An automatic electrode supply apparatus configured to automatically supply an electrode in various processes for manufacturing a secondary battery includes a first chuck splicing unit including a splicing portion having a traveling electrode located thereon and a second chuck splicing unit including a splicing portion having a standby electrode located thereon, wherein each of the first and second chuck splicing units includes an edge position control (EPC) sensor configured to measure the position of the edge of a corresponding one of the traveling electrode and the standby electrode in order to prevent distortion or fracture defect of the electrode due to positional deviation between the traveling electrode and the standby electrode, and an automatic electrode supply method using the same.

An assembly to connect together first and second sheet members. The assembly includes a pressure device that applies pressure to the sheet members while the sheet members are in an overlapping arrangement and positioned on a support platform. A sensing system that includes one or more thin film pressure sensors detects the positions of the leading and trailing edges. A connection device connects the members together in an overlapping arrangement.

An assembly to connect together first and second sheet members. The assembly includes a pressure device that applies pressure to the sheet members while the sheet members are in an overlapping arrangement and positioned on a support platform. A sensing system that includes one or more thin film pressure sensors detects the positions of the leading and trailing edges. A connection device connects the members together in an overlapping arrangement.

A method (600) for detecting and tracking a feature of a web of packaging material (102), using a first capacitor (106) placed at a distance (d) from the web of packaging material (102) is provided. The method (600) comprises; feeding (602) a section of the web of packaging material (102) to a first position (p), so that the section influences a dielectric property of the first capacitor (106), measuring (604), at a point of time (t), a capacitance of the first capacitor (106), and determining (612) the feature of the section passing the first capacitor (106) at the point of time (t), based on the capacitance.

An automatic electrode supply apparatus configured to automatically supply an electrode in various processes for manufacturing a secondary battery includes a first chuck splicing unit including a splicing portion having a traveling electrode located thereon and a second chuck splicing unit including a splicing portion having a standby electrode located thereon, wherein each of the first and second chuck splicing units includes an edge position control (EPC) sensor configured to measure the position of the edge of a corresponding one of the traveling electrode and the standby electrode in order to prevent distortion or fracture defect of the electrode due to positional deviation between the traveling electrode and the standby electrode, and an automatic electrode supply method using the same.

A method (600) for detecting and tracking a feature of a web of packaging material (102), using a first capacitor (106) placed at a distance (d) from the web of packaging material (102) is provided. The method (600) comprises; feeding (602) a section of the web of packaging material (102) to a first position (p), so that the section influences a dielectric property of the first capacitor (106), measuring (604), at a point of time (t), a capacitance of the first capacitor (106), and determining (612) the feature of the section passing the first capacitor (106) at the point of time (t), based on the capacitance.