KR102259235B1 - multi-type secondary battery stacking device having vision inspection - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stacker table configured to reciprocate between a first position where a transferred positive electrode plate is loaded and a second position where the transferred negative electrode plate is loaded, and to acquire an image of an area including the positive plate on the upper side and the lower side of the first position The negative plate loading position inspection unit configured to acquire an image of the region including the negative electrode plate from the upper side to the lower side of the second position, and the positive plate loading position inspection unit and the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit. It relates to a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus having a multi-type vision inspection function including an image processing unit configured to determine an error.
The apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery having a multi-type vision inspection function according to the present invention can adjust the inspection area according to the size of the electrode plate, so that the responsiveness to the change in the electrode plate size can be improved. In addition, since the position error can be accurately measured every time the electrode plate is loaded on the stacker table, the occurrence rate of defective electrode assembly can be minimized.

Description

A secondary battery manufacturing device having a multi-type vision inspection function {multi-type secondary battery stacking device having vision inspection}

The present invention relates to a multi-type secondary battery stacking apparatus, and more particularly, to a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus having a multi-type vision inspection function capable of performing a vision inspection even when the electrode plate size is changed.

In general, secondary batteries are batteries that can be used repeatedly through a charging process in the opposite direction to a discharge that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, and the types include nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries and nickel-hydrogen (Ni-MH) batteries. There are a battery, a lithium-metal battery, a lithium-ion (Ni-Ion) battery, and a lithium-ion polymer battery (Li-Ion Polymer Battery).

A secondary battery consists of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrolyte, and a separator, and stores and generates electricity by using the voltage difference between different positive and negative electrode materials. Here, discharging is the movement of electrons from the high-voltage negative electrode to the low-voltage positive electrode (electricity is generated as much as the voltage difference between the positive electrodes), and charging is the movement of electrons from the positive electrode to the negative electrode again. It returns to the original metal oxide. That is, when the secondary battery is charged, a charging current flows as metal atoms move from the positive electrode to the negative electrode through the separator. Conversely, when the secondary battery is discharged, the metal atoms move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode and a discharge current flows.

On the other hand, when manufacturing such a secondary battery, it can be divided into a method of manufacturing by winding and a stacking method. Among them, the stacking method is a method of manufacturing an electrode assembly by alternately stacking positive and negative plates cut to a predetermined size. In this regard, Korean Patent Registration No. 1421847 (published on May 31, 2012) is disclosed.

However, this prior art has a problem in that the production efficiency is lowered due to the same lamination operation despite the change in the size of the electrode plate due to the conversion of the production model.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 1421847 (published on May 31, 2012)

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery having a multi-type vision inspection function that can easily perform a vision inspection even when a model is changed by solving the problems of the conventional secondary battery manufacturing apparatus described above. .

As a means of solving the above problem, a stacker table configured to reciprocate between a first position in which the transferred positive plate is loaded and a second position in which the transferred negative plate is loaded, an image of an area including the positive plate at the lower side of the first position The positive plate loading position inspection unit configured to acquire, the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit and positive plate loading position inspection unit and the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit configured to acquire an image of the region including the negative plate from the upper side to the lower side of the second position. Thus, a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus including an image processing unit configured to determine a loading position error may be provided.

On the other hand, the image processing unit may be configured to set one point of the stacker table as a reference point in the obtained electrode plate loading image, and to determine the loading position error of the positive electrode plate or the negative electrode plate loaded on the stacker table.

On the other hand, the stacker table further includes a reference part recognizable by the positive plate loading position inspection unit and the negative plate loading position inspection unit, and the image processing unit extracts the central coordinates of the reference part from the electrode plate loading image, and sets the central coordinates of the reference part as the reference point can be set to

On the other hand, it may further include a control unit configured to control the display unit and the stacker table configured to display the electrode plate loading image, the positive plate loading position inspection unit, the negative plate loading position inspection unit, the image processing unit and the display unit.

In addition, the image processing unit may process the image to be displayed by blending the electrode plate loading image and the loading position error.

On the other hand, the control unit may be configured to be displayed on the display unit when the loading position error exceeds a predetermined range.

Furthermore, the control unit may be configured to temporarily stop the loading operation of the electrode plate when the loading position error exceeds a predetermined range.

In addition, when the loading position error exceeds a predetermined range, the control unit may be configured to temporarily stop the electrode plate loading operation after the stacking operation of the currently stacked secondary battery is completed.

On the other hand, a first vision inspection unit configured to inspect the appearance and position of the positive electrode plate loaded on the first electrode plate alignment unit before transferring the positive electrode plate to the first position and the second electrode plate alignment unit before transferring the negative electrode plate to the second position It may further include a second vision inspection unit configured to inspect the appearance and position of the positive electrode plate loaded on the.

In addition, each of the first vision inspection unit and the second vision inspection unit consists of a first alignment camera and a second alignment camera that acquires an image including the edges of the positive or negative plate, and the tab of the positive or negative plate and the defect of the electrode plate can be checked with an image It may include a fault detection camera.

Meanwhile, each of the first vision inspection unit and the second vision inspection unit may further include a camera position adjusting unit configured to adjust the photographing positions of the first alignment camera and the second alignment camera.

Furthermore, the camera position adjustment unit adjusts the positions of the first alignment camera, the second alignment camera and the defect detection camera in the x-axis camera position adjustment unit and the y-axis direction configured to adjust the position of the second alignment camera in the x-axis direction. It may include a y-axis camera position adjustment unit configured to be able to.

Meanwhile, when the sizes of the positive and negative plates are different, the photographing position may be adjusted by driving the positions of the x-axis camera position adjusting unit and the y-axis camera position adjusting unit corresponding to the sizes.

On the other hand, the first alignment camera and the second alignment camera are configured to photograph toward the still downward direction, and the defect detection camera may be configured to photograph vertically downward and at a predetermined angle.

The apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery having a multi-type vision inspection function according to the present invention can adjust the inspection area according to the size of the electrode plate, so that the responsiveness to the change in the electrode plate size can be improved. In addition, since the position error can be accurately measured every time the electrode plate is loaded on the stacker table, the occurrence rate of defective electrode assembly can be minimized.

1 is a view showing the concept of secondary battery stacking.
2 is a perspective view illustrating an electrode assembly having different sizes for each model.
3 is a perspective view of a vision inspection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view of a vision inspection unit module.
5 is an operation state diagram of the vision inspection unit module.
6 is a diagram illustrating a concept in which an inspection area is adjusted.
7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the concept of the loading position inspection unit.
8 is a plan view illustrating a stacker table and stacked electrodes.
9 is a view showing a photographing area of the loading position inspection unit.
10 is a conceptual diagram of processing the image acquired by the loading position inspection unit.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery having a multi-type vision inspection function according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. And in the description of the embodiments below, the name of each component may be called another name in the art. However, if they have functional similarity and identity, even if a modified embodiment is employed, it can be regarded as an equivalent configuration. In addition, the code added to each component is described for convenience of description. However, the contents shown in the drawings in which these symbols are indicated do not limit each component to the range within the drawings. Similarly, even if an embodiment in which the configuration in the drawings is partially modified is employed, if there is functional similarity and sameness, it can be regarded as an equivalent configuration. In addition, in view of the level of a general engineer in the art, if it is recognized as a component to be included of course, a description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a view showing the concept of secondary battery stacking. As shown, the production of the electrode assembly 1000 (or jelly roll) is produced by stacking the electrode plates 2000 with one separator 5000 as a boundary, a positive electrode plate 3000 on one side, and a negative electrode plate 3000 on the other side. This is done by placing The secondary battery electrode plate stacking apparatus, for example, puts down the positive electrode plate 3000 and covers the separator 5000 , then puts down the negative electrode plate 3000 and repeatedly performs an operation of covering the separator 5000 over it, thereby forming several tens to hundreds of layers. It is possible to create an electrode assembly made of.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a secondary battery electrode assembly 1000 configured in different sizes for each model. The present invention is configured to produce various types of electrode assemblies 1000 shown in FIG. 2 . Each model may be configured differently in the size of the electrode plate 2000, in particular, the area in the plane direction. The secondary battery stacking apparatus according to the present invention is equipped with size responsiveness of the electrode plate 2000 as the type of electrode assembly is changed, thereby maximizing production efficiency.

On the other hand, although not shown, the secondary battery stacking device is equipped with a pole plate pickup and place device, a vision inspection device, a stacker table, a loading position inspection unit, and a separator supply device separately from the pole plate transfer path based on the order in which the pole plates are transported. In addition, the tension and edge position control device of the separation membrane may be provided.

Hereinafter, the vision inspection apparatus 500 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 .

3 is a perspective view of a vision inspection apparatus 500 that is another embodiment according to the present invention. As shown, the vision inspection apparatus 500 inspects the presence or absence of a defect before transferring the electrode plate 2000 to the stacker table, and if it is defective, it helps to discharge the defective electrode plate 2000 through a separate movement path. In addition, by detecting the position where the electrode plate 2000 is seated, it helps to align the position or posture when necessary. The vision inspection apparatus 500 may include a first vision inspection unit 510 for inspecting the transferred positive electrode plate 2000 and a second vision inspection unit 520 for inspecting the transferred negative electrode plate 2000 . However, since the second vision inspection unit 520 is configured symmetrically with the first vision inspection unit 510 and may include the same components 521 , 522 , 523 , 524 , and 525 , a description thereof will be omitted and the first vision inspection unit ( 510) will be described in detail. As shown, in the first vision inspection unit 510, the electrode plate 2000 (positive plate 3000 or negative plate 4000) is seated on the upper surface of the alignment device 400, and the seated electrode plate 2000 is moved from the upper side to the lower side. It is configured so that vision inspection can be performed while looking in the direction. Meanwhile, the first vision inspection unit and the second vision inspection unit may be controlled by the controller.

4 is a perspective view of a vision inspection unit module; As shown, the first vision inspection unit 510 module includes a first alignment camera 511 , a second alignment camera 512 , a defect detection camera 513 , an x-axis camera position adjustment unit 514 , and a y-axis camera. It may be configured to include a position adjustment unit 515 and an image analysis unit (not shown).

The first alignment camera 511 is configured to be photographed while looking vertically downward, and is configured to capture the position of the current electrode plate 2000 by photographing some corners of the edges of the electrode plate 2000 .

The second alignment camera 512 is configured to be photographed while looking vertically downward like the first alignment camera 511 , and is configured to photograph a corner parallel to the corner photographed by the first alignment camera 511 . That is, the first alignment camera 511 and the second alignment camera 512 simultaneously perform imaging at points spaced apart by the length of the electrode plate 2000 on the same line.

The defect detection camera 513 is configured to photograph the upper surface of the electrode plate 2000 to determine whether there is a defect. The defect detection camera 513 is configured to photograph an area including the entire pole plate 2000, and the TAB formed on one side of the pole plate 2000 may also be configured to have a viewing angle that can be confirmed in the image.

The defect detection camera 513 is provided between the first alignment camera 511 and the second alignment camera 512 , and a predetermined distance from the virtual line connecting the first alignment camera 511 and the second alignment camera 512 . It can be installed at spaced points. This corresponds to the size of the electrode plate 2000, which will be described later, when the first alignment camera 511 and the second alignment camera 512 are in close contact when the small electrode plate 2000 is photographed. Interference caused by the defect detection camera 513 is eliminated. to avoid The defect detection camera 513 is configured to photograph the entire pole plate 2000 at an angle to the vertical downward direction.

The x-axis camera position adjustment unit 514 is configured to change the position of the corner photographing position in response to the change in the length of the pole plate 2000 by changing the model of the pole plate 2000 . The x-axis camera position adjustment unit 514 is configured to move the second alignment camera 512 in the x direction. The x-axis camera position adjusting unit 514 may be configured to include a linear guide and a driving unit for moving in the x-axis direction, but since this is a generally widely used configuration, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The y-axis camera position adjustment unit 515 is configured to change the corner photographing position in response to a change in the width of the pole plate 2000 due to a change in the model of the pole plate 2000 . When the width of the electrode plate 2000 is changed, the first alignment camera 511 , the second alignment camera 512 , and the defect detection camera 513 are configured to be simultaneously moved in the y-axis direction. The y-axis camera position adjusting unit 515 may be configured to include a linear guide and a driving unit for moving in the y-axis direction, but since this is a generally widely used configuration, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Meanwhile, although not shown, an image processing unit configured to analyze images obtained from the first alignment camera 511 , the second alignment camera 512 , and the defect detection camera 513 may be provided. The image processing unit may determine the presence or absence of a defect from the acquired image or calculate a position error to provide a reference value for the operation of the hand or the operation of the alignment device 400 . In addition, the image processing unit is configured to correct the distortion generated therefrom because the image obtained from the defect detection camera 513 is a result obtained by taking an angle with the electrode plate 2000 .

5 is an operation state diagram of the vision inspection unit module. As shown in Fig. 5 (a), when only the length of the electrode plate 2000 to be inspected is increased, the x-axis camera position adjustment unit is driven to move the second alignment camera 512 in the x-axis direction to position the pole plate 2000 so as to photograph the corner. Control. In addition, when the width of the electrode plate 2000 is widened as shown in FIG. 5( b ), the width direction position of the first alignment camera 511 , the second alignment camera 512 and the defect detection camera 513 , that is, in the y-axis direction. After moving, the position is adjusted so that the image can be acquired from the center part.

6 is a diagram illustrating a concept in which an inspection area is adjusted. In this figure, in order to help the understanding of the concept of position adjustment, the inspection positions of the positive electrode plate 2000 and the negative electrode plate 2000 are symmetrically adjusted. In this drawing, there are a first vision inspection unit 510 and a second vision inspection unit 520 for inspecting the positive electrode plate 2000 and the negative electrode plate 2000, respectively, but since they are configured symmetrically with each other, only one vision inspection unit will be described. . When the size of the electrode plate 2000 is large as shown in FIG. 6( a ), the first photographing area t1 photographed by the first alignment camera 511 and the second photographing area photographed by the second alignment camera 512 . (t2) is shown. When the size of the electrode plate 2000 becomes somewhat smaller as shown in FIG. 6(b), the x-direction position of the first alignment camera 511 module disposed adjacent to the axis of symmetry does not change, but the second alignment camera 512 module is The first alignment camera 511 is disposed to move toward the module side in the x direction. Thereafter, both edges of the electrode plate 2000 are photographed. In addition, when the electrode plate 2000 is determined to be the smallest size as shown in FIG. 6( c ), the first alignment camera 511 module and the second alignment camera 512 module to photograph both edges of each electrode plate 2000 . The gap between them becomes narrower. Meanwhile, although not shown, when it is necessary to adjust the photographing position in the y-direction, as described above, the y-axis camera position adjusting unit 515 is driven to adjust the overall y-axis direction photographing position.

Hereinafter, the loading position inspection unit 700 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8 .

The secondary battery assembly 1000 manufactured in the stack type enters a separate inspection unit (not shown) to inspect whether the product is good or not, and performs a final inspection. However, when a defective battery assembly is continuously generated due to a position error during stacking, for example, a position error of the alignment device 400, it is continuously until the user recognizes the first defective battery assembly and stops the operation of the equipment. There is a problem that defective products are produced. The loading position inspection unit 700 of the present invention is configured to solve this problem and immediately check the position where the electrode plate is loaded on the stacker table 600 whenever the electrode plate is stacked.

7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the concept of the loading position inspection unit 700 . As shown, the loading position inspection unit 700 is configured as a pair to check the position of the electrode plate loaded from the upper side of the stacker table 600 .

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the operation of any one of the loading position inspection units 700 will be described. On the other hand, the operation of the other loading position inspection unit 700 may also be performed in the same manner. The loading position inspection unit 700 may operate in conjunction with the display unit, the image processing unit, and the control unit.

8 is a plan view showing the stacker table 600 and the stacked electrode plate. On the other hand, since the loading position inspection unit 700 in this embodiment may also be configured symmetrically as described above, an example of inspection based on the positive electrode plate 3000 will be described.

The loading position inspection unit 700 is configured to acquire an image of the region including the separator 5000 and the positive electrode plate 3000 , and the image processing unit (not shown) extracts the relative position of the electrode plate based on the stacker table 600 to position to determine the degree of error.

9 is a view illustrating a photographing area of the loading position inspection unit 700 , and FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of processing an image acquired by the loading position inspection unit 700 .

As shown, in the acquired image, when the stacker table 600 is viewed from the upper side, an image of a region including a partial configuration of the stacker table 600 and the separator 5000 and the positive electrode plate 3000 is acquired.

The image processing unit selects any one of the mechanical configurations of the stacker table 600 that can be checked in the image as the reference unit 720 as shown in FIG. 9 and extracts the position, and from this, the position where the positive electrode plate 3000 should be placed is determined. It is configured to extract and calculate the error with the current position. Here, the center coordinate of the reference unit 720 is set as a reference point, and the current position is extracted therefrom. That is, it is configured to relatively determine the position error in which the electrode plate is loaded with the mechanical element of the stacker table 600 . In this configuration, even when the reciprocating position of the stacker table 600 is changed due to a change in the size of the pole plate, a reference point can be extracted from the image and the position of the pole plate can be relatively determined. However, although the reference unit 720 is set as some grooves formed in the holder of the stacker table 600, any one of the configurations that can be checked in the image may be selected.

The control unit may function to blend and display the result value obtained by extracting the image obtained from the loading position inspection unit 700, the reference point, and the position error. The controller may issue a command to the image processing unit to extract data from the image. In addition, the control unit may display the extracted data, ie, when the position error of the electrode plate exceeds a predetermined range, on the display unit to notify the user.

In addition, the control unit may immediately stop the operation of the secondary battery stacking device to take measures to prevent the production of additional defective products. In this case, the control unit may determine the operation stop time based on one pole plate assembly 1000, and may determine the operation stop time based on one pole plate.

On the other hand, if a single position error corresponds to the user's judgment, it is checked and the entire system is restarted to perform stacking of secondary batteries again.

The apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery having a multi-type vision inspection function according to the present invention can adjust the inspection area according to the size of the electrode plate, so that the responsiveness to the change in the electrode plate size can be improved. In addition, since the position error can be accurately measured every time the electrode plate is loaded on the stacker table, the occurrence rate of defective electrode assembly can be minimized.

1000: electrode assembly
2000: pole plate
3000: positive plate
4000: negative plate
5000: separator
500: vision inspection device
510: first vision inspection unit
511: first alignment camera
512: second alignment camera
513: defect detection camera
514: x-axis camera position control unit
515: y-axis camera position control unit
520: second vision inspection unit
700: loading position inspection unit
710: inspection area
720: reference part

Claims (14)

a stacker table configured to reciprocate between a first position in which the transferred positive plate is loaded and a second position in which the transferred negative plate is loaded;
a positive electrode plate loading position inspection unit configured to acquire an image of a region including the positive electrode plate on the lower side from the upper side of the first position;
a negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit configured to acquire an image of an area including the negative electrode plate on the lower side from the upper side of the second position;
an image processing unit configured to analyze the electrode plate loading image obtained from the positive plate loading position inspection unit and the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit to determine a loading position error;
a first vision inspection unit configured to inspect the appearance and position of the positive electrode plate loaded on the first electrode plate alignment unit before transferring the positive electrode plate to the first position;
a second vision inspection unit configured to inspect the appearance and position of the positive electrode plate loaded on the second electrode plate alignment unit before transferring the negative electrode plate to the second position; and
When it is determined that the sizes of the positive and negative plates to be laminated are changed,
Control to update the inspection area by extracting the center coordinates of the reference part of the stacker table from the positive plate loading position inspection unit and the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit,
and a controller for controlling the positions of the positive plate loading position inspection unit, the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit, the first vision inspection unit, and the second vision inspection unit. The method of claim 1,
The image processing unit sets a point of the stacker table as a reference point in the obtained electrode plate loading image and is configured to determine the loading position error of the positive electrode plate or the negative electrode plate loaded on the stacker table Secondary characterized in that it is configured battery manufacturing equipment. The method of claim 2,
The reference part is
It is configured to be recognizable by the positive plate loading position inspection unit and the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit,
The image processing unit extracts the central coordinates of the reference part from the electrode plate loading image, and sets the central coordinates of the reference part as the reference point. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a display unit configured to display the electrode plate loading image,
The controller is configured to control the stacker table, the positive electrode plate loading position inspection unit, the negative electrode plate loading position inspection unit, the image processing unit, and the display unit. The method of claim 4,
The apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery, characterized in that the image processing unit processes the image so as to be displayed by blending the electrode plate loading image and the loading position error. The method of claim 5,
The control unit,
Secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that configured to be displayed on the display unit when the loading position error exceeds a predetermined range. The method of claim 6,
The control unit, Secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that configured to temporarily stop the loading operation of the electrode plate when the loading position error exceeds a predetermined range. The method of claim 6,
The control unit,
Secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that configured to temporarily stop the electrode plate loading operation after the stacking operation of the currently stacked secondary battery is completed when the loading position error exceeds a predetermined range. delete The method of claim 1,
Each of the first vision inspection unit and the second vision inspection unit,
a first alignment camera and a second alignment camera for acquiring an image including edges of the positive plate or the negative plate;
and a defect detection camera configured to check the defects of the tab and the electrode plate of the positive plate or the negative plate in an image. The method of claim 10,
Each of the first vision inspection unit and the second vision inspection unit,
Secondary battery manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a camera position adjusting unit configured to adjust the photographing positions of the first alignment camera and the second alignment camera. The method of claim 11,
The camera position control unit,
an x-axis camera position adjusting unit configured to adjust the position of the second alignment camera in the x-axis direction; and
and a y-axis camera position adjusting unit configured to adjust the positions of the first alignment camera, the second alignment camera, and the defect detection camera in the y-axis direction. The method of claim 12,
When the size of the positive plate and the negative plate is different, the apparatus for manufacturing a secondary battery, characterized in that the photographing position is adjusted by driving the positions of the x-axis camera position adjusting unit and the y-axis camera position adjusting unit corresponding to the sizes. The method of claim 13,
The first alignment camera and the second alignment camera are configured to photograph still downward,
The defect detection camera is a secondary battery manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that it is configured to shoot vertically downward and at a predetermined angle.

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