Meandering correction apparatus for electrode assembly

1 . An apparatus for correcting meandering of an electrode that is transferred in a roll-to-roll manner to form a jelly-roll electrode assembly by being wound around a winding core, the apparatus comprising:

a line edge position control (EPC) unit including a line EPC roller configured to transfer the electrode to the winding core and to adjust an edge position of the electrode;

a final EPC unit including a determination edge position sensor (EPS) configured to measure the edge position of the electrode transferred from the line EPC roller as a determination EPS edge position value, and a final EPC roller configured to adjust the edge position of the electrode so that the edge position matches a determination EPS edge reference value; and

a controller configured to control the line EPC unit and the final EPC unit,

wherein the controller controls the edge position of the electrode so that the determination EPS edge position value matches the determination EPS edge reference value, and controls the line EPC unit so that a direction in which the electrode is transferred from the line EPC roller is corrected by comparing pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values when the determination EPS edge position values change over time to converge to the determination EPS edge reference value by feedback control, and the determination EPS edge reference value, and

wherein the controller controls the line EPC unit by comparing data values measured on the determination EPS edge position values in intermediate and later measurements and the determination EPS edge reference value, among pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values measured a predetermined number of times at predetermined time intervals until the determination EPS edge position values converge to the determination EPS edge reference value.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the final EPC roller is disposed at a position in front of an installation position of the determination EPS at a predetermined spacing.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes:

a first controller configured to feedback control the edge position of the electrode by adjusting the final EPC roller so that the determination EPS edge position value matches the determination EPS edge reference value; and

a second controller configured to feedback control the line EPC unit so that the direction in which the electrode is transferred from the line EPC roller is corrected by comparing the pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values when the determination EPS edge position values change over time to converge to the determination EPS edge reference value by the feedback control of the first controller, and the determination EPS edge reference value.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the controller further includes a third controller configured to control the edge position of the electrode by adjusting a position of the line EPC roller by the feedback control of the second controller.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an input clamp unit installed between the line EPC unit and the final EPC unit, the input clamp unit being configured to receive the electrode from the line EPC roller and input the electrode to the final EPC unit.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a value, which is obtained by averaging difference values between each of the pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values in the intermediate and later measurements and the determination EPS edge reference value, is defined as a logic value for the feedback control of the line EPC unit, and

wherein the controller calculates a value obtained by averaging the logic values of each electrode when the electrode is input a predetermined number of times as a line EPC roller correction value of the line EPC unit and performs the feedback control so that a position of the line EPC roller is corrected by as much as the correction value for every predetermined number of inputs of the electrode.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the line EPC roller has a reference correction value corrected to a predetermined roller position, and

wherein the controller performs the feedback control to correct the position of the line EPC roller corrected to the reference correction value by as much as the correction value.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein when a sign of the correction value is positive (+), as much as the correction value is subtracted from the reference correction value of the line EPC roller, and

wherein when the sign of the correction value is negative (−), as much as the correction value is added to the reference correction value of the line EPC roller.

9 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a value obtained by multiplying the logic value by a predetermined correction factor, which reflects a measurement error of the determination EPS due to an unexpected variable, is sets as the logic value.

10 . A method of correcting meandering of an electrode that is transferred in a roll-to-roll manner to form a jelly-roll electrode assembly by being wound around a winding core, the method comprising:

measuring a determination edge position sensor (EPS) edge position value by measuring an edge position of the electrode when the electrode transferred through a line edge position control (EPC) roller of a line EPC unit reaches a determination EPS of a final EPC unit disposed before the winding core, by the determination EPS;

controlling, by a controller, the edge position of the electrode so the determination EPS edge position value matches a predetermined determination EPS edge reference value;

obtaining pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values when the determination EPS edge position values change over time to converge to the determination EPS edge reference value by feedback control; and

controlling the line EPC unit so that a direction in which the electrode is transferred from the line EPC roller is corrected by comparing the pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values and the determination EPS edge reference value,

wherein the pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values, which change over time, are obtained by performing a measurement a predetermined number of times at predetermined time intervals until the pieces of data converge to the determination EPS edge reference value, and

wherein the line EPC unit is controlled by comparing data values on the determination EPS edge position values of intermediate and later measurements among the pieces of measured data and the determination EPS edge reference value.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the data values on the determination EPS edge position values of the intermediate and later measurements are data values measured in a 21st to 50th measurement sequence by the determination EPS.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a value, which is obtained by averaging difference values between each of the pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values in the intermediate and later measurements and the determination EPS edge reference value, is defined as a logic value for the feedback control of the line EPC unit, and

wherein a value obtained by averaging the logic values of each electrode when the electrode is input a predetermined number of times is calculated as a line EPC roller correction value of the line EPC unit and the feedback control is performed so that the position of the line EPC roller is corrected by as much as the correction value for every predetermined number of inputs of the electrode.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the line EPC roller has a reference correction value corrected to a predetermined roller position, and performs the feedback control to correct the position of the line EPC roller corrected to the reference correction value by as much as the correction value.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein when a sign of the correction value is positive (+), as much as the correction value is subtracted from the reference correction value of the line EPC roller, and

wherein when the sign of the correction value is negative (−), as much as the correction value is added to the reference correction value of the line EPC roller.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a value obtained by multiplying the logic value by a predetermined correction factor, which reflects a measurement error of the determination EPS due to an unexpected variable, is set as the logic value.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the correction factor is determined differently according to a magnitude of the average value of the difference values between each of the pieces of data on the determination EPS edge position values and the determination EPS edge reference value.