Patent Description:
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring a height of a pouch cup portion that accommodates an electrode assembly in a non-contact measurement manner, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for measuring the height of a pouch cup portion that accommodates an electrode assembly capable of improving the quality of the pouch by minimizing a measurement deviation between measurers to improve reliability for the height measurement of the pouch cup portion.

With explosive increases in technological development and demand for mobile devices and automobiles, more research is being conducted on secondary batteries with high energy density, discharge voltage and excellent output stability. Examples of such secondary batteries may include lithium secondary batteries such as a lithium-sulfur battery, a lithium ion battery, and a lithium ion polymer battery. In addition, such secondary batteries can be classified into a cylindrical type, a prismatic type, a pouch type and the like depending on their shape, and among them, interest in and demand for a pouch type battery cell are gradually increasing. The pouch type battery cells can be stacked with a high degree of integration, have a high energy density per unit weight, are inexpensive, and are easily deformable. Therefore, the pouch type battery cell can be manufactured in shapes and sizes applicable to various mobile devices and vehicles.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view of a conventional pouch type battery cell. Referring to <FIG>, the conventional pouch type battery cell <NUM> includes an electrode assembly <NUM>, electrode tabs <NUM> and <NUM> extending from the electrode assembly <NUM>, electrode leads <NUM> and <NUM> welded to the electrode tabs <NUM> and <NUM>, and a battery case <NUM> that accommodates the electrode assembly <NUM>. The electrode assembly <NUM> has a stack type or a stack/folding type structure, in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are sequentially stacked with a separator interposed therebetween. The electrode tabs <NUM> and <NUM> extend from each electrode plate of the electrode assembly <NUM>, and the electrode leads <NUM> and <NUM> are electrically connected to a plurality of electrode tabs <NUM> and <NUM> extending from each electrode plate, respectively, and a part thereof is exposed to the outside of the battery case <NUM>. Moreover, an insulating film <NUM> can be attached to a part of the upper and lower surfaces of the electrode leads <NUM> and <NUM> to increase the degree of sealing with the battery case <NUM> and simultaneously to secure an electrical insulation state. The battery case <NUM> is generally made of a laminated sheet including resin, metal, or a mixture thereof, provides a space capable of accommodating the electrode assembly <NUM>, and has a pouch shape as a whole. In the case of a stack type electrode assembly <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, the inner upper end of the battery case <NUM> can be separated from the electrode assembly <NUM> so that the plurality of positive electrode tabs <NUM> and the plurality of negative electrode tabs <NUM> can be coupled together to the electrode leads <NUM> and <NUM>.

That is to say, the conventional pouch type battery cell has a sealing structure in which an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator is stacked and accommodated in a flexible battery case (i.e., a stack type electrode assembly or a stack/folding type electrode assembly is accommodated in the battery case), and an end of the battery case is sealed by heat sealing. A flexible packaging material sheet constituting the battery case is made of at least one of a resin layer and a metal layer, and by forming a sealing part at the end thereof, not only prevents the electrode assembly from deviating to the outside, but also serves to protect the electrode assembly from external impact. That is, the pouch type battery cell may be manufactured by going through the steps of accommodating the electrode assembly in a battery case (or a pouch cup portion), injecting an electrolytic solution, and then sealing by heat sealing or the like.

Referring back to <FIG>, the battery case <NUM> of the pouch type battery cell <NUM> can be divided into a case 20a for accommodating the electrode assembly <NUM>, and a cover 20b for covering the case so that the electrode assembly <NUM> is not deviated after the electrode assembly <NUM> is accommodated in the case. Here, a symbol C notated on the case 20a of <FIG> is a portion in which the electrode assembly <NUM> is completely accommodated, which can be said to be a portion where only the seal portion (or a wing portion) is excluded from the case 20a. In addition, the portion corresponding to the symbol C of <FIG> will be named hereinafter a "pouch cup portion" in consideration of having a shape similar to a cup.

On the other hand, such a pouch cup portion can be formed using a punch or the like. After that, the height (or depth) of the cup portion of the pouch in which the cup portion is formed is measured, and when it is confirmed that the cup portion is formed at an appropriate height, an assembly process such as embedding the electrode assembly into the cup portion of the pouch can be performed. In other words, the height of the pouch cup portion and its management are especially very important in inserting the electrode assembly into the pouch cup portion.

In order to perform such a process, in this technical field, the cup portion height of the pouch having the cup portion formed thereon is measured through a contact type measuring mechanism such as a steel ruler or Vernier Calipers. <FIG> shows an aspect which measures the height of the pouch cup portion through a conventional contact type measuring mechanism. <FIG> corresponds to the steel ruler measuring method, and <FIG> corresponds to the Vernier Calipers measuring method. When the steel ruler measuring method is used, two steel rulers can be used, and when the Vernier Calipers measuring method is used, the vertically fixed Vernier Calipers is lowered and brought into contact with the measurement unit to perform measurement.

However, in these cases, subjective judgment of the person who measures (or a measurer) has to be intervened. A problem of low reliability level on the height measurement of the pouch cup portion inevitably occurs. Therefore, when the height of the pouch cup portion is measured through the conventional contact type measuring mechanism, the pouch cup portion does not completely meet the standards of the electrode assembly, a problem of a degradation in the quality of the pouch such as cracks inevitably occur.

Therefore, there is a demand for a technology that can improve the quality of pouch, by objectively measuring the height of the pouch cup portion without probability of intervention of the subjective judgment of the measurer, and enhancing the overall reliability of measurement values such as accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility compared to the related art.

Document <CIT> discloses a measurement device to precisely measure depth of exterior materials for pouches including aluminum thin films which comprises: a base allowing an aperture part on a cell accommodation space in the exterior materials for pouches to be placed while facing up; a fixation plate mounted on the inside of the cell accommodation space and pressing down at least an edge portion of the cell accommodation space with respect to the base; and a magnet making the fixation plate and the base tightly attached to each other. Such document discloses also a measurement method using such measurement device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for measuring the height of a pouch cup portion for accommodating an electrode assembly, which can improve the quality of a pouch by minimizing inter-measurer measurement deviations to improve the reliability for the height measurement of the pouch cup portion.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for measuring a height of a pouch cup portion of a pouch case for a secondary battery, the method including the steps of: (a) covering a cup portion support jig with a pouch; (b) positioning an upper fixing jig to expose a corner portion for measuring a height of the cup portion in a pouch upper surface covered on the cup portion support jig, and to cover a periphery of the exposed corner; (c) positioning a lower fixing jig at a pouch wing portion and a peripheral bottom portion of a lower corner portion corresponding to the corner portion to expose the periphery of the lower corner portion and cover other portions; and (d) measuring the cup portion height of the corner portion exposed by the upper fixing jig and the lower fixing jig through a 3D shape measurer.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for measuring a height of a pouch cup portion of a pouch case for a secondary battery, the apparatus including: a cup portion support jig having an internal shape of the pouch cup portion so that the pouch cup portion can be covered; a plate-shaped upper fixing jig which exposes a corner portion for measuring the height of the cup portion in a pouch upper surface covered on the cup portion support jig, and covers a peripheral portion of the exposed corner portion; a plate-shaped lower fixing jig that covers a pouch wing portion and a peripheral bottom portion of a lower corner portion corresponding to the corner portion, and exposes the periphery of the lower corner portion to enable measuring the height of the cup portion; and a 3D shape measurer that measures the height of the corner portion.

According to the method and apparatus for measuring the height of a pouch cup portion that accommodates an electrode assembly according to the present invention, there is an advantage capable of improving the quality of pouches, by minimizing inter-measurer measurement deviations to improve the reliability for the height measurement of a pouch cup portion.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing an aspect in which an apparatus for measuring the height of the pouch cup portion is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to <FIG>, the method for measuring the height of the pouch cup portion that accommodates the electrode assembly according to the present invention is a method for measuring the height of a pouch cup portion C of a pouch case for a secondary battery (for example, a method for inserting and fixing each of both ends of the pouch between a stripper and a die, and then, measuring a height of the pouch cup portion C formed by pressing a central portion of the pouch with a punch), the method including the steps of (a) covering the cup portion support jig <NUM> with the pouch <NUM>, (b) positioning the upper fixing jig <NUM> to expose a corner portion for measuring the height of the cup portion C in the upper surface of the pouch <NUM> covered on the cup portion support jig <NUM>, and to cover the periphery of the exposed corner, (c) positioning a lower fixing jig <NUM> on a pouch wing portion W and a peripheral bottom portion of the lower corner portion corresponding to the corner portion to expose the periphery of the lower corner portion and cover other portions, and (d) measuring a cup portion height h of the corner portion exposed by the upper fixing jig and the lower fixing jig through a 3D shape measurer.

Usually, the pouch cup portion may be formed by molding with a punch or the like. <FIG> is a schematic diagram showing an aspect in which the cup portion is formed in the pouch before molding. As shown in <FIG>, after each of both ends of the pouch <NUM> is inserted and fixed between the stripper <NUM> and the die <NUM>, the central portion of the pouch <NUM> is pressed by the punch <NUM>, and at the same time the stripper <NUM> and the die <NUM> on both sides of the pouch <NUM> are raised to form a cup portion in the pouch. After that, the cup portion height (or depth) of the pouch in which the cup portion is formed is measured, and in this case, when the cup portion is confirmed to be formed at an appropriate height, an assembly process of embedding the electrode assembly inside the pouch cup portion may be performed. In other words, when inserting the electrode assembly into the pouch cup portion, especially the height of the pouch cup portion and its management are very important.

To perform such a process, in the relevant art, the cup portion height of the pouch having the cup portion formed thereon is measured through a contact type measuring mechanism such as a steel ruler or a Vernier Calipers, as shown in <FIG>. However, in these cases, the subjective judgment of the person who measures (or a measurer) inevitably intervened, and accordingly, due to the measurement deviation between the measurers, a problem inevitably occurs that the level of reliability for the height measurement of the pouch cup portion is lowered. Therefore, when the height of the pouch cup portion is measured through the conventional contact type measuring mechanism, since the pouch cup portion does not completely meet the specifications of the electrode assembly, which inevitably causes a problem of degrading the quality of pouch such as a crack (in particular, when the pouch cup portion is smaller than the electrode assembly, cracks occur).

Therefore, the present applicant invented a technique that can improve the quality of the pouch by objectively measuring the height of the pouch cup portion without probability of intervention of the subjective judgment of the measurer, and thus enhancing the overall reliability for the measurement values such as accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility compared to the related art.

When describing the present invention with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, in order to measure the height of the pouch cup portion according to the present invention, a preceding process of forming the cup portion in the pouch through a molding method as shown in <FIG> needs to be necessarily performed. After that, a step of covering the cup portion support jig <NUM> with the pouch <NUM>, that is, a step of covering the cup portion support jig <NUM> having the shape of the formed pouch cup portion C with the pouch <NUM> to accommodate the cup portion support jig <NUM> in the cup portion C of the pouch <NUM> is performed (step a). Since the cup portion support jig <NUM> is for maintaining the shape of the cup portion C of the pouch <NUM>, it needs to have the same shape as the pouch cup portion C, and therefore it is good to have as little error as possible.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing an aspect in which a cup portion support jig is provided and fixed on a separate pedestal according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in <FIG>, the cup portion support jig <NUM> may be provided on a separate pedestal <NUM>. This is for fixing the cup portion support jig <NUM> to improve convenience of attaching the pouch, and as shown in <FIG>, the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> may be fastened and fixed with a member such as a screw or a pin through holes formed on each of them. At this time, the pedestal <NUM> may be in a state of being placed on the die, and if necessary, members such as screws and pins may pass through the die to further improve the fixing force. Also, any one of the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> may be provided with a magnet, and the other is made of a material such as steel to which a magnet can be attached, and thus may be attached and fixed to each other.

That is, when the cup portion height measurement of any one corner portion is completed through the method for measuring the height of the pouch cup portion C, the cup portion heights of the remaining three corner portions may be sequentially measured. In this case, the pouch <NUM> or the cup portion support jig <NUM> can be rotated by <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees or <NUM> degrees to measure the height of the other corners of the cup portion. After the cup portion support jig <NUM> is completely rotated by <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees or <NUM> degrees on the pedestal <NUM>, it is fastened to the pedestal <NUM> with a screw member or a pin member or attached through magnetic coupling, and thus the corner height of the pouch cup portion C may be sequentially measured while turning it.

On the other hand, in <FIG>, one side corner portion of the cup portion support jig <NUM> is marked with a virtual cross, and an intersection of the cross corresponds to the camera center point or measurement point of the 3D shape measurer used when measuring the height of the pouch cup portion. Therefore, as shown in <FIG>, when the cup portion support jig <NUM> is fixed and positioned on any one side (left side or right side) of the pedestal <NUM> on the basis of the cross center point, even if the measuring part of the cup portion is changed (that is, even if the pouch or the cup portion support jig <NUM> is rotated by <NUM> degrees (°), <NUM> degrees, or <NUM> degrees on the pedestal <NUM>), there is an advantage that it is possible to measure the height of the cup portion C immediately, without moving the pedestal <NUM> to the X and Y axes. Also, after measuring the height of the cup portion C of the corner portion through the 3D shape measurer, the measured value is macro-calculated to determine the height h of the pouch cup portion C. However, when following the above method, since a user does not need to additionally set macros, there is also an advantage capable of minimizing variations in height measurements of the pouch cup portion. Therefore, it is preferable that the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> are installed to be fixed to each other in alignment with the camera center point of the 3D shape measurer or the measurement point.

However, when the height measurement of the cup portion C at one of the corners is completed through the method for measuring the height of the pouch cup portion, the 3D shape measurer is positioned on the other corner side of the cup portion C, and the height of other corners of the cup portion C that is not measured may also be sequentially measured.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing an aspect in which two cup portion support jigs are provided and fixed on a separate pedestal according to still another embodiment of the present invention. This is for measuring the height of the cup portion of the model in which two cup portions are formed in one pouch, and a pouch model in which two cup portions are formed has a specification greater than a pouch model in which one cup portion is formed, and this is to compensate the problem that the pouch or the cup portion support jig <NUM> cannot be rotated by <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees, or <NUM> degrees on the pedestal <NUM>. Therefore, when using two cup portion support jigs, it is possible to measure the height of the pouch cup portion without rotating the pouch or the cup portion support jig <NUM> by further placing the camera center point of the 3D shape measurer or the measurement point on the outer corner portion of each of two cup portion support jigs, in addition to the central portion of the pedestal <NUM> (that is, the corner portion in which the two cup portion support jigs face each other). That is to say, when measuring the cup portion height of a pouch in which two cup portions are formed, the cup portion support jig <NUM> is accommodated in each of the two cup portions C, and at this time, it is possible to measure the height of the pouch cup portion C having the corner portion, in which the two cup portion support jigs <NUM> face each other, and the outer corner portions of each of the cup portion support jigs <NUM> without rotating the pouch <NUM> or the cup portion support jig <NUM>.

On the other hand, when there is a difference between the height of the cup portion C of the molded pouch <NUM> and the height of the cup portion support jig <NUM>, a height adjusting liner plate (not shown) may be inserted to face the upper surface or the lower surface of the cup portion support jig <NUM>. Holes that can be formed in the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> may also be formed even in the height adjusting liner plate, and mutual fastening is possible using the member such as screws and pins. In addition, attachment using magnetic force is also possible.

As described above, after the cup portion support jig <NUM> is covered with the pouch <NUM>, a step of positioning the upper fixing jig <NUM> to expose the corner portion of the upper surface of the pouch <NUM> covered with the cup portion support jig <NUM> for measuring the height of the cup portion C, and cover the periphery of the exposed corner to press and fix the pouch <NUM> covered with the cup portion support jig <NUM> is performed (step b). Subsequently, a step of positioning the lower fixing jig <NUM> on the porch wing portion W of the lower corner portion corresponding to the corner portion and on the peripheral bottom portion, exposing the periphery of the lower corner portion, and covering other portions, and at the same time pressing and fixing the pouch wing portion W and the peripheral bottom portion is performed (step c).

<FIG> is an upper perspective view showing an aspect in which the pouch covered with the cup portion support jig is pressed and fixed by the upper fixing jig, and the pouch wing portion is pressed and fixed by the lower fixing jig, according to an embodiment of the present invention. After the cup portion support jig <NUM> covered with the pouch <NUM> as described above, as shown in <FIG> or <FIG>, the upper fixing jig <NUM> is positioned over the cup portion C of the pouch <NUM> to press and fix the pouch <NUM>, and the lower fixing jig <NUM> is positioned over the pouch wing portion W and the peripheral bottom portion to press and fix the pouch wing portion W.

Therefore, any one of the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the cup portion support jig <NUM> may be provided with a magnet, the other thereof is made of a material such as steel to which the magnet can be attached, and thus both of them may be attached to each other, and through this, the pouch <NUM> interposed between the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the cup portion support jig <NUM>, more specifically, the cup portion C of the pouch <NUM> may be fixed. In addition, the lower fixing jig <NUM> may be magnetically attached to the bottom surface, or the pouch wing portion W interposed between the lower fixing jig <NUM> and the bottom surface may be fixed through screwing to the bottom surface. That is, each of the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> may fix the pouch <NUM> by magnetic force or the like. In addition, when the pedestal <NUM> as described above is used, the lower fixing jig <NUM> also can be fixed to the pedestal <NUM> in the same manner as the cup portion support jig <NUM>, and in this case, the pouch wing portion W may be fixed by being interposed between the lower fixing jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM>.

On the other hand, when the measurement of the height of one end of the intended pouch cup portion C is completed, and thus the cup portion support jig <NUM> needs to be rotated or the pouch <NUM> needs to be separated from the cup portion support jig <NUM>, the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> need to be separated from the pouch <NUM>. At this time, since the upper fixing jig <NUM> is magnetically coupled to the cup portion support jig <NUM>, the separation is not easy. Therefore, in this case, as shown in <FIG>, a upper fixing jig knob <NUM> may be fixed and coupled to one end of the upper surface of the upper fixing jig <NUM>, thereby more easily detaching the upper fixing jig <NUM>. Further, even if the lower fixing jig <NUM> is magnetically coupled to the pedestal <NUM>, a lower fixing jig knob <NUM> may be fixedly coupled to one end of the upper surface of the lower fixing jig <NUM>, thereby more easily detaching the lower fixing jig <NUM>.

On the other hand, the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> preferably have a color with brightness of <NUM> or less to reduce the reflection of the laser emitted by the 3D shape measurer. As the color having brightness of <NUM> or less, black or a color close thereto is preferable. This is to compensate for the problem in that the measurement of height h of the cup portion C of the pouch may be inaccurate by reflecting a laser emitted by the 3D shape measurer due to the characteristics of the pouch including a material such as aluminum.

After fixing the pouch <NUM> by installing each of the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> as described above, a step of measuring the cup portion height h of the corner portion exposed by the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> through a 3D shape measurer is performed (step d). The 3D shape measurer is used to measure the height of the pouch cup portion. After particular positions of the pouch cup portion C to be measured are set as a measurement point or a camera center point of the 3D shape measurer, by emitting the laser from the 3D shape measurer, the cup portion height h of the corner portion exposed by the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> may be measured. That is to say, the one side corner portion height h between an interface between the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the cup portion support fixing jig <NUM> and an interface between the lower fixing jig <NUM> and the bottom surface may be measured.

The position of the pouch cup portion C measured through the 3D shape measurer is preferably a corner portion in which the shape of the pouch cup portion C is best maintained, specifically, it may be a corner portion in a height direction that connects one vertex and a vertex facing this. That is, it is preferable to set the intersection point of the cross notation shown in <FIG> or <FIG> as the measurement point or the camera center point of the 3D shape measurer. Further, as described above, when measurement of the height of any one of the pouch cup portions is completed, the pouch or the cup portion support jig <NUM> is rotated by <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees or <NUM> degrees, and the other corner portion height of the pouch cup portion C to be measured may be sequentially measured. Moreover, in the case of a pouch model in which two cup portions are formed, since it is not easy to rotate the pouch or the cup portion support jig <NUM>, at this time, the 3D shape measurer may be moved to left and right to measure the height of the cup portion C at a plurality of locations. In addition, when measuring the cup portion height of a pouch model in which two cup portions are formed, one cup portion support jig <NUM> may be accommodated in each of the cup portions, and the individual cup portion support jig <NUM> may also be accommodated for each corner.

As described above, it is most preferable from the viewpoint of reliability to set a corner portion in the height direction that connects one vertex of the pouch cup portion C and the vertex facing it as a measurement point. Accordingly, the corner portion of the pouch cup portion C to be measured and its peripheral portion need to be fixed with a stronger force. For this purpose, as shown in <FIG>, the upper fixing jig <NUM> may be in close contact with one side corner of the pouch cup portion C to be measured as much as possible, and the lower fixing jig <NUM> may be provided in the form that simultaneously wraps two side surfaces adjacent to one side corner of the pouch cup portion C. As an example, the lower fixing jig <NUM> may have a letter "<IMG>" shape including two wing portions, and in this case, the two wing portions may be provided in the form that simultaneously wraps two side surfaces adjacent one side corner of the pouch cup portion C. In addition, when the lower fixing jig <NUM> is used as described above, there is an advantage that the same lower fixing jig <NUM> may be used continuously by changing only the position or angle even if the other corner height of the pouch cup portion C is measured.

In addition, as shown in <FIG>, the lower fixing jig <NUM> may include an inclined surface <NUM> formed on each of the wing portions that abut against the pouch cup portion C. As shown in <FIG>, the inclined surface <NUM> formed on each of the wing portions may have a form that is lowered toward the pouch cup portion C and thus approaches the bottom surface (or the pouch wing portion). Since this corresponds to a taper design considering an entry angle and reflection angle of the laser emitted from the 3D shape measurer (i.e., considering that the laser emitted from the 3D shape measurer enters or is reflected through the inclined surface <NUM>), if possible, it is preferable to form the inclined surface <NUM> on the lower fixing jig <NUM>.

Also, to accurately measure the height of the pouch cup portion C, the laser of the 3D shape measurer needs to be emitted in a state that is not interfered by obstacles. Accordingly, it is preferable that the upper fixing jig <NUM> is not positioned at the corner end of the pouch cup portion C so that the laser of the 3D shape measurer can enter normally (in other words, so that the measuring part is exposed). That is, it is preferable that the upper fixing jig <NUM> includes a recessed portion recessed into the corner portion of the pouch cup portion C so that the laser of the 3D shape measurer can enter or the measuring portion is exposed. <FIG> shows as an embodiment a state in which one end of the upper fixing jig <NUM> located on the side of the measuring part is recessed inward or rounded to expose the measuring part, and in addition to this, it is naturally to expose the measuring portion through various shapes.

As with the upper fixing jig <NUM>, the lower fixing jig <NUM> should not interfere with the laser emission of the 3D shape measurer. As a result, it is preferable that the lower fixing jig <NUM> is not also positioned at a portion facing the corner of the pouch cup portion C so that the laser of the 3D shape measurer can enter normally (in other words, so that the measuring part is exposed). In other words, it is preferable that a bottom exposure portion <NUM> for exposing the bottom is further formed in a recessed shape at a bent portion that abuts against the pouch cup portion C. <FIG> shows, as an embodiment, an aspect in which the bottom exposure portion <NUM> that exposes the bottom is formed in a recessed shape at the bent portion that abuts against the pouch cup portion C in the '<IMG>'-shaped lower fifing jig <NUM> to expose the measuring portion, and in addition to this, it is natural that the measuring portion can be exposed through various recessed shapes. At this time, the bottom exposed part <NUM> may be formed in a shape symmetrical to the shape of the lower fixing jig <NUM> (for example, a letter 'L' shape) based on both vertices of the lower fixing jig <NUM>, but is not limited thereto. In addition, this design is also a design considering the entry angle and reflection angle of the laser emitted from the 3D shape measurer.

If all of the above design requirements are satisfied, it is possible to measure the cup portion height h of the corner portion exposed by the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> through the 3D shape measurer. <FIG> is an image in which a plurality of profile measurement lines are set in the direction from the corner side of the cup portion of the upper fixing jig to the side of the lower fixing jig through the captured image obtained through the laser emitted by the 3D shape measurer and the camera of the 3D shape measurer. Specifically, first, the captured image obtained through the laser emitted by the 3D shape measurer and the camera of the 3D shape measurer is acquired. Subsequently, as shown in <FIG>, a plurality of profile measurement lines are set in the direction from the corner side of the cup portion of the upper fixing jig <NUM> to the lower fixing jig <NUM> through the captured image obtained, and the height value of the pouch cup portion C may be obtained by calculating a difference between the highest point and the lowest point on the basis of an average value thereof (based on the average value of multiple points considering the possibility that errors and deviations may occur when measuring based on a local point). For example, the profile measurement lines may be set to a total of five, and an interval between the measurement lines may be <NUM>, but since this is only an embodiment, it should not be construed as limiting thereto.

When the cup portion height h of the corner portion exposed by the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> is measured through the above, the measured value may be macro-calculated to determine the height h of the pouch cup portion C. The macro calculation may be performed through a macro program reproduced under the same conditions as the pouch cup portion measurement design criteria of the present invention, and may be performed within the 3D shape measurer or through a separately provided device.

Next, a height measuring apparatus of the pouch cup portion according to the present invention will be described. Referring to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the height measuring apparatus of the pouch cup portion according to the present invention is an apparatus for measuring the height of the pouch cup portion C of the pouch case for a secondary battery, which includes a cup portion support jig <NUM> having an internal shape of the pouch cup portion C so that the cup portion C of the pouch can be covered, a plate-shaped upper fixing jig <NUM> which exposes a corner portion for measuring the height of the cup portion C is exposed on the upper surface of the pouch <NUM> that is covered on the cup portion support jig <NUM> and covers a peripheral portion of the exposed corner portion, a plate-shaped lower fixing jig <NUM> that covers the pouch wing portion W of the lower corner portion corresponding to the corner portion and the periphery bottom portion, and exposes the periphery of the lower corner portion to enable the height measurement of the cup portion C, and a 3D shape measurer that measures the height of the corner portion.

Referring to <FIG>, the cup portion support jig <NUM> may be provided on a separate pedestal <NUM>. A hole may be formed in each of the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM>, and the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> may be fastened and fixed to each other through the hole by a member such as a screw or pin. At this time, the pedestal <NUM> may be placed on the die, and if necessary, members such as screws and pins can pass through the die to further improve the fixing force. Also, both the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> can be provided with a magnet, and the other is made of a material such as steel to which the magnet can be attached and thus attached and fixed to each other.

In addition, it is preferable that the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> are installed to be fixed to each other in alignment with the camera center point of the 3D shape measurer or the measuring point. This is because, even if the pouch <NUM> or the cup portion support jig <NUM> is rotated by <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees or <NUM> degrees on the pedestal <NUM>, the height h of the cup portion C can be immediately measured without moving the pedestal <NUM> to X and Y axes. Moreover, as shown in <FIG>, the two cup portion support jigs <NUM> may be positioned side by side over the pedestal <NUM>. This is a case for measuring the height of the cup portion of the model in which the pouch is formed with two cup portions, which is to compensate for the problem in that the pouch or the cup portion support fixing jig <NUM> cannot be rotated by <NUM> degrees, <NUM> degrees, or <NUM> degrees on the pedestal <NUM> because the pouch model formed with two cup portions has specification greater than those of the pouch model formed with one cup portion. Also, when there is a difference between the height of the cup portion C of the molded pouch <NUM> and the height of the cup portion support jig <NUM>, a height adjusting liner plate (not shown) may be inserted to face the upper surface or the lower surface of the cup portion support jig <NUM>. Holes that can be formed in the cup portion support jig <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> may also be formed in the height adjusting liner plate, and mutual fastening is possible using members such as screws and pins. Further, fixing using magnetic force is also possible.

Referring to <FIG>, the upper fixing jig <NUM> is preferably positioned as close as possible to one side corner of the pouch cup portion C to be measured, and the lower fixing jig <NUM> is preferably positioned so that the two wing portions simultaneously wrap the two side surfaces adjacent to the one side corner of the pouch cup portion C (that is, the lower fixing jig <NUM> includes two wing portions that simultaneously wrap the two side surfaces adjacent to one side corner of the pouch cup portion C). Further, in the lower fixing jig <NUM>, each of the wing portions that abut against the pouch cup portion C may be formed with an inclined surface as shown in <FIG>. Further, as shown in <FIG>, the inclined surface formed on each of the wing portions may have a shape that descends toward the side of the pouch cup portion C and approaches the bottom surface (or the pouch wing portion).

In addition, it is preferable that the upper fixing jig <NUM> is not positioned at the corner end of the pouch cup portion C so that the laser of the 3D shape measurer can enter normally (in other words, so that the measuring part is exposed). That is, it is preferable that the upper fixing jig <NUM> includes a recessed portion recessed into the corner portion of the pouch cup portion C so that the laser of the 3D shape measurer can enter or the measuring part is exposed. As an embodiment, <FIG> shows an aspect in which one end of the upper fixing jig <NUM> located on the side of the measuring portion is recessed inward or bent to expose the measuring portion, and in addition to this, the measuring portion may be exposed through various shapes.

Also, the lower fixing jig <NUM> is preferably not positioned at the portion that faces the corner of the pouch cup portion C so that the laser of the 3D shape measurer can enter normally (in other words, so that the measuring part is exposed). In other words, a bottom exposure portion <NUM> for exposing the bottom may be formed in a recessed shape at the bent portion of the lower fixing jig <NUM> that abuts against the pouch cup portion C. <FIG> shows an aspect in which, as an embodiment, a bottom exposure portion <NUM> for exposing the bottom is formed in a recessed shape at the bent portion that abuts against the pouch cup portion C in the lower fixing jig <NUM> in a letter '<IMG>' shape to expose the measuring part, and in addition to this, the measuring part can be exposed through various shapes. In this case, the bottom exposure portion <NUM> may be formed in a shape symmetrical to the shape of the lower fixing jig <NUM> (for example, a letter '<IMG>' shape) based on both vertices of the lower fixing jig <NUM>, but is not limited thereto.

Further, as described above, each of the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> may be fixed by magnetic force or the like. In addition, the upper fixing jig <NUM> and the lower fixing jig <NUM> preferably have a color with a brightness of <NUM> or less to reduce reflection of the laser emitted by the 3D shape measurer. As the color having a lightness of <NUM> or less, black or a color close thereto is preferable.

The 3D shape measurer provides a captured image obtained through a laser and a camera, and when the value of the cup portion height h of the exposed corner is measured through this, the measured value can be macro-calculated to determine the height h of the pouch cup portion C. The macro calculation may be performed through a macro program reproduced under the same conditions as the pouch cup portion measurement design criteria of the present invention, and this may be performed within the 3D shape measurer or through a separately provided device.

Claim 1:
A method for measuring a height of a pouch cup portion of a pouch case for a secondary battery, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) covering a cup portion support jig (<NUM>) with a pouch (<NUM>);
(b) positioning an upper fixing jig (<NUM>) to expose a corner portion for measuring a height of the cup portion (C) in a pouch upper surface covered on the cup portion support jig (<NUM>) and to cover a periphery of the exposed corner;
(c) positioning a lower fixing jig (<NUM>) at a pouch wing portion (W) and a peripheral bottom portion of a lower corner portion corresponding to the corner portion to expose the periphery of the lower corner portion and cover other portions; and
(d) measuring the cup portion height of the corner portion exposed by the upper fixing jig (<NUM>) and the lower fixing jig (<NUM>) through a 3D shape measurer.