ANALYSIS APPARATUS AND ANALYSIS METHOD

• US 20140136132A1
• Filed: 11/11/2013
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lasertec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lasertec Corporation
• Inventors: MAEKAWA, Hiroyuki, NISHIMURA, Yoshihiro, MORISHITA, Seiji, YAMAOKA, Hisahiro, HIRAKAWA, Takumi, YONEZAWA, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 9,638,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/006 Measuring power factor
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/387 Determining ampere-hour charge capacity or SoC
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/054 Accumulators with insertion or intercalation of metals other than lithium, e.g. with magnesium or aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Provided are an analysis apparatus and an analysis method which are capable of recognizing a local state change of an internal structure of a secondary battery. The analysis apparatus includes: an observation cell that houses a secondary battery; a charging and discharging controller that controls charging and discharging of the secondary battery; an image pickup device that captures color images of the secondary battery at a predetermined time interval; and a charging and discharging data detection unit that acquires charging and discharging data on the secondary battery during charging and discharging. Color image signals output from the image pickup device and charging and discharging data signals output from the charging and discharging data detection unit are supplied to a signal processing device. The signal processing device outputs a unit that temporally links time-series color image signals and time-series charging and discharging data signals, and designated analysis data.

Claims

1. An analysis apparatus that analyzes a state change during charging and discharging of a secondary battery by using a color image, comprising:

an observation cell that includes an observation window and houses the secondary battery;

a charging and discharging controller that controls charging and discharging of the secondary battery;

a color image pickup device that projects illumination light toward the secondary battery through the observation window, captures a color image of an active material layer of the secondary battery, and outputs time-series color image data; and

a signal processing device includes an output unit that outputs, as analysis data, color image data in a moving image format, or two-dimensional color image data associated with an elapsed time of charging and discharging.

2. The analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a color confocal image pickup device that captures a color confocal image of the secondary battery while changing a relative distance between an objective lens and the secondary battery is used as the color image pickup device,

the signal processing device includes a unit that forms, from a color confocal image signal, a color omnifocal image in focus over substantially an entire image pickup area, and

the output unit outputs the color omnifocal image as the color image data.

3. The analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a color confocal image pickup device that captures a color confocal image of the secondary battery while changing a relative distance between an objective lens and the secondary battery is used as the color image pickup device,

the color confocal image pickup device includes a distance sensor that detects the relative distance and outputs the relative distance as distance information to the signal processing device,

the signal processing device further includes a three-dimensional image forming unit that sequentially forms, at a predetermined time interval, three-dimensional color images of an active material layer by using the distance information and the color confocal image signal, and

the output unit outputs the three-dimensional color images as the color image data.

8. The analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when dendrite is deposited in the active material layer during charging and discharging, color image data in which dendrite is visually recognized is output.

4. An analysis apparatus that analyzes a state change during charging and discharging of a secondary battery by using a color image, comprising:

an observation cell that includes an observation window and houses the secondary battery;

a charging and discharging controller that controls charging and discharging of the secondary battery housed in the observation cell;

a color image pickup device that projects illumination light toward the secondary battery through the observation window, captures a color image of an active material layer of the secondary battery, and outputs time-series color image data;

a charging and discharging data detection unit that acquires charging and discharging data on the secondary battery during charging and discharging, and outputs time-series charging and discharging data; and

a signal processing device including;

a unit that receives the color image data output from the color image pickup device and the charging and discharging data output from the charging and discharging data detection unit, and temporally links the time-series color image data and the time-series charging and discharging data; and

an output unit that outputs analysis data linking the color image data and an electrical characteristic of the secondary battery.

5. The analysis apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the signal processing device includes a clock device and first and second memories,

the first memory stores, as a pair, the time-series color image data and time information output from the clock device, and

the second memory stores, as a pair, the time-series charging and discharging data and time information output from the clock device.

6. The analysis apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the charging and discharging data detection unit includes a unit that detects a charging and discharging voltage generated across the secondary battery due to charging and discharging;

and a unit that detects a charging and discharging current flowing through the secondary battery,

the signal processing device includes a unit that calculates time-series states of charge (S.O.C.) based on an input charging and discharging current, and

the calculated states of charge and the time information are stored as a pair in a third memory, and a state of charge temporally linked to the color image data is formed.

7. The analysis apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the signal processing device includes a charge level conversion unit that converts the color image data into a charge level indicative of a quantity of electricity intercalated in an active material of the secondary battery, and

the charge level and the time information are stored in a fourth memory.

9. The analysis apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the signal processing device is connected with an input device for inputting designation information for designating analysis data to be output, and the output unit outputs designated analysis data.

10. The analysis apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when a color image in a moving image format is designated as the designation information, the output unit outputs analysis data to display color images in a moving image format and time-series states of charge or charging and discharging voltages in parallel.

11. The analysis apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when a three-dimensional image in a moving image format is designated as the designation information, the output unit outputs analysis data to display three-dimensional images in a moving image format and states of charge or charging and discharging voltages in parallel.

12. The analysis apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when a color image of a partial area of the active material layer is designated as the designation information, the output unit outputs analysis data to display the designated color image of the area and states of charge or charging and discharging voltages in parallel.

13. The analysis apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when a color image of a linear area is designated as the designation information, the output unit output analysis data to display the designated color image of the linear area and states of charge or charging and discharging voltages in parallel in time series on a temporal axis.

14. The analysis apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when a charging and discharging voltage or a state of charge is designated as the designation information, the output unit outputs a two-dimensional color image corresponding to the designated charging and discharging voltage or state of charge.

15. The analysis apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when a moving image between two states of charge or two charging and discharging voltages, or a moving image during a designated time period is designated, a moving image of a color image corresponding to a designated state of charge or charging and discharging voltage, or a moving image of a color image during a designated time period is output.

20. The analysis apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

line images on a line designated in an image are extracted from the time-series color images,

the extracted line images are sequentially aligned on a temporal axis to form a 1-line analysis image, and

the 1-line analysis image is output as a two-dimensional image specified by a Cartesian coordinate system defined by a temporal axis and positional information along a designated line direction.

21. The analysis apparatus according to claim 20, wherein

the color images include a two-dimensional color image of an area between a cathode current collector and an anode current collector of the secondary battery,

the 1-line analysis image includes a 1-line analysis image of a linear area between the cathode current collector and the anode current collector, and

a change in distance between the cathode current collector and the anode current collector in the 1-line analysis image during charging and discharging is measured to thereby measure an amount of expansion and contraction of the secondary battery during charging and discharging.

16. An analysis apparatus that analyzes a state change during charging and discharging of a secondary battery by using a color image, comprising:

an observation cell that includes an observation window and houses the secondary battery to be analyzed;

a charging and discharging controller that controls charging and discharging of the secondary battery;

a color image pickup device that projects illumination light toward the secondary battery disposed in the observation cell, through the observation window, captures a color image of an active material layer of the secondary battery, and outputs time-series color image data;

a charging and discharging data detection unit that acquires charging and discharging data on the secondary battery during charging and discharging, and outputs time-series charging and discharging data; and

a signal processing device including;

a unit that receives the color image data output from the color image pickup device and the charging and discharging data output from the charging and discharging data detection unit, and temporally links the time-series color image data and the time-series charging and discharging data;

a conversion unit that converts the color image into a state-of-charge distribution or a charge level distribution indicative of a quantity of electricity intercalated in an active material of the secondary battery by using reference data representing a correspondence between a color of the active material and a state of charge; and

a output unit that outputs, as analysis data, the converted state-of-charge distribution or charge level distribution.

17. The analysis apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the signal processing device is connected with an input device for inputting designation information for designating color image data to be output, and the output unit outputs, as two-dimensional image information, a state-of-charge distribution or a charge level distribution corresponding to a designated elapsed time, when a relationship between an elapsed time after start of charging and a state or charge or a charge level is designated as the designation information.

18. The analysis apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the charge level is divided into a plurality of stages, and each stage is displayed as a scale value of a bit level, and

a color image of the active material layer is converted into a two-dimensional image represented by a scale value of a bit level.

19. An analysis method that analyzes a state change during charging and discharging of a secondary battery by using a color image, the analysis method comprising:

charging and discharging the secondary battery to be analyzed under a predetermined condition by using a charging and discharging controller;

capturing a color image of an active material layer of the secondary battery during charging and discharging and forming time-series color image data by using a color image pickup device; and

outputting, as analysis data, color image data in a moving image format, or two-dimensional color image data associated with an elapsed time of charging and discharging.