Back to results
US 12,442,746 B2Granted
Foreign metallic particle detector systems and methods of detecting foreign metallic particles
AssigneesToyota Research Institute, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMatthew P. Gordon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A metallic particle detector system includes a particle detection unit with a detector configured to detect, and provide signals as function of, light reflected from a surface of an active material layer on a charge collector backing layer moving on a roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line. The particle detection unit also includes a controller configured to receive the signals from the detector and determine, in-situ and as a function of the signals from the detector, a foreign metallic particle on the active material layer. The controller is also configured to determine a position of the foreign metallic particle on the charge collector backing layer moving on the roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line.
Claims19
A metallic particle detector system comprising:
- a roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line;
- a particle detection unit comprising:
- a visible light source configured to propagate visible light onto an active material layer;
- a detector, with a plurality of pixels, configured to detect, and provide signals as function of, the visible light propagated from the visible light source and reflected from a surface of the active material layer of an electrode strip moving between a section and a subsequent section on the roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line, with magnification of the detector configured to image one foreign metallic particle in one pixel of the plurality of pixels and thereby enhance contribution of visible light reflected from the one foreign metallic particle to an image of the one foreign metallic particle;
- and
- a controller configured to receive the signals from the detector and determine:
- in-situ, and as a function of the signals from the detector, a foreign metallic particle in or on the active material layer;
- and
- a position of the foreign metallic particle on the electrode strip moving on the roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line.
6 more elements
A metallic particle detector system comprising:
- a roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line with an electrode strip moving between a section and a subsequent section;
- a visible light source configured to propagate light onto an active material layer of the electrode strip, the visible light source selected from the group consisting of a visible laser light source and a visible broadband light source;
- a plurality of particle detection units, the plurality of particle detection units individually comprising a detector, with a plurality pixels, selected from the group consisting of a line scanner and sCMOS camera with a rolling shutter, the detector configured to detect, and provide signals as function of, the visible light propagated from the visible light source and reflected from a surface of the active material layer, and magnification of the detector configured to image one foreign metallic particle in one pixel of the plurality of pixels and thereby enhance contribution of visible light reflected from the one foreign metallic particle to an image of the one foreign metallic particle;
- and
- a controller in communication with the plurality of particle detection units, the controller configured to receive the signals from the individual detectors and determine:
- in-situ, and as a function of the signals from the detector, a foreign metallic particle in or on the active material layer;
- and
- a position of the foreign metallic particle on the electrode strip moving between the section and the subsequent section on the roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line.
5 more elements
An electrode manufacturing line comprising:
- a roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line with an electrode strip moving between a section and a subsequent section;
- a particle detection unit comprising:
- a visible light source configured to propagate light onto an active material layer, the visible light source selected from the group consisting of a visible laser light source and a visible broadband light source;
- a detector, with a plurality pixels, selected from the group consisting of a line scanner and sCMOS camera with a rolling shutter, the detector configured to detect, and provide signals as function of, the visible light propagated from the visible light source and reflected from a surface of an active material layer of the electrode, and magnification of the detector configured to image one foreign metallic particle in one pixel of the plurality of pixels and thereby enhance contribution of visible light reflected from the one foreign metallic particle to an image of the one foreign metallic particle;
- a controller configured to receive the signals from the detector and determine:
- in-situ, and as a function of the signals from the detector, a foreign metallic particle in or on the active material layer;
- and
- a position of the foreign metallic particle on the electrode strip moving between the section and the subsequent section on a roll-to-roll coated electrode manufacturing line;
- and
- a programmable logic controller configured to receive a command from the controller and remove a section of the electrode strip with a detected foreign metallic particle from the electrode manufacturing line.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.