Gas inspection of battery interiors

Detects gas generation inside batteries, which was previously difficult to inspect

Overview

Target

Battery manufacturers

Background

Post-market accidents due to current concentration, and deterioration of battery performance due to gas residues, must be prevented. However, mass production continues without any effective inspection method for the internal gas that causes these problems.

Application examples

Lithium-ion batteries
[Image] Lithium-ion batteries

The issue is the lack of an inspection method

To date, manufacturers have had to rely on process management because there was no inspection method for residual gas inside batteries.
Production was thus carried out with the risk of defect outflow, with large loss costs incurred in the effect of a defect outflow.

Challenge

Although process management is in place, defect may outflow if no action is taken.

Points

  • Process management monitoring is not possible
  • Defects cannot be detected from external appearance
  • Shortage of workers and elevated labor cost

Conventional method

Process management only
[Image] Process management only

Resolved with ultrasonic scanners

The advantage of introducing ultrasonic inspection is the impressive detection capability that results from applying principles suitable for detecting the internal gas layer. 
Human error is eliminated because the ultrasonic sensor detects gas layers that cannot be seen from outside.

Solution

Adding an ultrasonic sensor to an XY Scan system and conducting sampling inspections from the line allow process management while checking the occurrence of gas residues in each lot.

Points

  • Ultrasonic transmission detects gas layers
  • Process assurance by sampling inspection
  • Traceability using a barcode scanner

Solution

Ultrasonic beam focus technology at 1mm or less
[Image] Ultrasonic beam focus technology at 1mm or less

Example system

[Image] Fully automatic conveyor type SST-304C