Tray for electrolyte injection and electrolyte injection method

Abstract

A tray according to one embodiment of the present invention is a tray for electrolyte injection configured to connect an electrolyte supply device for supplying an electrolyte to an opening formed in one side of a battery case, the trays each comprising: a hopper having a hollow structure; a hopper coupling portion coupled to the hopper; and a battery sealing portion configured to seal the opening portion, in which the battery sealing portion may include a sealing member configured to be closely attached to an inner surface of the battery case.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a tray for electrolyte injection and an electrolyte injection method.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0087614 filed in Korea on Jul. 15, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] The secondary battery may include an electrode assembly and an electrolyte. In the manufacture of the secondary battery, after a case of the secondary battery is sealed, a hole for electrolyte injection may be formed, or the case sealing may be performed after the electrolyte injection.

[0004] In any case, it is necessary to prevent leakage of electrolyte in the secondary battery during electrolyte injection. In order to prevent leakage of electrolyte, a tight seal on the connection between the injector and the secondary battery is required.

[0005] For example, in the case of a cylindrical secondary battery, after the electrode assembly is inserted through the opening on the side of the case, the electrolyte injection may be performed. The electrolyte injection may be performed by supplying electrolyte using an electrolyte supplier connected to one side of a tray configured to connect the electrolyte supplier to the secondary battery while the opposite side of the tray is inserted into the opening of the case of the secondary battery.

[0006] In this case, the end of the tray inserted into the opening of the shell may be in close contact with the curling portion of the shell. The inner surface of the curling portion extending inward around the shell may not be completely flat, and other components may be arranged on the curling portion. Therefore, although the end of the tray is in close contact with the curling portion, the seal on the connection portion of the tray and the secondary battery may be incomplete.

[0007] In order to form a tight seal on the connection portion, the tray may have an outer diameter or width of the end that is substantially equal to the inner diameter or width of the housing so that it is in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall of the housing. However, in order to strengthen the seal, when the size of the end of the tray increases, the process of inserting the tray into the secondary battery may not be easy, and in order to make the tray easy to insert, when the size of the end of the tray decreases, the seal may be poor or incomplete.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need to develop a tray for electrolyte injection having a structure that solves the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the invention

[0009] Technical issues

[0010] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and thus the present disclosure is intended to provide a tray for electrolyte injection, which easily performs a process of inserting the tray into a battery and ensures enhanced sealing at a connection portion between the tray and the battery.

[0011] Problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand these and other problems from the following description.

[0012] Technical Solution

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, a tray according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a tray for electrolyte injection, which is configured to connect an electrolyte supplier for supplying electrolyte to an opening on one side of a battery shell, and the tray includes: a hopper having a hollow structure; and a sealing member, the sealing member including a hopper connecting portion connected to the hopper and a battery sealing portion configured to seal the opening, wherein the battery sealing portion is configured to be in close contact with the inner surface of the shell of the battery.

[0014] The sealing member may have a hollow structure having an inner space communicating with an inner space of the hopper.

[0015] The battery sealing portion may be configured to be in close contact with the inner surface of the case when an end portion of the battery sealing portion is deformed outward when pressed toward the battery.

[0016] The battery sealing portion may be configured such that an inner diameter or an inner width increases in a direction away from the hopper.

[0017] The battery sealing portion may be configured to decrease in thickness in a direction away from the hopper.

[0018] The battery sealing portion may be configured such that when pressed toward the battery, an end of the battery sealing portion slides on a curling portion of the battery housing in an outward direction of the battery and comes into close contact with the inner surface of the housing above the curling portion.

[0019] The sealing member may include a core protection portion configured to reduce a cross-sectional area of ​​an inner space of the sealing member through which the electrolyte passes.

[0020] The core guard may be configured to traverse the inner space of the sealing member.

[0021] The core protection part may be configured to pass through a central area of ​​the inner space of the sealing member.

[0022] The core protection portion may be positioned such that the core protection portion at least partially overlaps a winding center hole of an electrode assembly received in the battery.

[0023] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the electrolyte injection method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is an electrolyte injection method for injecting electrolyte into a battery through an opening on one side of a battery shell, and includes: an insertion step of inserting a tray for electrolyte injection into the opening; a placement step of placing a sealing member of the tray on the curling portion of the shell; a close contact step of pressing the sealing member toward the curling portion so that an end of the sealing member slides on the curling portion and is in close contact with the inner surface of the shell above the curling portion; and an injection step of injecting electrolyte into the shell through the tray.

[0024] The close contact step may include pressing the sealing member with the end of the sealing member in contact with the curling portion so that the end of the sealing member is deformed outward to bring the sealing member into close contact with the inner surface of the housing.

[0025] In the electrolyte injection method of the present disclosure, the battery may include a current collector electrically connected to the electrode assembly accommodated in the case, and the current collector may be located on the beaded portion.

[0026] In the electrolyte injection method of the present invention, the current collector may be discontinuously disposed on the bead portion along the circumferential direction of the case.

[0027] The injecting step may include dispersing electrolyte injection pressure facing a winding center hole of the electrode assembly accommodated in the case using a core guard configured to pass through a central area of ​​an inner space of the sealing member.

[0028] Beneficial Effects

[0029] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to easily perform a process of inserting a tray for electrolyte injection into a battery, and enhance sealing properties at a connection portion between the tray and the battery.

[0030] The present disclosure may have many other effects, and descriptions thereof will be provided in each exemplary configuration, or corresponding descriptions will be omitted with respect to effects that can be easily inferred by those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the following detailed description, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical aspects of the present disclosure, and thus the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a tray connected to a battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sealing member of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing member of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a connection structure between a sealing member and a battery according to the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of .

[0037] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a connection structure between a sealing member and a battery according to the present disclosure when the battery includes a current collecting plate.

[0038] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of .

[0039] Figure 8 is a top view of a battery including a current collecting plate.

[0040] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the sealing member of the present disclosure, showing Figure 3 A sealing member with a core protector is shown.

[0041] Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 A top view of the sealing member is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms or words used in the specification and the appended claims should not be interpreted as limited to the general and dictionary meanings, but are interpreted based on the meaning and concept corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure based on the principle that the inventor is allowed to appropriately define the terms for the best interpretation.

[0043] Therefore, the embodiments described herein and the illustrations in the accompanying drawings are exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure for describing the technical aspects of the present disclosure and are not intended to be limiting, and it should be understood that various other equivalents and modifications may be made thereto when the present application is filed.

[0044] In the accompanying drawings, for ease of description and clarity, the size of each element or a specific part of an element is exaggerated, omitted or schematically shown. Therefore, the size of each element does not necessarily reflect the actual size. When it is determined that a specific detailed description of a related known function or element may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure, the description is omitted. For reference, as used herein, the terms indicating directions are terms based on the elements in the drawings and may be relative terms that change according to the actual position or position of the element.

[0045] Terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and rear are used for convenience of description, but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the terms may change according to the positions of the elements or observers.

[0046] Will refer to Figures 1 to 3 A pallet 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0047] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a tray connected to a battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sealing member of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a sealing member of the present disclosure.

[0048] refer to Figures 1 to 3 The tray 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be a tray for electrolyte injection, which is configured to connect an electrolyte supplier for supplying electrolyte to an opening portion on one side of a case 120 of a battery 100. In the present disclosure, the battery 100 to be injected with electrolyte may be, for example, a cylindrical battery.

[0049] The tray 1 may include a hopper 10 and a sealing member 20. The hopper 10 may have a hollow structure to allow the electrolyte supplied by the electrolyte supplier to pass therethrough. That is, the hopper 10 may be used as a connector to connect the electrolyte supplier to the battery 100 during electrolyte injection. The hopper 10 may include metal to ensure strength. However, the material of the hopper 10 is not limited thereto, and any material that maintains optimal strength and has chemical resistance to the electrolyte passing through the hopper 10 may be applied to the hopper 10.

[0050] The sealing member 20 may include a hopper coupling portion 21 coupled to the hopper 10 and a battery sealing portion 22 configured to seal the opening portion of the housing 120. The hopper coupling portion 21 may have a shape corresponding to an end portion on one side of the hopper 10. The battery sealing portion 22 may be configured to closely contact the inner surface of the housing 120 of the battery 100. The sealing member 20 may include a flexible material to prevent leakage of electrolyte at the coupling portion of the hopper 10 and the sealing member 20 and the contact portion of the sealing member 20 and the battery 100.

[0051] The sealing member 20 may include, for example, a rubber material. The sealing member 20 may have a hollow structure having an inner space communicating with the inner space of the hopper 10. The sealing member 20 may have a generally cylindrical shape with a hollow center.

[0052] The battery sealing portion 22 of the present disclosure may be configured to be in close contact with the inner surface of the case 120 when the distal end thereof is deformed outwardly when pressed toward the battery 100 .

[0053] For example, the battery sealing portion 22 may have an increasing inner diameter or inner width in a direction away from the hopper 10. The battery sealing portion 22 may have a decreasing thickness in a direction away from the hopper 10.

[0054] In the case of applying the inner diameter increasing structure of the battery sealing part 22 and / or the thickness reducing structure of the battery sealing part 22, when the sealing member 20 is pressed toward the battery 100, the end of the battery sealing part 22 can be flexibly deformed and closely contact with the inner surface of the housing 120 of the battery 100. Therefore, the risk of electrolyte leakage can be eliminated or reduced during the process of injecting electrolyte into the battery 100.

[0055] Meanwhile, the tray 1 may further include an additional sealing member 30 configured to connect the hopper 10 to the electrolyte supplier. The additional sealing member 30 may prevent electrolyte leakage at a connection portion of the electrolyte supplier and the hopper 10.

[0056] Then, reference will be made to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The change in shape of the sealing member 20 of the present disclosure when being pressed toward the battery 100 is described.

[0057] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a connection structure between a sealing member and a battery according to the present disclosure. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of .

[0058] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 The battery sealing portion 22 can be configured so that when pressed toward the battery 100, the end of the battery sealing portion 22 slides on the curling portion 121 of the shell 120 of the battery 100 in the outward direction of the battery 100 and is in close contact with the inner surface of the shell 120 above the curling portion 121.

[0059] The inner surface of the curling portion 121 extending inwardly around the housing 120 of the battery 100 may not be a perfectly flat surface, and other components may be disposed on the curling portion 121. Therefore, although the end of the battery sealing portion 22 is in close contact with the curling portion 121, the seal on the contact interface between the battery sealing portion 22 and the curling portion 121 may be incomplete. Therefore, as described above, since the end of the battery sealing portion 22 slides on the curling portion 121 in the outward direction of the battery 100 and is in close contact with the inner surface of the housing 120 above the curling portion 121, the sealing can be further improved.

[0060] At the same time, when the tray 1 is pressed toward the battery 100, the movement of the battery sealing portion 22 can be obtained, for example, by the inner diameter increasing structure of the battery sealing portion 22 and / or the thickness reducing structure of the battery sealing portion 22 as described above. At the same time, the angle between the inner surface of the end of the battery sealing portion 22 and the vertical direction (parallel to the Z axis) can be, for example, about 10° to 30°. The angle between the outer surface of the end of the battery sealing portion 22 and the vertical direction (parallel to the Z axis) can be, for example, about 40° to 60°. This angle state is the angle state before the battery sealing portion 22 is compressed and deformed.

[0061] Then, reference will be made to Figures 6 to 8 The advantage of the close contact between the battery sealing portion 22 of the present disclosure and the inner surface of the side wall of the housing 120 is described in more detail.

[0062] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a connection structure between a sealing member and a battery according to the present disclosure when the battery includes a current collecting plate. Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of . Figure 8 is a top view of a battery including a current collecting plate.

[0063] refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the tray 1 of the present disclosure may be applied, for example, to a battery 100 including a current collector 130 disposed on a curling portion 121 of a shell 120. The battery 100 may include an electrode assembly 110, a shell 120 accommodating the electrode assembly 110, and a current collector 130 electrically connected to the electrode assembly 110 and connected to the curling portion 121 of the shell 120. The current collector 130 may, for example, be coupled to an uncoated portion 111 on a surface of the electrode assembly 110. The current collector 130 may have a current collector hole 130a. The current collector hole 130a may be formed approximately at the center of the current collector 130. The current collector hole 130a may be formed at a position corresponding to the winding center hole of the electrode assembly 110.

[0064] When the current collector 130 is disposed on the beading portion 121 of the case 120, the upper surface of the beading portion 121 may be uneven due to the current collector 130. In addition, when the current collector 130 is welded to the beading portion 121, the upper surface of the beading portion 121 may have low flatness due to the weld.

[0065] Reference Figure 8 , the current collector 130 may be discontinuously disposed on the beaded portion 121, for example, along the circumferential direction of the case 120. When the battery 100 has the above structure, the flatness on the beaded portion 121 may be low.

[0066] In the case where the flatness of the upper surface of the curling portion 121 is low, when the connection portion between the tray 1 and the battery 100 is sealed by making the battery sealing portion 22 in close contact with the curling portion 121, the sealing performance may be low, and therefore, electrolyte leakage may occur during electrolyte injection. Therefore, as in the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the end of the battery sealing portion 22 is configured to be in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall of the housing 120 above the curling portion 121, further improved sealing performance can be ensured.

[0067] Then, refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 as well as Figure 1 Description has Figure 2 The sealing member 20 has different structures.

[0068] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the sealing member of the present disclosure, showing Figure 3 The sealing member shown has a core protector. Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 A top view of the sealing member is shown.

[0069] refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 as well as Figure 1 , the sealing member 20 may include a core protection portion 23. The core protection portion 23 may be configured to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the internal space of the sealing member 20 for the electrolyte to pass through. For example, the core protection portion 23 may be configured to cross the internal space of the sealing member 20. For example, the core protection portion 23 may be configured to pass substantially through the central area of ​​the internal space of the sealing member 20. The core protection portion 23 may be positioned so that the core protection portion 23 at least partially overlaps with the winding center hole of the electrode assembly 110 accommodated in the battery 100.

[0070] The core protection portion 23 may include a plurality of bridges 23a extending generally radially outward from a generally central region of the inner space of the sealing member 20. The core protection portion 23 may include a core cover 23b disposed at a generally central region of the inner space of the sealing member 20. The core cover 23b may be configured to cover at least a portion of a winding center hole at the core of the electrode assembly 110 of the battery 100. The core cover 23b may be supported by the bridge 23a.

[0071] According to the above-mentioned configuration of the sealing member 20, when the electrolyte passing through the tray 1 flows into the winding center hole of the core of the electrode assembly 110, the flow rate and / or flow velocity can be reduced. Alternatively, the electrolyte can be prevented from directly flowing into the winding center hole of the electrode assembly 110 according to the size and position of the bridge 23a and / or the core cover 23b of the core protection part 23. Therefore, damage to the diaphragm provided around the inner wall of the winding center hole of the electrode assembly 110 due to the electrolyte injection pressure can be prevented or minimized.

[0072] Subsequently, an electrolyte injection method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figures 1 to 10 The electrolyte injection method of the present disclosure is described.

[0073] The electrolyte injection method of the present disclosure relates to a method for injecting electrolyte into a battery 100 through an opening portion on one side of a case 120 of the battery 100 , and may include an inserting step, a seating step, a close contact step, and an injecting step.

[0074] The inserting step may be a step of inserting the tray 1 for electrolyte injection into the opening of the housing 120. The placing step may be a step of placing the sealing member 20 of the tray 1 on the curling portion 121 of the housing 120. The close contacting step may be a step of pressing the sealing member 20 toward the curling portion 121 so that the sealing member 20 can slide on the curling portion 121 and come into close contact with the inner surface of the housing 120 above the curling portion 121. The injecting step may be a step of injecting the electrolyte into the housing 120 through the tray 1.

[0075] The close contact step may be a step of pressing the end of the sealing member 20 in contact with the curling portion 121 so that the end of the sealing member 20 may be deformed outward to bring the sealing member 20 into close contact with the inner surface of the housing 120 .

[0076] In the electrolyte injection method of the present disclosure, the battery 100 may include a current collector 130 electrically connected to the electrode assembly 110 accommodated in the case 120. The current collector 130 may be disposed on the beading portion 121. The current collector 130 may be discontinuously disposed on the beading portion 121 along the circumferential direction of the case 120.

[0077] The injection step may be a step of dispersing electrolyte injection pressure facing the winding center hole of the electrode assembly 110 accommodated in the case 120 using the core protection part 23 configured to pass through the central area of ​​the inner space of the sealing member 20 .

[0078] Although the present disclosure has been described above with respect to a limited number of embodiments and drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is apparent that those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications within the technical aspects of the present disclosure and the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0079] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0080] 1: Pallet

[0081] 10: Hopper

[0082] 20: Sealing components

[0083] 21: Hopper connection

[0084] 22: Battery sealing part

[0085] 23: Core protection part

[0086] 23a: Bridge

[0087] 23b: Core cover

[0088] 100: Battery

[0089] 111: Uncoated part

[0090] 110: Electrode assembly

[0091] 120: Shell

[0092] 121: Curling part

[0093] 130: Current collector

[0094] 130a: Current collector hole

Claims

1. A tray for electrolyte injection, the tray being configured to connect an electrolyte supplier for supplying electrolyte to an opening portion on one side of a case of a battery, the tray comprising: A hopper having a hollow structure; as well as A sealing member includes a hopper coupling portion coupled to the hopper and a battery sealing portion configured to seal the opening portion, wherein the battery sealing portion is configured to be in close contact with an inner surface of the case of the battery.

2. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing member has a hollow structure having an inner space communicating with the inner space of the hopper.

3. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein: The battery sealing portion is configured to be in close contact with the inner surface of the case when an end portion of the battery sealing portion is deformed outward when pressed toward the battery.

4. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein: The battery sealing portion is configured such that an inner diameter or an inner width increases in a direction away from the hopper.

5. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein: The battery sealing portion is configured to decrease in thickness in a direction away from the hopper.

6. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein: The battery sealing portion is configured so that when pressed toward the battery, an end of the battery sealing portion slides on a curling portion of the housing of the battery in an outward direction of the battery and comes into close contact with the inner surface of the housing over the curling portion.

7. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing member includes a core protection portion configured to reduce a cross-sectional area of ​​an inner space of the sealing member through which the electrolyte passes.

8. The pallet according to claim 7, wherein: The core protection portion is arranged to traverse the inner space of the sealing member.

9. The pallet according to claim 8, wherein: The core protection portion is arranged to pass through a central area of ​​the inner space of the sealing member.

10. The pallet according to claim 8, wherein: The core protection portion is positioned such that the core protection portion at least partially overlaps a winding center hole of an electrode assembly received in the battery.

11. An electrolyte injection method for injecting an electrolyte into a battery through an opening on one side of a battery housing, the electrolyte injection method comprising: an inserting step of inserting a tray for electrolyte injection into the opening; a placement step of placing the sealing member of the tray on the curled edge portion of the shell; a close contact step of pressing the sealing member toward the curling portion so that an end portion of the sealing member slides on the curling portion and comes into close contact with an inner surface of the housing over the curling portion; and An injecting step of injecting electrolyte into the case through the tray.

12. The electrolyte injection method according to claim 11, wherein: The close contact step includes pressing the sealing member with the end of the sealing member in contact with the curling portion so that the end of the sealing member is deformed outward to bring the sealing member into close contact with the inner surface of the housing.

13. The electrolyte injection method according to claim 11, wherein: The battery includes a current collector electrically connected to the electrode assembly housed in the housing, and Wherein, the current collector is located on the curling portion.

14. The electrolyte injection method according to claim 13, wherein: The current collector is discontinuously disposed on the curling portion along a circumferential direction of the case.

15. The electrolyte injection method according to claim 11, wherein: The injecting step includes dispersing electrolyte injection pressure facing a winding center hole of the electrode assembly accommodated in the case using a core guard configured to pass through a central area of ​​an inner space of the sealing member.

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