Tab detection system and tab detection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025095135-A1
Application number	US-202418963990-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 29, 2024
Priority date	Nov 3, 2022
Publication date	Mar 20, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

This application relates to a tab detection system and a tab detection method. The system includes an image acquisition module and an upper-level controller. The image acquisition module is configured to acquire an image of a tab of a battery cell rolled by a die cutting module, where the image acquisition module is located between the die cutting module and a lamination module. The upper-level controller is configured to determine whether the tab has a defect based on the image of the tab.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A tab detection system, comprising:
an image acquisition module, configured to acquire an image of a tab of a battery cell rolled by a die cutting module, wherein the image acquisition module is located between the die cutting module and a lamination module; and an upper-level controller, configured to determine whether the tab has a defect based on the image of the tab.

2 . The tab detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a position sensor, wherein the position sensor is configured to generate an image acquisition instruction and send the image acquisition instruction to the image acquisition module after detecting that the tab has reached a preset feeding position, wherein the preset feeding position is located between the die cutting module and the lamination module; and
the image acquisition module acquires the image of the tab after receiving the image acquisition instruction, to obtain the image of the tab and send the image to the upper-level controller.

3 . The tab detection system according to claim 1 , wherein two image acquisition modules are provided, wherein the two image acquisition modules are respectively located at an end portion of the battery cell at which an anode tab is arranged and an end portion of the battery cell at which a cathode tab is arranged; and
the two image acquisition modules are respectively configured to synchronously acquire an anode tab image and a cathode tab image after receiving the image acquisition instruction.

4 . The tab detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one backlight source, wherein the at least one backlight source is located at the preset feeding position, and the backlight source and the image acquisition module are arranged opposite to each other at two sides of the battery cell; and
the at least one backlight source is configured to expose the tab along a direction from the tab to the image acquisition module while the image acquisition module is acquiring the image of the tab.

5 . The tab detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one front light source, wherein the at least one front light source is located at the preset feeding position, and the front light source and the image acquisition module are arranged at a same side of the battery cell; and
the at least one front light source is configured to expose the tab along a direction from the image acquisition module to the tab while the image acquisition module is acquiring the image of the tab.

6 . The tab detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one backlight source and at least one front light source, wherein the at least one backlight source and the at least one front light source are located at the preset feeding position, the at least one front light source and the image acquisition module are arranged at a same side of the battery cell, and the at least one backlight source and the image acquisition module are arranged opposite to each other at two sides of the battery cell; and
the at least one backlight source and the at least one front light source are configured to respectively expose the tab at two sides of the battery cell while the image acquisition module is acquiring the image of the tab.

7 . The tab detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the upper-level controller is configured to identify an anode tab region and a cathode tab region in the image of the tab under a condition that the image of the tab has been acquired, and determine whether the anode tab and the cathode tab are folded and/or whether there is a residual material based on a comparison result between the anode tab region and a preset anode tab parameter as well as a comparison result between the cathode tab region and a preset cathode tab parameter.

8 . The tab detection system according to claim 7 , wherein the preset anode tab parameter comprises a preset anode tab area; and
the upper-level controller is further configured to identify the anode tab image to obtain the anode tab region, obtain an anode tab area based on a gray value difference between the anode tab region and a background image of the anode tab image, and determine whether the anode tab is folded based on whether the anode tab area is less than the preset anode tab area.

9 . The tab detection system according to claim 7 , wherein the preset cathode tab parameter comprises a preset cathode tab area; and
the upper-level controller is further configured to identify the cathode tab image to obtain the cathode tab region, obtain a cathode tab area based on a gray value difference between the cathode tab region and a background image of the cathode tab image, and determine whether the cathode tab is folded based on whether the cathode tab area is less than the preset cathode tab area.

10 . The tab detection system according to claim 7 , wherein the preset anode tab parameter comprises a preset anode tab residual material area; and
the upper-level controller is further configured to obtain an anode tab residual material region based on the anode tab region and the anode tab image, obtain an anode tab residual material area based on a gray value difference between the anode tab residual material region and a background image of the anode tab image, and determine whether there is a residual material on the anode tab based on whether the anode tab residual material area is less than the preset anode tab residual material area.

11 . The tab detection system according to claim 7 , wherein the preset cathode tab parameter comprises a preset cathode tab residual material area; and
the upper-level controller is further configured to obtain a cathode tab residual material region based on the cathode tab region and the cathode tab image, obtain a cathode tab residual material area based on a gray value difference between the cathode tab residual material region and a background image of the cathode tab image, and determine whether there is a residual material on the cathode tab based on whether the cathode tab residual material area is less than the preset cathode tab residual material area.

12 . The tab detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a lower-level controller, wherein
the upper-level controller is further configured to send a defect detection result of the tab to the lower-level controller; and the lower-level controller is configured to generate a discarding instruction or a lamination instruction for the battery cell based on the defect detection result under a condition that the defect detection result has been received.

13 . The tab detection system according to claim 12 , wherein the system further comprises a discarding module; wherein
the upper-level controller is configured to determine that the tab is folded when a tab image area is less than a preset tab area, and/or determine that there is a residual material on the tab under a condition that a tab residual material area is greater than or equal to a preset tab residual material area, and send a detection result that the tab is folded and/or there is a residual material on the tab to the lower-level controller; the lower-level controller is configured to generate a discarding instruction and send the discarding instruction to the discarding module after receiving the result that the tab is folded and/or there is a residual material on the tab; and the discarding module is configured to discard the battery cell after receiving the discarding instruction.

Assignees

• Contemporary Amperex Technology Hong Kong Ltd

Inventors

• Li Hongyuan
• Wu Chunxu
• Jiang Ping
• Mao Yuyang

Classifications

• G06T7/0004

  Industrial image inspection · CPC title

• H01M10/0404

  Machines for assembling batteries · CPC title

• G06T7/73

  using feature-based methods · CPC title

• G06T7/12

  Edge-based segmentation · CPC title

• G06T7/0008 Primary

  checking presence/absence · CPC title