JP7119767B2 - inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an inspection apparatus for inspecting a sheet-like object, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. The inspection apparatus of Patent Literature 1 includes an adsorption conveyor that adsorbs and transports an object on an adsorption surface, and an imaging unit that images the object transported by the adsorption conveyor. This inspection apparatus captures an image of an object on a suction conveyor with an imaging unit, and inspects the object based on the acquired image.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-338006

Here, the suction conveyor includes a circulation belt forming a suction surface and formed with a plurality of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction, and a suction box connected to a negative pressure source on the back side of the circulation belt. Objects on the suction surface are sucked by the suction box through the through-holes of the circulation belt, thereby being sucked onto the suction surface. Since the suction box covers the periphery except for one surface facing the circulation belt, it is difficult for light from the outside to reach the back side of the circulation belt, and the through holes of the adsorption surface appear black in the image of the imaging unit. On the other hand, when inspecting an object based on an image acquired by an imaging unit, there are necessary processes regardless of the inspection content. That is, in order to determine an area to be inspected (an area in which the object is captured) from the acquired image, a process of detecting the contour of the object is performed. At this time, the difference in color between the object and the background is used in the processing. can be difficult to detect accurately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus that can accurately detect the contour of an object from an image captured by an imaging unit.

An inspection apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an inspection apparatus that inspects a sheet-like object, and includes a suction conveyor that sucks and conveys the object on a suction surface, and a suction conveyor that faces the suction surface of the suction conveyor. and an imaging unit arranged, the suction conveyor is provided with a plurality of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction, a circulation belt forming a suction surface, and the circulation belt provided on the opposite side of the suction surface, a light projecting part that irradiates light toward the through hole.

Such an inspection apparatus includes a suction conveyor that transfers an object by suction on a suction surface, and an imaging unit that is arranged to face the suction surface of the suction conveyor. Further, the suction conveyor includes a circulation belt having a plurality of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction and forming a suction surface. Therefore, the suction conveyor conveys the object on the suction surface while the object is being sucked by the plurality of through-holes of the circulation belt. In addition, the image capturing unit captures an image of the object in a state of being sucked by the plurality of through holes. Here, the suction conveyor is provided on the opposite side of the suction surface with respect to the circulation belt, and includes a light projecting section that irradiates light toward the through holes. The through-hole is illuminated from the side opposite to the attraction surface by the light from the light projecting section. Therefore, the through-hole appears bright in the image captured by the imaging unit. In this case, even if there is a portion where the outline of the object overlaps the through hole, the outline of the object and the through hole can be clearly identified in the image of the imaging unit because the through hole is in a bright state. can be done. As described above, the imaging unit can accurately detect the contour of the object.

In the inspection device, the object may be an electrode having active material layers on both sides of a metal foil. Since the active material layer of the electrode is black, it tends to be difficult to distinguish it from the dark through-hole. Therefore, by adopting the electrode as the target object, the effect of providing the light projecting section on the suction conveyor becomes more pronounced.

In the inspection apparatus, the suction conveyor may be provided on the opposite side of the suction surface of the circulation belt, and may include a suction box for sucking air through the through holes, and the light projecting section may be provided inside the suction box. As a result, there is no need to secure a special space for providing the light projecting section within the suction conveyor, and thus an increase in the size of the suction conveyor can be avoided.

In the inspection device, the suction conveyor may include an adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position of the light projection section within the suction box. Thereby, the light projecting section can irradiate light at an appropriate position according to the imaging range of the imaging section.

In the inspection apparatus, the adjustment mechanism includes an attracted portion provided in the light projecting portion, and an attracting portion that attracts the attracting portion from the outside of the suction box. may be adsorbed. As a result, the attracting portion and the attracted portion are attracted to each other through the walls of the suction box. Thus, when the suction section moves outside the suction box, the suction section of the light projecting section inside the suction box moves following the suction section. Therefore, by operating the suction unit from the outside of the suction box, the position of the light projection unit inside the suction box can be adjusted.

In the inspection device, the suction conveyor is provided on the opposite side of the suction surface of the circulation belt, and includes a suction box that sucks air through the through holes. The suction box may have a bottom wall portion facing the light projecting portion, and the bottom wall portion may be made of a transparent material. By arranging the light projecting section outside the suction box in this way, it becomes easier to align the light projecting section within the suction conveyor. Also, the bottom wall portion facing the light projecting portion is made of a transparent material. Therefore, even if the light projecting part is arranged outside the suction box, the light from the light projecting part can pass through the bottom wall and illuminate the through hole of the attracting surface.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the inspection apparatus which can detect the outline of a target object correctly from the image imaged by the imaging part can be provided.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a power storage device manufactured by applying an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1; 1 is a schematic side view showing an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a schematic plan view of a suction conveyor. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the electrode on a suction conveyor imaged by the imaging part. It is a figure which shows an example of the image of the electrode on a suction conveyor imaged by the imaging part which concerns on a comparative example. It is a perspective view which shows the suction box of the suction conveyor of the inspection apparatus which concerns on a modification. (a) shows a light projection part, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the side wall part of a suction box. It is a perspective view which shows the suction box of the suction conveyor of the inspection apparatus which concerns on a modification. It is a schematic side view which shows the test|inspection apparatus which concerns on a modification.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of a power storage device manufactured by applying an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II--II of FIG. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a power storage device 1 is a lithium ion secondary battery having a laminated electrode assembly.

The power storage device 1 includes, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 2 and an electrode assembly 3 housed in the case 2 . The case 2 is made of metal such as aluminum. Although not shown, for example, a non-aqueous (organic solvent) electrolytic solution is injected into the inside of the case 2 . A positive terminal 4 and a negative terminal 5 are arranged on the case 2 so as to be separated from each other. The positive terminal 4 is fixed to the case 2 via an insulating ring 6 , and the negative terminal 5 is fixed to the case 2 via an insulating ring 7 . In addition, although not shown, an insulating film is disposed between the electrode assembly 3 and the inner side and bottom surfaces of the case 2, and the case 2 and the electrode assembly 3 are insulated by the insulating film. there is In FIG. 1, a slight gap is provided between the lower end of the electrode assembly 3 and the bottom surface of the case 2 for the sake of convenience. is in contact with the bottom surface of the A gap may be formed between the electrode assembly 3 and the case 2 by arranging a spacer between the electrode assembly 3 and the case 2 .

The electrode assembly 3 has a structure in which a plurality of positive electrodes 8 and a plurality of negative electrodes 9 are alternately laminated with bag-shaped separators 10 interposed therebetween. The positive electrode 8 is wrapped in a bag-shaped separator 10 . The positive electrode 8 wrapped in the bag-shaped separator 10 is configured as a separator-attached positive electrode 11 . Therefore, the electrode assembly 3 has a structure in which a plurality of positive electrodes 11 with separators and a plurality of negative electrodes 9 are alternately laminated. The electrodes positioned at both ends of the electrode assembly 3 are negative electrodes 9 .

The positive electrode 8 has a metal foil 14 which is a positive current collector made of aluminum foil, for example, and positive electrode active material layers 15 formed on both sides of the metal foil 14 . The metal foil 14 has a foil body portion 14a that is rectangular in plan view, and a tab 14b that is integrated with the foil body portion 14a. The tab 14b protrudes from an edge near one longitudinal end of the foil body 14a. The tab 14b penetrates the separator 10. As shown in FIG. A plurality of tabs 14 b extending from the plurality of positive electrodes 8 are connected (welded) to the conductive member 12 in a foil-collected state, and connected to the positive electrode terminal 4 via the conductive member 12 . Note that the tab 14b is omitted in FIG. 2 for the sake of convenience.

The positive electrode active material layer 15 is formed on both front and back surfaces of the foil body portion 14a. The positive electrode active material layer 15 is a porous layer containing a positive electrode active material and a binder. Examples of positive electrode active materials include composite oxides, metallic lithium, sulfur, and the like. The composite oxide includes, for example, at least one of manganese, nickel, cobalt and aluminum, and lithium.

The negative electrode 9 has a metal foil 16 which is a negative electrode current collector made of copper foil, for example, and negative electrode active material layers 17 formed on both sides of the metal foil 16 . The metal foil 16 has a foil body portion 16a that is rectangular in plan view, and a tab 16b that is integrated with the foil body portion 16a. The tab 16b protrudes from an edge near one longitudinal end of the foil body 16a. The tab 16b is connected to the negative terminal 5 via the conductive member 13. As shown in FIG. Note that the tab 16b is omitted in FIG. 2 for the sake of convenience.

The negative electrode active material layer 17 is formed on both front and back surfaces of the foil body portion 16a. The negative electrode active material layer 17 is a porous layer containing a negative electrode active material and a binder. Examples of the negative electrode active material include graphite, highly oriented graphite, mesocarbon microbeads, carbon such as hard carbon and soft carbon, alkali metals such as lithium and sodium, metal compounds, SiOx (0.5≦x≦1.5 ) and other metal oxides or boron-added carbon.

The separator 10 has a rectangular shape in plan view. Examples of materials for forming the separator 10 include porous films made of polyolefin resins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), and woven or nonwoven fabrics made of polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), methyl cellulose, and the like. .

When manufacturing the power storage device 1 configured as described above, the following steps are performed. First, an active material layer (more precisely, active material layer precursor) is formed on the surface of a strip-shaped metal foil by coating, and then cut into rectangular sheets of positive electrode 8 or negative electrode 9 by a cutting device such as a die cutting device. . After that, the positive electrode 8 is covered with a separator 10 to form a separator-attached positive electrode 11 . After manufacturing the positive electrode 11 with a separator and the negative electrode 9 , the positive electrode 11 with a separator and the negative electrode 9 are alternately laminated, and the positive electrode 11 with a separator and the negative electrode 9 are fixed to obtain an electrode assembly 3 . Then, the tab 14b of the positive electrode 11 with a separator is connected to the positive electrode terminal 4 via the conductive member 12, and the tab 16b of the negative electrode 9 is connected to the negative electrode terminal 5 via the conductive member 13, and then the electrode assembly 3 is placed in the case. 2.

Next, an inspection apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing the inspection device 100. FIG. In the following description, the object to be transported may be either the positive electrode 8 or the negative electrode 9 . Therefore, the object to be transported will be referred to as the electrode 20 assuming that both electrodes can be included.

The inspection apparatus 100 is an apparatus that inspects the cut electrode 20 after cutting the electrode 20 . The inspection apparatus 100 includes an alignment conveyor 30 , a suction conveyor 40 , an imaging section 45 , a suction conveyor 50 and an imaging section 55 . In the following description, the direction in which the inspection device 100 transports the electrode 20 is referred to as "transport direction D1".

The alignment conveyor 30 conveys the electrodes 20 and adjusts the posture of the electrodes 20 . The alignment conveyor 30 includes rollers 31 and a regulating portion 32 . The roller 31 conveys the electrode 20 in the conveying direction D1 by rotating. In addition, since the roller 31 is attached at an inclined angle, the electrode 20 can be moved to one side in the width direction. Here, the roller 31 brings the electrode 20 closer to the direction in which the restricting portion 32 is provided in the width direction. The restricting portion 32 rises upward from the rollers 31 on one side of the alignment conveyor 30 in the width direction. As a result, the electrode 20 is moved to one side in the width direction while being transported in the transport direction D<b>1 by the rollers 31 , and is brought into contact with the regulation portion 32 , whereby the position and posture in the width direction are adjusted by the regulation portion 32 . .

The adsorption conveyor 40 adsorbs the electrode 20 from the upper side on the lower surface 40 a and conveys the electrode 20 . The suction conveyor 40 extends along the transport direction D<b>1 from a position facing the downstream end of the alignment conveyor 30 . The adsorption conveyor 40 adsorbs the electrode 20 conveyed by the alignment conveyor 30 to the lower surface 40a. The suction conveyor 40 can suck the electrode 20 in contact with the lower surface 40a by using a suction device to suck the electrode 20 from the back side of the lower surface 40a. The suction conveyor 40 conveys the electrode 20 in the conveying direction D1 with the electrode 20 being attracted to the lower surface 40a.

The imaging unit 45 inspects the electrode 20 conveyed by the suction conveyor 40 from below. The imaging unit 45 is arranged at a position facing the lower surface 40a of the suction conveyor 40 on the lower side. The imaging unit 45 may be configured by an imaging device that images the electrode 20 attracted to the lower surface 40a of the attraction conveyor 40 from below. The imaging unit 45 transmits data acquired by imaging to a control device (not shown). A control device (not shown) processes the imaging data and inspects the orientation and shape of the electrode 20, and the presence or absence of defects such as peeling of the active material and holes.

The adsorption conveyor 50 adsorbs the electrode 20 from below on the upper surface 50 a and conveys the electrode 20 . The suction conveyor 50 extends along the transport direction D<b>1 from a position facing the downstream end of the suction conveyor 40 . The suction conveyor 50 is provided below the suction conveyor 40 . The upper surface 50 a of the suction conveyor 50 is arranged below the lower surface 40 a of the suction conveyor 40 . The suction conveyor 50 places the cut electrode 20 on the upper surface 50a. Also, the suction conveyor 50 can suck the electrode 20 in contact with the upper surface 50a by sucking it from the back side of the upper surface 50a with a suction device. The suction conveyor 50 conveys the electrode 20 in the conveying direction D1 with the electrode 20 being attracted to the upper surface 50a.

The upper surface 50a near the upstream end of the suction conveyor 50 and the lower surface 40a near the downstream end of the suction conveyor 40 face each other in the vertical direction. In such a facing portion, the upper surface 50a of the attraction conveyor 50 and the lower surface 40a of the attraction conveyor 40 are separated from each other with a gap that allows the electrode 20 to enter. At the facing portion, the suction on the lower surface 40a of the suction conveyor 40 is released, and the suction on the upper surface 50a of the suction conveyor 50 is performed. As a result, the electrode 20 transported to near the downstream end of the adsorption conveyor 40 is attracted to the upper surface 50a near the upstream end of the adsorption conveyor 50 . Accordingly, the electrodes 20 are transferred from the suction conveyor 40 to the suction conveyor 50 .

The imaging unit 55 inspects the electrodes 20 conveyed by the suction conveyor 50 from above. The imaging unit 55 is arranged at a position facing the upper surface 50a of the suction conveyor 50 on the upper side. The imaging unit 55 may be configured by an imaging device that images the electrodes 20 placed on the upper surface 50a of the suction conveyor 50 from below. The imaging unit 55 transmits image data obtained by imaging to a control device (not shown). A control device (not shown) processes the image data and inspects the posture and shape of the electrode 20 and the presence or absence of defects such as peeling of the active material and holes.

Next, a characteristic configuration of the inspection apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows the suction conveyor 50 and the imaging section 55 . However, since the suction conveyor 40 and the imaging unit 45 also have the same structure as the suction conveyor 50 and the imaging unit 55, description thereof will be omitted.

The configuration of the suction conveyor 50 will be described in detail. The suction conveyor 50 includes rollers 62 arranged on both end sides in the transport direction D<b>1 and an endless circulation belt 61 stretched over the rollers 62 . In this embodiment, a pair of rollers 62 are vertically arranged at each end of the suction conveyor 50 . The circulation belt 61 has a portion 61a that is stretched over the upper end portions of the upper rollers 62 on both end sides in the transport direction D1, and a portion 61b that is stretched over the lower end portions of the lower rollers 62 on both end sides in the transport direction. , has In addition, the circulation belt 61 has a portion 61c that spans between the upper roller 62 and the lower roller 62 on both end sides in the transport direction D1. The portion 61c extends vertically. The adsorption conveyor 50 adsorbs the electrode 20 using the upper surface 50a of the upper end portion 61a of the circulation belt 61 as an adsorption surface. A portion of the lower portion 61 b of the circulation belt 61 is stretched over the drive roller 66 via a pair of guide rollers 67 . The drive roller 66 is provided below the portion 61b. The circulation belt 61 circulates as the drive roller 66 is driven to rotate. The drive roller 66 drives the upper end portion 61a of the circulation belt 61 to move in the transport direction D1. As a result, the electrodes 20 attracted to the upper surface 50a of the circulation belt 61 are conveyed in the conveyance direction D1 as the upper end portion 61a of the circulation belt 61 moves.

Above the upper surface 50a of the circulation belt 61, the imaging section 55 described above is provided. An illumination unit 56 is provided above the upper surface 50 a of the circulation belt 61 . The illumination unit 56 is a device that illuminates the inspection position by the imaging unit 55 on the upper surface 50a.

Here, the suction conveyor 50 includes a suction box 63 between the upper end portion 61 a and the lower end portion 61 b of the circulation belt 61 . The suction box 63 has an opening 71 on the upper surface side. The suction box 63 sucks air from the opening 71 by being connected to a vacuum pump or blower separately arranged outside through a pipe line. On the other hand, the circulation belt 61 is formed with a plurality of through holes 72 (see FIG. 5) over substantially the entire surface. Therefore, the upper surface 50 a of the suction conveyor 50 generates suction force through the plurality of through holes 72 by air suction by the suction box 63 . The suction box 63 is provided at least for a portion through which the electrode 20 can pass.

The relationship between the through holes 72 of the circulation belt 61 and the openings 71 of the suction box 63 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. A plurality of through holes 72 are formed in the circulation belt 61 at positions corresponding to the transport path of the electrodes 20 . A plurality of through holes 72 are formed at a predetermined pitch along the circulation direction of the circulation belt 61 . Also, the through holes 72 are formed in a plurality of rows at a predetermined pitch along the width direction of the circulation belt 61 . When the circulation belt 61 simultaneously conveys the electrodes 20 in two rows, the circulation belt 61 has through holes 72 at positions corresponding to the conveyance paths of the electrodes 20 in the two rows. A region between the electrodes 20 in each row is a region through which the electrodes 20 do not pass. Therefore, the through holes 72 may not be formed in this region. The opening 71 of the suction box 63 has a slit-like structure formed at a position corresponding to each row of the through holes 72 . That is, since the circulation belt 61 is formed with a plurality of rows of through holes 72 in the width direction, the suction box 63 is also formed with a plurality of rows of openings 71 in the width direction. With such a configuration, the through hole 72 exerts an attraction force on the electrode 20 when it reaches a position corresponding to the opening 71 of the suction box 63 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the suction conveyor 50 is provided on the side opposite to the upper surface 50 a that is the suction surface with respect to the circulation belt 61 , and includes a light projecting section 64 that irradiates light toward the through holes 72 . The light projecting part 64 is provided inside the suction box 63 . The light projecting part 64 is provided on the bottom side of the suction box 63 . The light projecting part 64 may be provided on the bottom surface of the suction box 63, or may be arranged at a position spaced upward from the bottom surface. The light projecting unit 64 is arranged at a position facing the imaging unit 55 with the upper portion 61a of the circulation belt 61 interposed therebetween. The light projecting portion 64 has a light emitting surface 64a that extends so as to face the back surface of the upper portion 61a of the circulation belt 61 . The light emitting surface 64 a is arranged at a position spaced downward from the upper portion 61 a of the circulation belt 61 and the opening 71 of the suction box 63 . As a result, the light emitting surface 64a does not block the opening 71 and the through hole 72 of the suction box 63, and does not reduce the adsorption force at the through hole 72. As shown in FIG. The light emitting surface 64 a emits light toward the plurality of through holes 72 included in the imaging range of the imaging section 55 . As a result, the light emitted from the light projecting section 64 illuminates the through holes 72 of the circulation belt 61 through the openings 71 of the suction box 63 . Therefore, the through hole 72 appears bright in the image captured by the imaging unit 55 (see FIG. 6).

Next, functions and effects of the inspection apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

First, an inspection apparatus according to a comparative example will be described. The inspection apparatus according to the comparative example is not provided with the light projecting section 64 inside the suction conveyor 50 . Since it is difficult for external light to reach the back side of the circulation belt according to the comparative example, as shown in FIG. be photographed. The image capturing unit 55 (or the control device that acquires the data of the image capturing unit 55) determines the inspection target area by determining the color difference between the electrodes 20 and the background (the surface of the circulation belt). A boundary is identified and contours formed by this boundary are detected. At this time, when the imaging unit 55 images the black electrode 20, it may be difficult to accurately detect the outline of the electrode 20 because both the electrode 20 and the through hole 72 are black. For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the through hole 72 overlaps near the corner between the edge 20a and the edge 20b of the electrode 20, it is difficult to distinguish between the black through hole 72 and the electrode 20. Therefore, there is a possibility that the outline of the corner of the electrode 20 is erroneously detected in the shape including the through hole 72 .

On the other hand, the inspection apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a suction conveyor 50 that transfers the electrode 20 by suction on an upper surface (suction surface) 50a, an imaging unit 55 arranged to face the upper surface 50a of the suction conveyor 50, Prepare. The suction conveyor 50 also includes a circulating belt 61 having a plurality of through holes 72 penetrating in the thickness direction and forming a suction surface. Therefore, the suction conveyor 50 conveys the electrodes 20 on the suction surface while the electrodes 20 are suctioned by the plurality of through holes 72 of the circulation belt 61 . In addition, the imaging unit 55 images the electrodes 20 in a state of being attracted to the plurality of through holes 72 . Here, the suction conveyor 50 is provided on the opposite side of the suction surface with respect to the circulation belt 61 and includes a light projecting section 64 that irradiates light toward the through holes 72 . The through hole 72 is illuminated from the side opposite to the attraction surface by the light from the light projecting section 64 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6A, the through-hole 72 appears bright in the image of the imaging unit 55 . In this case, even if there is a portion where the outline of the object and the through hole overlap, the outline of the electrode 20 and the through hole 72 are clearly visible in the image of the imaging unit 55 because the through hole 72 is in a bright state. can be identified. For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the through-hole 72 overlaps near the corner between the edge 20a and the edge 20b of the electrode 20, the bright through-hole 72 and the electrode 20 are easily distinguished. , the contour lines of the corners of the electrode 20 can be accurately detected. As described above, the outline of the electrode 20 can be accurately detected from the image captured by the imaging unit 55 .

In the inspection apparatus 100, the object to be inspected may be the electrode 20 having active material layers on both sides of the metal foil. Since the active material layer of the electrode 20 is black, it is likely to be difficult to distinguish it from the dark through holes 72 of the comparative example shown in FIG. Therefore, by adopting the electrode 20 as the object, the effect of providing the light projecting section 64 on the suction conveyor 50 becomes more pronounced.

In the inspection apparatus 100 , the suction conveyor 50 is provided on the opposite side of the suction surface of the circulation belt 61 and includes a suction box 63 that sucks air through the through holes 72 . may be provided in As a result, there is no need to secure a special space for providing the light projecting section 64 in the suction conveyor 50, so that the size of the suction conveyor 50 can be avoided.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, an inspection apparatus according to the modification shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be employed. Note that the circulation belt and rollers are omitted in FIG. In the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 8 , the suction conveyor may include an adjustment mechanism 75 capable of adjusting the position of the light projecting section 64 inside the suction box 63 . The position here includes the vertical direction and horizontal direction of the light projecting section 64, the inclination angle of the light emitting surface, and the like. Further, the adjustment mechanism 75 includes a sucked portion 84 provided in the light projecting portion 64 and a suction portion 74 that sucks the sucked portion 84 from the outside of the suction box 63 . The attracting portion 74 and the attracted portion 84 are attracted to each other by magnetic force. Both the attracting portion 74 and the attracted portion 84 may be made of magnets. Alternatively, one of the attracting portion 74 and the attracted portion 84 may be composed of a magnet, and the other may be composed of a magnetic material that is attracted to the magnet.

The adsorption portion 74 is configured as a plurality of members that are configured separately from each other. The light projecting portion 64 includes end wall portions 83 on both end sides of a base member 82 that supports the light emitting surface 81 , and the attracted portions 84 are provided on the respective end wall portions 83 . A pair of sucked portions 84 are provided on the end wall portion 83 . The end wall portion 83 is arranged inside the suction box 63 so as to face the side wall portion 63b in the width direction of the suction box 63 . The sucked portion 84 is arranged at a position in contact with or close to the side wall portion 63b. Therefore, the sucked portion 84 is sucked by the sucking portion 74 arranged outside the side wall portion 63 b of the suction box 63 .

A side wall portion 63b of the suction box 63 has a transparent portion 88 made of a transparent material such as glass or resin. The transparent portion 88 is provided at a location where the light projecting portion 64 is arranged. Thereby, the operator can adjust the position of the light projecting part 64 while confirming the position of the light projecting part 64 inside the suction box 63 . The operator adjusts the position of the light projecting part 64 inside the suction box 63 by moving the suction part 74 with the suctioned part 84 to the position of the transparent part 88 . As shown in FIG. 9B, the transparent portion 88 is fixed to the side wall portion 63b with a bolt or the like via a sealing member 78. As shown in FIG.

The inspection apparatus according to the modification shown in FIG. 9 may have a frame structure as shown in FIG. The frame structure includes pillars 96 provided on four sides of the suction box 63 (that is, the suction conveyor), and beams 97 extending between the pillars 96 along the side walls 63b of the suction box 63 . The beam portion 97 is arranged at a position lower than the suction box 63 .

The inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 9 includes a bracket 91 for maintaining the posture of the light projecting section 64 inside the suction box 63 . This bracket 91 has a U-shaped shape with an open upper side. A magnet functioning as an attraction portion is embedded in the upper end portion of the bracket 91 . As a result, the light projecting portion 64 is attracted to the magnets of the bracket 91 on both sides of the suction box 63 in the width direction. By moving the bracket 91, the operator can simultaneously adjust the position of both sides of the light projecting section 64 in the width direction. Also, the bracket 91 is fixed to the beam portion 97 via the L-shaped bracket 92 . Thereby, the position and inclination of the light projecting part 64 are fixed via the bracket 91 , the L-shaped bracket 92 and the beam part 97 .

Moreover, as an inspection device, the one shown in FIG. 11 may be adopted. In the suction conveyor 150 of the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 11, the light projecting section 64 is arranged outside the suction box 130 . The light projecting unit 64 is provided on the opposite side of the attracting surface with the suction box 163 interposed therebetween. The light projecting section 64 is arranged between the lower portion 61 b of the circulation belt 61 and the suction box 163 . That is, the light projecting section 64 is arranged outside the suction box 163 and below the suction box 163 .

The suction box 163 has a bottom wall portion 160 facing the light projecting portion 64 . The bottom wall portion 160 is a wall portion that separates the bottom side of the internal space of the suction box 163 . The bottom wall portion 160 is made of a transparent material. Transparent glass, resin, or the like may be used as the transparent material. The bottom wall portion 160 faces the light emitting surface 64a of the light projecting portion 64, and can transmit the light from the light emitting surface 64a to the internal space. The bottom wall portion 160 is entirely made of a transparent material. However, the bottom wall portion 160 may be made of a transparent material only at a portion facing the light emitting surface 64a.

According to the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 11 , the light projecting section 64 is arranged outside the suction box 163 , thereby facilitating alignment of the light projecting section 64 within the suction conveyor 150 . For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the position of the light projecting section 64 inside the suction box 63 is aligned by using a magnet or the like. On the other hand, in the inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 11, the light projecting unit 64 can be directly accessed from the outside, so alignment can be easily performed. A bottom wall portion 160 facing the light projecting portion 64 is made of a transparent material. Therefore, even if the light projecting part 64 is arranged outside the suction box 163, the light from the light projecting part 64 can pass through the bottom wall part 160 and illuminate the through holes 72 (see FIG. 6) of the attraction surface. .

In the above embodiment, the power storage device 1 is a lithium ion secondary battery, but the present invention is not particularly limited to lithium ion secondary batteries, and other secondary batteries such as nickel metal hydride batteries, electric double layer It is also applicable to lamination of electrodes in power storage devices such as capacitors or lithium ion capacitors.

Also, the object to be inspected by the inspection device is not limited to the electrode, and for example, a sheet member such as paper or cloth may be employed.

7 to 9 show an example of a mechanism for adjusting the position of the light projecting section, but the adjusting mechanism is not particularly limited to a specific configuration as long as it can adjust the position of the light projecting section. For example, an adjusting mechanism that adjusts the position of the light projecting section using a mechanical mechanism such as a lever or gear may be employed.

Also, the light projecting section may be set separately from the light source. For example, the light projecting part may be a mirror that reflects light as long as it can irradiate the through hole with light. A light source is arranged at one end in the forward and rearward directions in the transport direction in the suction box, and a mirror tilted at around 45 degrees is arranged at a position corresponding to the through hole as a light projecting section. The light projecting part reflects the light of the light source toward the through hole, so that the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Further, the light projecting section may be arranged outside the suction box. For example, the bottom surface of the suction box may be made of a transparent member, and the light projecting section may be arranged below the bottom surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20... Electrode (object) 40, 50... Adsorption conveyor, 45, 55... Imaging part, 61... Circulation belt, 63... Suction box, 64... Light projection part, 72... Through hole, 74... Adsorption part, 75... Adjusting mechanism 84: sucked part 100: inspection device.

Claims (2)

An inspection device for inspecting a sheet-like object,
an adsorption conveyor that adsorbs and conveys the target object on an adsorption surface;
an imaging unit arranged facing the adsorption surface of the adsorption conveyor,
The adsorption conveyor is
a circulation belt having a plurality of through-holes penetrating in a thickness direction and constituting the adsorption surface;
a light projecting unit provided on the opposite side of the adsorption surface with respect to the circulation belt and irradiating light toward the through hole ,
The suction conveyor includes a suction box provided on the opposite side of the suction surface of the circulation belt and sucking air through the through holes,
The light projecting unit is provided inside the suction box,
The suction conveyor includes an adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position of the light projecting unit within the suction box,
The adjusting mechanism includes an attracted portion provided in the light projecting portion, and an attracting portion that attracts the attracted portion from the outside of the attraction box, and the attraction box has a wall made of a non-magnetic material. , wherein the attracting portion and the attracted portion are arranged in a state of being attracted to each other by magnetic force with the wall portion interposed therebetween . 2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said object is an electrode having active material layers on both sides of a metal foil.

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