ . u .. . ..
In accordance with the present invention, a battery sort.ing method and system is provided by which each individual bat-tery of a production run is first tested after assen~ly to obtain a first value of electrical energy and forming on each battery ~o tested, machine readable indicia representative o~ both that first value of electrisal energy and the ~ime at which that value was obtained 50 that each battery carries such information. This eliminates dependence upon and coordination of remotely stored information which presents a major problem in large scale manufacturing. An ini~ial sorting of the batteries may be effected immediately following this step to cull batteries falllng below a specified minimum value of stored electrical energy at the time o manufacture.
The batteri~s remaining after this first sorting procedure, assuming such a tirst sorting stcp to be used, or all of the 7~3~
batteries if thc ~irst sortin<J ste~ ls not eTn}?loycd, arc then stored for a period oE time ade~uatc or dct~rminin~ an encrgy dccay ratc for each battary. The ~ime of stora~e ~ y va~y with the structural characteristics of the ba~teries so manufactured, the intended use of the battcries, the accuracy o predicted future decay and also -the sensitivi~y o e~uipment available to detect the value o electrical energy s~ored in aach battery. After storage, each indi-vidual battery o~ the produ~tion run is again tested to obtain a second value of electrical energyO The second test value as well as the time at which it was taken is compared with the first test ~alue and tirne at which it was takenl all as represented by th~ indicia previously printed on each battery, to compute an energy ciecay rate for each battery. The batterie~ are then sorted to cull those having a decay rate in excess of a predetermined maximum decay xate. The re~aining batteries are retained for use on the basis that the shelf-life thereof is acceptable as a projec~ion of the acceptable decay rate computed after the ~0 se~ond tast.
Among the objects of the present invention are~
therefore: the provision of an unique battery sorting method and system by whlch the shelf-life of each battery in a production run may be projacted with a high degree of accuracy; the provision of such a method and system by which defects in manufacture resulting in substandard individual hatteries may be de~ected and substandard individual batteries cul:Led; and ~he provision of such a battery sorting method and systam which is particularly, though not exclusively, adapted for batteries desi~ned to be packayed and merchandised wi:th relatecl goods of predictabla shelf-lifeO
7~3~
Other objects ~nd further ~co~ of a~plicability of the present invention will become appaxent from the detailed description to follow takcn in conjunction with tile accompanying drawings in which like components are designated by l:ike xeference numer~ls.
B~IEF DESCRIPTION QF THE D~W.INGS
Fig. 1 is a schematlc view illustra-ing the system of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of a battery or which the soxting ~ethod and system of the present invention is particularly intended; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating in schematic form the organization of a battery testing staticn incorporated in the system of the present invention.
DETAILED DRSCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Although it will be apparent from the detailed desc.ription ~o follow tha~ the testing system and method of the present invention is applicable broadly to all types of batteries, the embodiment to be described is particularly intended fox production run te~;ting and sorting of sheet-like hat~eries typified by the disclosure of th~ aforementione~
U.S. Patent No. 4,028,47g. An example of such a batt~ry is illus~rated most clearly in ~ig. 2 and is generally designated in the drawin~s by the reference numeral 10. A most salient feature of the battery 10 from the standpoint of accom~lodation to the sy~tem and method of ~he present inven~lon, is that in addition to its flat rectangular sheet-like configuration, the terminals 1~ and 14 thereo~ are presented through c>penings lG and 18 in an ext~rior paper or cardboard layer ~0. The outer surface 2~ of the layer 20, coupled with the uniformly 3~
rectangular peripheral configuratiorl or shal~c oL` the battery and o~ ~he layer 20, facilitates the recep~ion of prlnted indicia 24 to be de~cribed in more detail below, in a precisely re~giste.red position relative to the ~e~li.nals 12 and 1~ and to the peripheral edges of the battery~
The batteries 10 are mass produced in batches or runs of several hundred or mo;re individual batterie~. The manufacture or ass mbly of each battery is completed by applica~ion of the cardboard layer 20 to the internal cell structuxe and by a peripheral heat sealing or honding of the 1 ayer 2Q to an insulative la~er or coverin~ (not shown) on the opposite side of the battery from tha layer 20. In accordance with the pr0sent invention and as shown in Fig.
1, eac~ battery 10 is passed upon manufactuxin~ completio by an appropriate dispenser or conveyor (not shown) to a first testing station 2~. ~t the station 26, a value of electrical energy stored in each battery 10 is, for example, obtained by, but not limited to, detecting th~ open clrcuit voltage of each battery. As ~hown in Fig. 3, this voltage i~ detected by a meter 28 having a pair of contact probes or bru~hes 30 and 32 adapted to engage both terminals 12 and 14 of each battery. The meter 28 may be any of several known types of volt meter~ capable of gen~rating a siynal corre~pond.in~ to the open circuit voltage acros~s the probes 30 and 32.
Located at the first station with the meter 28 is a recording device or printer 34. The printer 34 is responsive~
-~o a~d controlled by the me-ter 2~ and is operative to form thc printed indicia 24 directly on the outer surface 22 of the cardboard battery layer 20. As shown in Fig. 1, the prlnte~r 34 33~
is preferably spaced from the battery 10 and is a nvn~cont.lct printer, for examplc, an ink jet printer which esse3ltially exerts no force, or quite ne~ligi~le forc~, on ~he battery since only the ink contacts the battery sur;Eace. The non contact printing eliminates t.he possibility of battery damage due ~o printing and also may easily accommodate a wide variety oE ~attery configurations such as, for example, cylindrical~
While other non-contact printers such as, for example, a laser type will also be applicablc, the ink jet printer is relatively maintenance~ree and provides excellent indicia.
As most clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, the indicia is preerably provided as a bar~half bar code in the form of a series o variable height lines representing a binary or other type encoding capable of representing the preci~e voltage c~etected by the meter 23 in a form which may be sensed or read by machine. Other forms of indica may also be utiliæed, and wh.ile encoded indicia rather than alphanum2rical is preferred fcr xeliability, the latter could also be employed. Hence, the meter 28 and printer 34 provide testi~lg and marking means ?0 ~or providin~ a first value of battery enerly and for placing ~he mea~ured value on each battery in machine readable form.
Further, as noted below, these means also preEerahly dekermine and record the time of measurement as well as other manufac-turing inormation. Conse~uently, the indicia 20 may preferably, but not nec~ssarily, include machine readable information representative o the time at which the voltage :Eor a par~icular hattery 10 wa5 mcasured by the me-ter 28. As will be appreciated by those ski:Lled in the art, an encoded indicia of the type illustrated may include information relative to month, day of the month, hour and minute of each day.
~7--~7~33~
AEter pass.ing the first testing station 26, the batteries 10 may ~e advanced to a first sorting s~ation 36 operat~d undcr the control o~ the first tes-tiny station 26 ~o cull those batteri~s for which the initial voltage detected at ~he station 2~ was below a pr~dletermined acceptable limit.
Each acceptable battery passing the station 36 is rataillcd and passed to a storage station 38.
In practice, the storage station 38 may take a variety of specific forms such as a plurality of maga~ine-like recep~acles for warehouse storag2, or in-line storage bins in which the batteries 10 may be stored for a period o~ time, or delay period, determined in accordance with such factoxs as th¢ anticipated voltage decay rate of the batteries as well as th~ sensitivity of the metering e~uipm~nt u~ed in :L5 the system ~or d~tectiny the open cixcuit voltage for each batkexy. In other words, it is necessaxy only that the ba~teri~s remain at the ~torage station 38 for a period of -time ade~uate to undergo a discernible voltage decay from ~he voltage detected at thP first testing station 26.
2C ~owever, since the purpose i5 to extrapolate or predict from a me~sured decay ~he subsequent time, many months or ycars later, at which the bat~ry energy will fall below a given value/ a reasonable decay period of several weeks is pr~err2d.
~5 A~ter storage, the batteries are again tested by passing them to a secorid testing station 40. A5 suggested by the legend :in Fig. 1 of the drawings, at the station 40 the op~n circuit voltage of each battery 10 is aga1n detected, the voltage xecorded at the first tasting ~tation and repre-scnted by ~he indicia 24 on each hattery 10 is read, th~ kwo '7~3~
voltage readings are compared and the ~olta~e decay rate for each battery computed. Hence the station 40 prvvidcs testing and readin~ means for providi.n~ or obtaining a second value Eor each battery a~ter the time interval/ for reading the original value ~and original test time if provided) and Eor comparlng the first and s2co~d values and computing the ra~e of decay of the battery under tcst.
As above-indicated, the indicia 24 preferably carri~s information as to the time at which khe irst voltage reading was taken at the station 24. The availability o this information on each battery 10 at the second testi~g station 40 provides data by which the voltage decay rate for each battery may be directly computed. In the l~tter case, station 40 compares the two voltage ~alues and also the first and second test time to determine the specific l~n~th of t.ime the batteries 10 were retained between tests.
Alternatively, storage for a ~ixed pe.riod of time might be used in lieu o~ recordin~ the time of the first test voltage. In other words, if the time in~erval hetween each battexy 10 p~ssing the ~irst t~st station 26 and passing the secolld test station A0 was constant, the voltage decay rate could be computed without a need for recording ~he time of the test at the first station 26.
AEter passing the second station A0, the batt~ries are passed th;ouyh a second sorting station 42, which is responsive to and controlled by the test sta-tion 40 and operative to rej~ct those individual batteries 10 for which khe computed decay rate is in excess of a pre-established or acceptable decay xate. Thus, only those batteries wh:ich pass ~rom th~ sorting station 42 to a packaging ~s-tation (not shown) ~g_ .
7~3~
will havt3 a tested decay rate corresponding to ar- acceptable battery shelf-life.
It will be appreciated therefore, tha~ as a result of ~he pxesent inven~-ion, a highly effective ba~tery sorting method and system is provided by which the aforemen~ioned objectives are completely fulilled~ I-t is contemplated that chan~es and/or modifications may be made to ~he embodi~
men~ disclosed herein witllout d~parture from the invention~
Accordingly, it is expressly intended that th~ foxegoing 1~ descxiption is illustrative o a preferred embodlment, not limiting and that the true spirit and scop~ of the invention be determined by reference to the appended claims.
Claims (16)
1. The method of testing and sorting a production run of electric batteries prior to assembly and packaging thereof with related goods to be merchandised with individual batteries of such a production run, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) testing each individual battery of the production run to obtain a first value of electrical energy for each such battery;
(b) forming machine readable indicia on each such battery corresponding to said first value;
(c) storing the batteries after completion of steps (a) and (b);
(d) retesting each of the individual batteries after passage of an elapsed period of time following step (a) to obtain a second value of electrical energy for each battery;
(e) machine reading said indicia and computing, in accordance with said elapsed period of time of each battery, the rate of decay of electrical energy for each individual battery as a function of the difference between said first and second values per unit time; and (f) sorting said batteries in accordance with said computed rate of decay to separate those individual batteries of the production run having a rate of stored energy decay exceeding an acceptable value from those batteries of the same production run having a rate of stored energy decay equal to or lower than said acceptable value.
(a) testing each individual battery of the production run to obtain a first value of electrical energy for each such battery;
(b) forming machine readable indicia on each such battery corresponding to said first value;
(c) storing the batteries after completion of steps (a) and (b);
(d) retesting each of the individual batteries after passage of an elapsed period of time following step (a) to obtain a second value of electrical energy for each battery;
(e) machine reading said indicia and computing, in accordance with said elapsed period of time of each battery, the rate of decay of electrical energy for each individual battery as a function of the difference between said first and second values per unit time; and (f) sorting said batteries in accordance with said computed rate of decay to separate those individual batteries of the production run having a rate of stored energy decay exceeding an acceptable value from those batteries of the same production run having a rate of stored energy decay equal to or lower than said acceptable value.
2. The method of claim 1 including forming, prior to step (c) on each battery,machine readable indicia represen-tative of the time of testing in step (a), and computing in step (c) the elapsed period of time between step (a) and step (d).
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of storing the batteries comprises storing the batteries for variable periods of time.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sorting the batteries after completion of steps (a) and (b) in accordance with the first value of electrical energy to separate those individual batteries having a first value of electrical energy above or below an acceptable range of first values from those batteries having a first value of electrical energy within said acceptable range.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of storing the batteries comprises storing the batteries for a fixed period of time so that said computing of the rate of decay is a function solely of the difference between said first and second values.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of forming machine readable indicia includes forming said indicia by a non-contact printer.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of forming machine readable indicia includes forming said indicia with only negligible force applied to said battery.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of forming said machine readable indicia is provided by directing ink to said battery to form said indicia by means of an ink jet printer.
9. The method of testing and sorting a production run of sheet-like, rectangular electric batteries of the type having terminals presented through an exterior layer receptive to placement of indicia by printing, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) testing each individual battery of the production run to obtain a first value of electrical energy for each such battery;
(b) placing machine readable indicia on said exterior layer of each such battery corresponding to said first value;
(c) storing the batteries after completion of steps (a) and (b);
(d) retesting each of the individual batteries after passage of an elapsed period of time to obtain a second value of electrical energy for each battery;
(e) machine reading said indicia and computing, in accordance with said elapsed period of time of each battery, the rate of decay of electrical energy for each individual battery as a function of the difference between said first and second values per unit time; and (f) sorting said batteries in accordance with said computed rate of decay to separate those individual batteries of the production run having a rate of stored enrgy decay exceeding an acceptable value from those batteries of the same production run having a rate of stored energy decay equal to or lower than said acceptable value.
(a) testing each individual battery of the production run to obtain a first value of electrical energy for each such battery;
(b) placing machine readable indicia on said exterior layer of each such battery corresponding to said first value;
(c) storing the batteries after completion of steps (a) and (b);
(d) retesting each of the individual batteries after passage of an elapsed period of time to obtain a second value of electrical energy for each battery;
(e) machine reading said indicia and computing, in accordance with said elapsed period of time of each battery, the rate of decay of electrical energy for each individual battery as a function of the difference between said first and second values per unit time; and (f) sorting said batteries in accordance with said computed rate of decay to separate those individual batteries of the production run having a rate of stored enrgy decay exceeding an acceptable value from those batteries of the same production run having a rate of stored energy decay equal to or lower than said acceptable value.
10. The method of claim 9 including forming, prior to step (c) on each battery, machine readable indicia representative of the time of testing in step (a), and computing in step (d) the elapsed period of time between step (a) and step (d).
11. A system for testing and sorting a production run of electric batteries prior to assembly and packaging thereof with related goods to be merchandised with individual batteries of such a production run, said system comprising:
testing and marking means for obtaining a first value of electrical energy for each individual battery of the production run and for placing machine readable indicia on each such battery corresponding to said first value;
testing and reading means for obtaining a second value of electrical energy for each battery after an elapsed period of time, for machine reading said indicia and for computing, in accordance with the elapsed period of time of each battery, the rate of decay of electrical energy for each individual battery as a function of the difference between said first and second values per unit time; and means for sorting said batteries in accordance with said computed rate of decay to separate those individual batteries of the production run having a rate of stored energy decay exceeding an acceptable value from those batteries of the same production run having a rate of stored energy decay equal to or lower than said acceptable value.
testing and marking means for obtaining a first value of electrical energy for each individual battery of the production run and for placing machine readable indicia on each such battery corresponding to said first value;
testing and reading means for obtaining a second value of electrical energy for each battery after an elapsed period of time, for machine reading said indicia and for computing, in accordance with the elapsed period of time of each battery, the rate of decay of electrical energy for each individual battery as a function of the difference between said first and second values per unit time; and means for sorting said batteries in accordance with said computed rate of decay to separate those individual batteries of the production run having a rate of stored energy decay exceeding an acceptable value from those batteries of the same production run having a rate of stored energy decay equal to or lower than said acceptable value.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said testing and marking means includes means for also placing machine readable indicia on each battery representative of the time of obtaining said first value and said testing and reading means includes means for reading the time of obtaining said first value and computing the elapsed period of time for each battery.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein said marking means is a non-contact printer spaced from said batteries.
14. The system of claim 11, further including preliminary means, responsive to said means for obtaining a first value, for sorting said batteries in accordance with said obtained first value of electrical energy.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the testing and marking means are juxtaposed at a single station.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein the testing and reading means are juxtaposed at a single station.
Priority Applications (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000410638A CA1187939A (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-02 | Method and system for testing and sorting batteries |
| DE8282304662T DE3275634D1 (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-06 | Method and system for testing and sorting batteries |
| EP82304662A EP0102428B1 (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-06 | Method and system for testing and sorting batteries |
| JP57165183A JPS5961785A (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-24 | Method and device for inspecting and sorting battery of pro-duction lot |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000410638A CA1187939A (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-02 | Method and system for testing and sorting batteries |
| EP82304662A EP0102428B1 (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-06 | Method and system for testing and sorting batteries |
| JP57165183A JPS5961785A (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-24 | Method and device for inspecting and sorting battery of pro-duction lot |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1187939A true CA1187939A (en) | 1985-05-28 |
Family
ID=49640574
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000410638A Expired CA1187939A (en) | 1982-09-02 | 1982-09-02 | Method and system for testing and sorting batteries |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0102428B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5961785A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1187939A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3275634D1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (15)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4607227A (en) * | 1984-01-20 | 1986-08-19 | Ford Motor Company | Open circuit voltage test device |
| EP0469103B1 (en) * | 1990-02-13 | 1994-11-09 | Egapro Ag | Process and device for recuperating used batteries |
| DE4419461B4 (en) * | 1994-06-05 | 2004-08-05 | Massen, Robert, Prof. Dr.-Ing. | Automatic sorting of used batteries |
| JP4048905B2 (en) * | 2002-10-09 | 2008-02-20 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Battery inspection method |
| JP2007227071A (en) * | 2006-02-22 | 2007-09-06 | Noritsu Koki Co Ltd | Plasma generating device and workpiece processing device using same |
| KR101937995B1 (en) | 2015-06-04 | 2019-01-11 | 주식회사 엘지화학 | Test Device for function of Battery Pack |
| CN106684472A (en) * | 2016-12-01 | 2017-05-17 | 惠州市豪鹏科技有限公司 | Electricity-supplementing and sorting method and device for reducing dynamic voltage difference among multiple strings of parallel battery packs |
| CN106807650A (en) * | 2017-01-22 | 2017-06-09 | 江苏安纳金机械有限公司 | A kind of discharge and recharge and the automatic material picking machine and its operation method of dormancy test |
| CN107694967B (en) * | 2017-11-06 | 2024-02-13 | 深圳蓬博精密机械有限公司 | Automatic detecting and sorting equipment for voltage and internal resistance of lithium battery of automobile |
| CN109188288A (en) * | 2018-09-30 | 2019-01-11 | 江西安驰新能源科技有限公司 | A kind of power battery self discharge detection and stepping technique |
| CN109786807B (en) * | 2019-03-11 | 2021-05-18 | 肇庆理士电源技术有限公司 | Storage battery matching system, method and device, computer equipment and storage medium |
| CN110420890B (en) * | 2019-08-09 | 2024-03-22 | 苏州富强科技有限公司 | Full-automatic sorting assembly line |
| CN111701870B (en) * | 2020-06-10 | 2022-01-07 | 浙江浦江中星有限公司 | Simple solar cell sorting machine |
| CN113198737A (en) * | 2021-04-09 | 2021-08-03 | 重庆骏萱新能源科技有限公司 | Rapid detection process for finished battery pack |
| CN113484787B (en) * | 2021-07-27 | 2022-07-29 | 上海理工大学 | Electrochemical impedance spectrum-based rapid sorting and recombining method for retired lithium ion battery |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2884130A (en) * | 1954-06-21 | 1959-04-28 | Bosch Julius | Apparatus for sorting steel plates and the like |
| US3480140A (en) * | 1967-03-24 | 1969-11-25 | Lockheed Aircraft Corp | Testing and sorting apparatus for batteries |
| US3583561A (en) * | 1968-12-19 | 1971-06-08 | Transistor Automation Corp | Die sorting system |
| US3787881A (en) * | 1972-09-18 | 1974-01-22 | Mead Corp | Apparatus and method for bar code printing |
| US4028479A (en) * | 1974-12-26 | 1977-06-07 | Polaroid Corporation | Flat battery |
| US4081743A (en) * | 1976-08-13 | 1978-03-28 | General Electric Company | Cell discharge voltage monitor circuit for cell capacity grading and method for grading |
| DE2904031C2 (en) * | 1979-02-02 | 1984-01-12 | Schmid, Hans A., Dr., 8000 München | Device for spraying bar-shaped color markings onto objects moved relative to the device, as well as a method for spraying color markings with this device |
-
1982
- 1982-09-02 CA CA000410638A patent/CA1187939A/en not_active Expired
- 1982-09-06 EP EP82304662A patent/EP0102428B1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-09-06 DE DE8282304662T patent/DE3275634D1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-09-24 JP JP57165183A patent/JPS5961785A/en active Granted
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE3275634D1 (en) | 1987-04-16 |
| EP0102428A1 (en) | 1984-03-14 |
| JPH0366625B2 (en) | 1991-10-18 |
| JPS5961785A (en) | 1984-04-09 |
| EP0102428B1 (en) | 1987-03-11 |
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