KR102675844B1 - Battery Cell Manufacturing Apparatus and Control Method Thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and a control method thereof.
A battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case supply line for supplying a battery case having a receiving groove; An electrode assembly transfer device that transfers the electrode assembly onto the receiving groove; an image capture device that is spaced horizontally and heightwise from the case supply line and acquires an image; and a controller that identifies at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position and whether the electrode assembly is placed to face the forward direction, based on the captured image.

Description

Battery cell manufacturing apparatus and control method thereof {Battery Cell Manufacturing Apparatus and Control Method Thereof}

The present invention relates to a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and a control method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and a control method thereof that can accurately seat an electrode assembly on a battery case so that the electrode assembly faces the positive direction at the correct position.

The content described in this section simply provides background information about the present invention and does not constitute prior art.

Secondary batteries are energy storage materials that can be charged and discharged through reversible conversion between chemical energy and electrical energy. Their energy density is very high and they are used in digital cameras, mobile phones, laptops, electric vehicles, etc.

Representative types of secondary batteries include lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, and nickel hydrogen batteries. A unit secondary battery cell, that is, a unit battery cell, provides a voltage of approximately 2.5V to 4.6V. Therefore, if a higher voltage is required, a battery pack is formed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. To increase battery capacity, multiple battery cells are connected in parallel. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack and their connection types can be set according to the required voltage and capacity.

Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a pouch-type battery cell 1. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the manufacturing process of the pouch-type battery cell 1. The illustrated pouch-type battery cell 1 may be understood as a type of battery cell described above. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the pouch-type battery cell 1 includes an electrode assembly 20 provided with an electrode tab (not shown) and an electrode lead 25 welded to the electrode tab, and the electrode assembly 20. It includes a battery case 10 that accommodates. At least a portion of the two electrode leads 25 are exposed to the outside of the battery case 10. Electrode tabs are disposed on mutually opposite ends of the electrode assembly 20, and electrode leads 25 are connected to each electrode tab.

Referring to FIG. 2, the battery case 10 has a lower case 11 and an upper case 12 that covers the lower case 11. At least one of the lower case 11 and the upper case 12 has a receiving groove (G) fitted with the electrode assembly 20 to accommodate the electrode assembly 20. After storing the electrode assembly 20 in the receiving groove (G) of the battery case 10, the lower case 11 is covered with the upper case 12, and each case 11 and 12 are placed along the edge of the battery case 10. ) The pouch-type battery cell (1) is manufactured by heat-sealing them to each other.

However, there are cases where the electrode assembly 10 is not properly seated in the battery case 20 in the correct position facing the positive direction due to vibration caused by external force applied to the battery cell manufacturing apparatus. In this case, due to the electrode lead 25 being twisted, complete sealing of the battery case 10 may not be achieved during the heat fusion process, and the heat fusion may not be performed at the correct location, resulting in damage to the inner coating layer of the battery case 10, resulting in insulation. Defects may occur. In addition, there is a problem that a connection failure is likely to occur between the electrode leads 25 of a plurality of battery cells, and as a result, the secondary battery may not be charged or discharged smoothly or a fire may occur.

Therefore, the present invention was made to solve the problems of the prior art, and provides a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and a control method thereof that can accurately seat the electrode assembly on the battery case so that the electrode assembly faces the positive direction at the correct position. It is for.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case supply line for supplying a battery case having a receiving groove; An electrode assembly transfer device that transfers the electrode assembly onto the receiving groove; An imager that is spaced apart from the case supply line in the horizontal and height directions and acquires an image by imaging the battery case and the electrode assembly on the battery case; And based on the captured image, it includes a controller that identifies at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position on the receiving groove and whether the electrode assembly is placed to face the positive direction determined based on the opposing direction of the battery case. do.

In response to the electrode assembly not being placed in the correct position, the controller may control the electrode assembly transporter to translate the electrode assembly into the correct position.

The electrode assembly transporter has a rotary joint and is configured to rotate the electrode assembly. In response to the fact that the electrode assembly does not face the forward direction, the controller may control the electrode assembly transporter to rotate the electrode assembly.

It further includes an error display unit that displays error information according to a signal received from the controller, and the controller can control the error display unit so that the error display unit displays error information in response to the electrode assembly not being placed in the correct position.

Additionally, the controller may control the error display unit so that the error display unit displays error information in response to the fact that the electrode assembly does not face the positive direction.

It further includes a first marker provided at a specific position of the electrode assembly to facilitate identification of the specific position of the electrode assembly, and based on the position of the first marker on the image, whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position, and The controller may identify at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed facing the forward direction.

It further includes a second marker provided at a specific position of the battery case to facilitate identification of the specific position of the battery case, and based on the position of the second marker on the captured image, whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position, and The controller may identify at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed facing the forward direction.

A battery cell manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a battery case supply line; An electrode assembly transfer device that transfers the electrode assembly onto the receiving groove of the battery case; And a control method of a battery cell manufacturing apparatus including an imager that is spaced apart in the horizontal and height directions from the battery case supply line and acquires an image by imaging the battery case and the electrode assembly on the battery case, comprising the steps of receiving the captured image ( S110); And based on the captured image, identifying at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position on the receiving groove and whether the electrode assembly is placed to face the positive direction determined based on the opposing direction of the battery case (S120) ) includes.

It may further include controlling the electrode assembly transporter based on the captured image (S130).

When it is determined that the electrode assembly is not in the correct position, S130 may include a step (S131) of controlling the electrode assembly transporter to upwardly translate the electrode assembly to the correct position.

S130 may include a step (S132) of controlling the electrode assembly transporter to rotate the electrode assembly when it is determined that the electrode assembly does not face the forward direction.

According to the present invention, a battery cell manufacturing apparatus and a control method thereof are provided that can accurately seat an electrode assembly on a battery case so that the electrode assembly faces the positive direction at the correct position.

Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a pouch-type battery cell. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the manufacturing process of a pouch-type battery cell.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram showing the electrode assembly being seated in the battery case by the battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.
Figure 5 shows an exemplary imaging area of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling a battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Spatially relative terms such as “below”, “beneath”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, etc. are used as a single term as shown in the drawing. It can be used to easily describe the correlation between components and other components. Spatially relative terms should be understood as terms that include different directions of components during use or operation in addition to the directions shown in the drawings. Components can also be oriented in different directions, so spatially relative terms can be interpreted according to orientation.

In this specification, when a part is connected to another part, this includes not only the case where it is directly connected, but also the case where it is connected with another element in between. Additionally, when it is said that a part includes a certain component, this does not mean that other components are excluded, but that it may further include other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

In this specification, terms such as first, second, and third may be used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by the terms. Terms are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component may be named a second or third component, etc., and similarly, the second or third component may also be named alternately.

<Battery cell manufacturing equipment>

The battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a case supply line, an electrode assembly transporter, an imager, and a controller. The case supply line transports battery cases having receiving grooves along the supply path. The electrode assembly transfer device transfers the electrode assembly onto the receiving groove. The imager is spaced apart from the supply line in the horizontal and height directions and acquires an image by capturing the battery case and the electrode assembly on the battery case. The controller identifies at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position on the receiving groove and whether the electrode assembly is placed to face the positive direction determined based on the opposing direction of the battery case based on the captured image. Here, the fixed position refers to a position relative to the position of the battery case, which is a preset position taking into account the gap between the receiving groove and the electrode assembly. Likewise, here, the positive direction refers to a direction relative to the opposing direction of the battery case, which is a preset direction taking into account the gap between the receiving groove and the electrode assembly. The battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can identify whether the electrode assembly is accurately seated on the receiving groove based on the captured image.

Hereinafter, a battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the electrode assembly 20 being seated on the battery case 10 by the battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. Figure 5 shows an exemplary imaging area (A) of the present invention. The battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is used for manufacturing a battery cell having an electrode assembly 20 of the same form as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and a battery case 10 having a receiving groove (G) of a corresponding shape. Although it can be used effectively, the shapes of the electrode assembly 20 and the battery case 10 assembled by the battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention are not particularly limited. For example, the battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can be used to assemble an electrode assembly in which a pair of electrodes are arranged side by side on one side, and a battery case having a receiving groove of a corresponding shape.

Referring to FIG. 3, the battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case supply line 110, an electrode assembly transporter 120, an imager 130, and a controller 150.

The case supply line 110 supplies the battery case 10 having a receiving groove (G). The case supply line 110 is a molding machine 112 that produces the battery case 10 by forming a receiving groove (G) in a pouch sheet (not shown), and the battery case 10 is directed to the electrode assembly transfer machine 120. It may include a conveyor 111 for transferring. However, the case supply line 110 is sufficient to supply the battery case 10 and does not necessarily include the molding machine 112.

The battery case 10 supplied by the case supply line 110 is connected to the lower case 11 so as to cover the lower case 11 after the lower case 11 and the electrode assembly 20 are seated on the lower case 11. It may have an upper case 12 that is provided integrally with the. The lower case 11 and the upper case 12 each have a receiving groove (G) in which the electrode assembly 20 is accommodated. In the drawing, a receiving groove (G) of approximately rectangular shape is illustrated, but the shape of the receiving groove (G) is not limited thereto and may further include, for example, a protrusion corresponding to the shape of the electrode tab of the electrode assembly 20. there is.

The electrode assembly transferor 120 transfers the electrode assembly 20 onto the receiving groove (G). The electrode assembly transferer 120 may be configured to perform an operation of transferring the electrode assembly 20 onto the receiving groove (G) and then seating the electrode assembly 20 into the receiving groove (G). The electrode assembly transporter 120 includes a holding device 121 that holds the electrode assembly 20, and a power transmission device connected to the holding device 121 to translate the holding device 121 and the electrode assembly 20 together. , and may include a rotation joint for rotating the holding device 121. The electrode assembly transfer device 120 in the drawing is configured to hold the electrode assembly 20 from both sides, but the configuration of the electrode assembly 20 is not particularly limited as long as it is transferred to the case supply line 110.

The electrode assembly 20 can be manufactured in a separate electrode assembly 20 production line arranged parallel to the conveyor 111, and is transferred from the electrode assembly 20 production line to the production line by the electrode assembly transferer 120. It can be moved in a perpendicular direction and seated in the receiving groove (G) of the battery case (10).

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the imager 130 is spaced apart from the case supply line 110 in the horizontal direction (xy-plane direction) and the height direction (z-axis direction), and the battery case 10 and the battery case ( 10) Obtain an image by capturing the electrode assembly 20 on the image. For example, the imager 130 may be an imager 130 equipped with a CMOS sensor or a CCD. The image capture device 130 may be disposed at a position spaced apart from the electrode assembly transporter 120 in the translational direction of the electrode assembly transporter 120 and spaced upward from the conveyor 111 . In order to minimize image distortion depending on the focal length, the image sensor 130 may be arranged so that the receiving groove G in which the electrode assembly 20 will be seated is located in the center of the imaging area of the image sensor 130. The image capture device 130 is installed on the wall or floor and may be a type of tilting camera that faces the battery case 10 on the conveyor 111 at a predetermined angle with the wall or floor.

The image capture device 130 of the present invention is arranged to be spaced apart from the case supply line 110 in the horizontal and height directions, so that the electrode assembly 20 and the battery case ( 10) can be captured and an image captured for detecting poor seating of the electrode assembly 20 can be provided. In addition, since the image capture device 130 is spaced apart not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction, there is an advantage in that not only the x-axis position information but also the y-axis position information of the electrode assembly 20 can be obtained based on the captured image. .

The controller 150 determines whether the electrode assembly 20 is placed in the correct position on the receiving groove (G) based on the captured image, and determines whether the electrode assembly 20 is positioned in the opposite direction D1 of the battery case 10. Identify at least one of whether or not it is placed to face the forward direction (ED) determined by . Referring to FIG. 4, in one embodiment, the fact that the electrode assembly 20 is placed in the correct position on the receiving groove (G) means that the vertical central axis C2 passing through the center of the electrode assembly 20 is connected to the lower case 11. ) may mean a case where it coincides with the vertical central axis (C1) passing through the center.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 to 5 , the controller 150 may control the transporter to translate the electrode assembly 20 to the correct position in response to the electrode assembly 20 not being placed in the correct position. For example, in response to the electrode assembly 20 being spaced apart from the normal position by a first distance in the first direction, the electrode assembly 20 is moved in the second direction opposite to the first direction by the first distance. The controller 150 may control the electrode assembly transporter 120 to translate.

When the electrode assembly transporter 120 has a rotary joint and is configured to rotate the electrode assembly 20, the controller 150 moves the electrode assembly 20 in response to the fact that the electrode assembly 20 does not face the forward direction. The electrode assembly transporter 120 can be controlled to rotate. For example, when the opposing direction of the electrode assembly 20 is rotated clockwise/counterclockwise from the forward direction by a first angle, the controller rotates the electrode assembly 20 counterclockwise/clockwise by the first angle. (150) can control the electrode assembly transporter (120).

The controller 150 according to one embodiment controls the electrode assembly transporter 120 in consideration of the relative positions and opposing directions of the battery case 10 and the electrode assembly 20. Therefore, not only when the electrode assembly 20 does not face the appropriate direction or is not placed in the appropriate position, but also when the battery case 10 does not face the appropriate direction or is not placed in the appropriate position, the electrode assembly 20 can be used to battery the battery. It has the advantage of being able to be accurately seated in the case 10.

The battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may further include an error display unit that displays error information based on a signal received from the controller 150. Here, error information refers to information indicating that the battery case 10 has been mistaken. The error display unit may be a display, a speaker, a light emitting module, or a combination thereof. The controller 150 may control the error display unit so that the error display unit displays error information in response to the electrode assembly 20 not being placed in the correct position. The controller 150 may control the error display unit so that the error display unit displays error information in response to the fact that the electrode assembly 20 does not face the positive direction. Here, the error information may include location information of the electrode assembly 20, opposing direction information, a captured image, or a combination thereof. For example, if the error display unit is a display, the error display unit may display the captured image and the coordinates of the electrode assembly 20. On the other hand, if the error display unit is a light emitting module, the error display unit may be configured to emit light in response to a mistake in the electrode assembly 20.

Although not shown, the battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may further include a first marker (not shown) provided at a specific position of the electrode assembly 20 to facilitate identification of the specific position of the electrode assembly 20. there is. Based on the position of the first marker on the captured image, the controller 150 can identify at least one of whether the electrode assembly 20 is placed in the correct position and whether the electrode assembly 20 is placed to face the forward direction. You can. More accurate location identification is possible using the first marker.

The battery cell manufacturing apparatus may further include a second marker (not shown) provided at a specific location of the battery case 10 to facilitate identification of the specific location of the battery case 10. The controller 150 can identify at least one of whether the electrode assembly 20 is placed in the correct position and whether the electrode assembly 20 is placed to face the forward direction based on the position of the second marker on the captured image. there is.

The controller 150 may be connected to the conveyor 111, the molding machine 112, the electrode assembly transferer 120, the image capture device 130, and the error display unit and may be configured to exchange data with or control them. The controller 150 may have a plurality of processors, each of which performs one or more operations. Each processor may be integrally formed, but is not limited to this and may be spaced apart from each other. The controller 150 may not be connected to the conveyor 111 and may be configured to perform a series of operations at a set cycle in consideration of the operating speed of the conveyor 111.

The operation of each component to be described below may be performed under the control of the controller 150. According to the above-described configuration, the conveyor 111 according to an embodiment of the present invention transports the pouch sheet into the molding machine 112. When the pouch sheet is placed inside the molding machine 112, the molding machine 112 forms a receiving groove (G) in the pouch sheet, thereby manufacturing the battery case 10. Subsequently, the conveyor 111 transfers the battery case 10 from the inside of the molding machine 112 to the electrode assembly transfer machine 120. In response to the battery case 10 being placed below the electrode assembly transporter 120, the electrode assembly transporter 120 transports the electrode assembly 20 onto the receiving groove (G). Afterwards, the imager 130 captures an image of the electrode assembly 20 on the receiving groove G (the imager 130 may be configured to acquire images in real time). The controller 150 identifies whether the electrode assembly 20 is facing the positive direction (correctly aligned) in the correct position based on the captured image. If the electrode assembly 20 is not properly aligned, the electrode assembly transporter 120 rotates/translates the electrode assembly 20 so that the electrode assembly 20 faces the positive direction in the normal position. Thereafter, the electrode assembly transporter 120 descends and the grip of the electrode assembly 20 is released, thereby allowing the electrode assembly 20 to be seated in the receiving groove (G) of the battery case 10.

However, the operation of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, the controller 150 of the present invention identifies whether the electrode assembly 20 is properly aligned after the electrode assembly transporter 120 releases the grip of the electrode assembly 20, and then the electrode assembly 20 is If it is not aligned correctly, the transferer may grip the electrode assembly 20 again to align it correctly. Alternatively, the present invention may be configured to identify whether the electrode assembly 20 is correctly aligned without correcting the position of the electrode assembly 20 and display the identification result on the error display unit.

<Control method of battery cell manufacturing device>

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling a battery cell manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the method of controlling the battery cell manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The control method of the present invention can be effectively applied to control the above-described battery cell manufacturing apparatus.

The method of controlling the battery cell manufacturing device of the present invention includes a battery case supply line, an electrode assembly transporter that transfers the electrode assembly onto the receiving groove of the battery case, and a battery case and battery spaced apart in the horizontal and height directions from the battery case supply line. It relates to a control method of a battery cell manufacturing device including an imager that acquires an image by capturing an electrode assembly on a case. Each step of the control method is performed by a controller. Although operations are shown in the drawings in a specific order, it should not be understood that the operations must be performed in the specific order shown or sequential order or that all illustrated operations must be performed to obtain the desired results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control method begins with receiving the captured image (S110). Thereafter, based on the captured image, at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position on the receiving groove and whether the electrode assembly is placed to face the positive direction determined based on the opposing direction of the battery case is identified ( S120).

In one embodiment, the controller controls the electrode assembly transporter based on the captured image (S130). In S130, if it is determined that the electrode assembly is not in the correct position, the controller may control the electrode assembly transporter to upwardly translate the electrode assembly to the correct position (S131). If it is determined that the electrode assembly does not face the forward direction, the electrode assembly transporter may be controlled to rotate the electrode assembly (S132).

The above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications, changes, and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. will be. Therefore, this embodiment is not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention, but rather to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by this example. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

10: Battery case
20: Electrode assembly
110: Case supply line
111: conveyor
112: Molding machine
120: Electrode assembly transporter
121: Gripping device
130: Image capture device
140: Error display unit
150: controller

Claims (11)

A case supply line supplying a battery case having a receiving groove;
An electrode assembly transfer device that transfers the electrode assembly onto the receiving groove;
an imager that is spaced apart from the case supply line in the horizontal and height directions and acquires an image by capturing an image of the battery case and the electrode assembly on the battery case;
a first marker provided at a specific location of the electrode assembly to facilitate identification of the specific location of the electrode assembly;
a second marker provided at a specific location of the battery case to facilitate identification of the specific location of the battery case; and
Based on the position of the first marker on the captured image and the position of the second marker on the captured image, whether the electrode assembly is placed in the correct position on the receiving groove, and whether the electrode assembly is placed on the opposite side of the battery case Identify at least one of whether the electrode assembly is placed to face the positive direction determined based on the direction, and in response to the fact that the electrode assembly is not placed in the normal position, the electrode assembly transporter is configured to translate the electrode assembly onto the normal position. Controller to control;
A battery cell manufacturing device comprising a.
delete According to paragraph 1,
The electrode assembly transporter has a rotary joint and is configured to rotate the electrode assembly,
A battery cell manufacturing apparatus, wherein the controller controls the electrode assembly transporter to rotate the electrode assembly in response to the electrode assembly not facing the positive direction. According to paragraph 1,
It further includes an error display unit that displays error information based on a signal received from the controller,
A battery cell manufacturing apparatus, wherein the controller controls the error display unit so that the error display unit displays the error information in response to the electrode assembly not being placed in the correct position. According to paragraph 1,
It further includes an error display unit that displays error information based on a signal received from the controller,
A battery cell manufacturing apparatus, wherein the controller controls the error display unit so that the error display unit displays the error information in response to the electrode assembly not facing the positive direction. delete delete Battery case supply line; An electrode assembly transfer device that transfers the electrode assembly onto the receiving groove of the battery case; and an imager that is spaced horizontally and heightwise from the battery case supply line and acquires an image by imaging the battery case and the electrode assembly on the battery case. In the control method of the battery cell manufacturing apparatus,
Receiving the captured image (S110);
Based on the position of the first marker provided at a specific position of the electrode assembly on the imaged image and the position of the second marker provided at a specific position of the battery case on the imaged image, the electrode assembly is positioned in the receiving groove. Identifying at least one of whether or not the electrode assembly is placed to face a forward direction determined based on the opposing direction of the battery case (S120); and
Controlling the electrode assembly transporter based on the captured image (S130)
A control method of a battery cell manufacturing device comprising.
delete According to clause 8,
The S130 includes a step (S131) of controlling the electrode assembly transporter to upwardly translate the electrode assembly to the correct position when it is determined that the electrode assembly is not placed in the correct position (S131). Device control method. According to clause 8,
The S130 includes controlling the electrode assembly transporter to rotate the electrode assembly when it is determined that the electrode assembly does not face the forward direction (S132).