# US 12,179,290 B2 · System for detecting poor weld in welded portion of battery module, and method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,290 B2 - Document ID: US12179290B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/686,657 - Filed: 2022-03-04 - Published: 2023-01-12 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2021-07-07 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation - Inventors: Kyungmo Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179290B2 ## CPC - B23K 31/125: {Weld quality monitoring} - B23K 26/21: by welding - G01N 21/8914: {characterised by the material examined} - G01N 21/95: characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined (G01N21/89 - G01N21/91, G01N21/94 take precedence) - B23K 2101/36: Electric or electronic devices - B23K 2101/38: Conductors - G01N 2021/8918: {Metal} - G01N 2203/0296: Welds - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract Provided is a system for detecting a poor weld in a welded portion of a battery module, the system including a battery module fixation unit fixing the battery module to be inspected, an inspection position movement unit moving the battery module fixation unit to a welding inspection position, a welding inspection unit including a frictional reaction force measurement unit inducing a slight movement of the welded portion of the battery module and measuring a frictional reaction force generated thereby and a vision inspection camera detecting an amount of change in a position of the welded portion of the battery module, and a control unit determining whether the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded based on the frictional reaction force and the amount of position change, measured by the welding inspection unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for detecting a poor weld in a welded portion of a battery module, which is to inspect a welded state of the battery module made by assembling a plurality of battery cells to each other, the system comprising: a battery module fixation unit fixing the battery module to be inspected; an inspection position movement unit moving the battery module fixation unit to a welding inspection position; a welding inspection unit including a frictional reaction force measurement unit inducing a movement of the welded portion of the battery module and measuring a frictional reaction force generated thereby, and a vision inspection camera detecting an amount of change in a position of the welded portion of the battery module; and a control unit determining whether the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded based on the frictional reaction force and the amount of position change, measured by the welding inspection unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the welding inspection unit is positioned on a movable servo plate, and the servo plate is coupled to a rail to be advanced and retreated toward the welded portion of the battery module moved to the inspection position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the frictional reaction force measurement unit includes: a base; a movement unit disposed on the base, and moved by coming into contact with a lead of the welded portion of the battery module; a frictional reaction force measurement load cell supporting both sides of the movement unit, and measuring the frictional reaction force induced by the movement of the movement unit; and a movement induction servo device supporting the base and inducing the movement unit to be slightly moved at a specific position of the welded portion of the battery module. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the frictional reaction force measurement load cell and the vision inspection camera respectively transmit a signal of the frictional reaction force and a signal of the amount of position change to the control unit through a signal transmission wire. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein a portion of the movement unit, in contact with the welded portion of the battery module, has a wedge and a protrusion to generate a friction force between the portion itself and a surface of the lead of the welded portion of the battery module. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the movement unit is disposed on an inspection assembly supporting the base, and the inspection assembly is ball-bearing coupled to a rail positioned on the movement induction servo device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the control unit determines that the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded when an amount of change in a position of the lead, detected by the vision inspection camera, is 10% or more of an amount of the induced movement of the battery module in a direction in which the battery cells are stacked. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the movement induction servo device is operated for the movement unit to be moved about 1 mm in one direction of the battery module in which the battery cells are stacked and then maintained for about one second, and then moved about 1 mm in the other direction and then maintained for about one second. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the control unit determines that the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded when the amount of change in the position of the lead of the battery module, detected by the vision inspection camera, is 0.1 mm or more in the direction in which the battery cells of the battery module are stacked. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the control unit determines that the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded when the frictional reaction force measured by the frictional reaction force measurement load cell is less than 40% of tensile strength generated by normal welding. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method of detecting a poor weld in a welded portion of a battery module, in which the method uses the system of claim 1 for detecting the poor weld in a welded portion of a battery module, which is to inspect a welded state of the battery module made by assembling a plurality of battery cells to each other, the method comprising: seating and fixing the battery module on a battery module fixation unit; moving the battery module fixed on the battery module fixation unit to a position where the welded portion of the battery module faces a welding inspection unit; moving the welding inspection unit toward the welded portion of the battery module for a frictional reaction force measurement unit to come into contact with the welded portion of the battery module; and determining whether the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded through the welding inspection unit, by a control unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein in the determining of whether the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded, the frictional reaction force measurement unit is slightly moved to detect a frictional reaction force generated by an induced slight movement of the battery module. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the welded portion of the battery module is determined to be poorly welded when the frictional reaction force is less than 40% of tensile strength generated by normal welding. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of whether the welded portion of the battery module is poorly welded is made based on an amount of change in a position of a lead of the battery module, detected by a vision inspection camera. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the welded portion of the battery module is determined to be poorly welded when the amount of change in the position of the lead of the battery module is 10% or more of an amount of the induced slight movement of the battery module in a direction in which the battery cells are stacked.