Battery, battery kit and method of manufacturing battery

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery (30) comprising a cup-shaped bottom container (1) for accommodating an electrode assembly (4) and comprising a base (2) and an upright side wall (3) along the periphery of the base (2), and a lid (10) comprising an inner conductive portion (11), an intermediate insulating portion (13) surrounding the inner conductive portion (11) and a peripheral fitting portion forming or constituting a peripheral edge portion of the lid (10), the intermediate insulating portion (13) has a peripheral fitting portion via which the intermediate insulating portion (13) can be fixed to a side wall (3) of the bottom container (1), the peripheral fitting portion being sized, shaped and / or configured to bridge a gap between an outer edge (28) of the intermediate insulating portion (13) and an inner periphery of the side wall (3). The invention also relates to a battery kit comprising a first battery and a second battery, and a method of manufacturing the battery.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to batteries, such as button cells, which are recognized as power sources for small electric appliances such as watches and thermometers. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Batteries are widely used and come in various types, such as button cells, also known as coin cells, which are distinguished according to different sizes and shapes and the materials used for the electrodes and electrolytes.

[0003] The most well-known type of button cell includes a metal bottom cup and a metal cover cup. The metal bottom cup has a flat base portion that serves as a positive electrode contact and an upright side wall that extends upward from the flat base portion. The flat base portion of the cover cup serves as a negative electrode contact. The battery also includes an electrode assembly located within the space between the cover cup and the bottom cup. For example, in a rechargeable lithium-ion button cell, the electrode assembly can be a spiral assembly obtained by winding electrode laminates separated by a separator impregnated with a liquid electrolyte. Other electrode assemblies are formed as horizontal laminations of alternating electrode layers and separator layers, with the electrode layers and separator layers oriented parallel to the top and bottom contacts. Button cells are typically disk-shaped, but other shapes are possible.

[0004] The production process of the above types of batteries includes: arranging the electrode assembly in the cover cup and inserting the cover cup into the bottom cup, and sealing the electrode assembly from the outside of the battery using a washer or a glue-type electrical insulation seal between the two. If a physical washer is used, the open end of the cover cup wall is inserted into the washer, and the bottom cup is crimped onto the washer. If a glue-type electrical insulation seal is used, the outer side of the side wall of the cover cup is coated with a sealing material, and then the cover cup is inserted into the bottom cup. The glue is allowed to dry or cure, thereby sealing the battery.

[0005] These known methods of sealing batteries have many drawbacks. For example, one problem is the need for a double-wall configuration to accommodate the washer or glue: the side walls of the cover cup and the bottom cup must overlap against each other. This results in wasted space occupied by the insulating seal, which is either a physical washer or a sealing glue.

[0006] A solution to this problem was found by improving the battery design without using a double-wall configuration. This type of battery is the subject of European patent application EP22178203. The battery still includes a bottom cup that houses the electrode assembly and still serves as a positive electrode contact. The battery also includes a cover formed of three parts: a conductive central part, a conductive outer peripheral part, and an electrically insulating intermediate insulating part that separates and insulates the central part from the outer peripheral part. The central part serves as a negative electrode contact, and the insulating part provides electrical insulation. The cover is fixed to the open end of the bottom cup, thereby sealing the battery from the outside. The fixed connection between the cover and the bottom cup is conductive, such that the base of the bottom cup forms the positive electrode contact of the battery.

[0007] Problems that occur during the manufacturing process of this type of battery are related to the process of fixing the lid to the bottom cup. This fixing can be accomplished by aligning the lid with the edge of the sidewall of the bottom cup and welding the lid to the edge along its aligned perimeter (e.g., laser welding). However, to obtain a perfect sealed weld connection, the dimensions of the lid and the bottom cup need to match very precisely. Moreover, due to the small size of this type of battery, it is very difficult to keep the lid in the correct position during the welding process. These problems may result in imperfect welding and pose a risk of leakage of the chemicals inside the battery. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The above object will be achieved and appropriately solved by a battery, particularly a button cell. The battery includes a cup-shaped bottom container for accommodating an electrode assembly. The bottom container includes a base and a sidewall along the outer perimeter of the base. The sidewall can be an upright or protruding sidewall, for example, extending parallel to the surface normal of the base in a flat or planar shape. The battery further includes a lid for closing and / or covering the interior of the bottom container.

[0009] The lid includes an internal conductive portion, an intermediate insulating portion surrounding the internal conductive portion, and a peripheral adaptation portion. The peripheral adaptation portion forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion of the lid. The lid and / or the peripheral adaptation portion can be fixed to the sidewall of the bottom container, for example, at one end of the sidewall opposite to the base of the bottom container.

[0010] The peripheral adaptation portion can be fixed to or be fixed to the bottom container and is thus fixed to the sidewall of the bottom container via the outer peripheral edge portion.

[0011] The dimensions, shape, and / or configuration of the peripheral adaptation portion are formed to bridge the gap between the outer edge of the intermediate insulating portion of the lid and the inner perimeter of the sidewall.

[0012] Specifically, the dimensions and configuration of the peripheral adaptation portion are formed to provide a match between the intermediate insulating portion and the sidewall of the bottom container, such as a geometric match or a shape match. The peripheral adaptation portion is particularly suitable for individually adapting the same type or shape of intermediate insulating portion to various bottom containers, whose shapes and / or dimensions can be different.

[0013] In some examples, the peripheral adaptation portion can provide a specific positioning of the internal conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion on the surface or plane of the peripheral adaptation portion and / or on or within the plane of the lid. Thus, by selecting a suitable peripheral adaptation portion, the same arrangement structure or pre-assembled component of the internal conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion can be generally adapted to various designs suitable for fixing and / or closing the cavity formed by the bottom container and its sidewall.

[0014] Specifically, the mutual fixation and / or integration of the internal conductive part and the intermediate insulating part of the lid may be relatively precise and / or delicate. In order to provide lids for the bottom containers of various cup shapes or different sizes, it is now intended to provide a peripheral adaptation part for each bottom container or many bottom containers of different sizes or different shapes and their side walls, wherein the peripheral adaptation part generally matches the internal conductive part and the intermediate insulating part of the same type or configuration. In this way, the manufacturing cost and manufacturing expense can be reduced.

[0015] In addition, in some examples, the materials used to make or provide the lid can be reduced. The corresponding costs and weights for producing the lid and / or the housing of the battery can be saved.

[0016] In some examples, the peripheral adaptation part is made of a conductive material. It can form part of an electrode of the battery. The peripheral adaptation part can form or constitute an electrode with the bottom container of the cup shape.

[0017] The internal conductive part can provide the other electrode of the battery. It can be electrically insulated from the first electrode through the intermediate insulating part, and the intermediate insulating part completely surrounds the internal conductive part.

[0018] In some examples of the battery, the peripheral adaptation part fills or occupies the space between the intermediate insulating part of the lid and the side wall of the bottom container. The internal conductive part and / or the intermediate insulating part can have standard or standardized sizes, shapes, and / or configurations. In order to adapt to and use the components of the internal conductive part and the intermediate insulating part, the peripheral adaptation part always adapts to the different shapes and / or sizes of the bottom container. The peripheral adaptation part can not only adapt to the different shapes and sizes of the side wall and / or the bottom container. In addition, it can also provide different positions or orientations of the internal conductive part and the intermediate insulating part on the lid surface. In this way, by selecting or picking a peripheral adaptation part from a variety of peripheral adaptation parts for a battery of a specific shape or specific design, it is easy to change and adapt the position of the electrode provided by the internal conductive part relative to the electrode assembly configured to be arranged in the bottom container.

[0019] According to another example, the peripheral adaptation part includes a through recess or a through opening, the size and shape of which match the outer edge of the intermediate insulating part. Generally, the entire through recess can be filled or occupied by the components of the intermediate insulating part and the internal conductive part. In this way, the through recess of the peripheral adaptation part can be effectively sealed and closed by the arrangement of the intermediate insulating part and the internal conductive part. The lid can include at least three separate components, namely, the internal conductive part, the intermediate insulating part, and the peripheral adaptation part. When these three components are assembled and fixed to each other, they can subsequently provide or include a liquid-tight and / or air-tight structure.

[0020] According to another example, the through recess of the peripheral adaptation portion includes an upright or protruding sidewall portion that protrudes from the plane of the peripheral adaptation portion. Generally, the upright sidewall portion is or forms the inner edge of the through recess of the peripheral adaptation portion. The sidewall portion may include a longitudinal dimension, i.e., a dimension in the axial or vertical direction, that is greater than the material thickness of an adjacent (e.g., flat or planar-shaped) planar structure of the peripheral adaptation portion. By having a relatively large sidewall portion, the mutual contact surface for fixing and / or fastening together with the intermediate insulating portion can be increased. In this way, a quite effective mutual connection between the intermediate insulating portion and the peripheral adaptation portion can be provided.

[0021] According to another example, the material thickness of the peripheral adaptation portion is less than the material thickness of at least one of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion. In this way, the total amount of material required to form or provide the peripheral adaptation portion can be reduced. This can reduce the weight and lower the cost of manufacturing and / or providing the peripheral adaptation portion.

[0022] According to yet another example, the peripheral adaptation portion includes an inner surface. At least one of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion protrudes inward from the inner surface. When connected to the sidewall, the inner surface faces the interior of the cavity enclosed by the sidewall and the base. In this way, a quite good and easy contact with, for example, the current collector bar of an electrode assembly located within the bottom container of a cup shape can be provided. In some examples, the inner conductive portion can even protrude inward from the intermediate insulating portion. In this way, the electrical contact with, for example, the current collector bar of an electrode assembly can be further improved.

[0023] In still other examples, the surface of the inner conductive portion can be convex and can protrude inward or outward from the cover of the battery. The convex shape can further improve the electrical contact with the electrode assembly and / or the current collector bar within the cavity of the bottom container.

[0024] According to yet another example, the outer peripheral edge portion of the peripheral adaptation portion is non-circular. It can include a quite flat or planar-shaped surface structure, such as a sheet of material. In some examples, the outer peripheral edge portion of the peripheral adaptation portion is circular, especially when the bottom container of the cup shape includes a cylindrical sidewall. In other examples, the outer peripheral edge portion of the peripheral adaptation portion is non-circular. In this case, the outer peripheral edge portion of the peripheral adaptation portion includes a shape that matches the inner circumference or inner cross-section of the sidewall of the bottom container of the cup shape in terms of size and / or geometry.

[0025] Regardless of the shape of the peripheral adaptation portion and / or the shape of the sidewall of the bottom container of the cup shape, the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion can always have the same standardized shape or structure. Here, the peripheral adaptation portion can also include suitable and thus correspondingly sized through recesses for receiving the intermediate insulating portion and the inner conductive portion.

[0026] According to another example of the battery, the cover includes an inner peripheral fitting portion fixed to the outer periphery of the intermediate insulating portion, and further includes an outer peripheral fitting portion fixed to the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner peripheral fitting portion. The outer peripheral fitting portion forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover.

[0027] In this way, a cover for a battery or a cover for use with a battery can be provided, which cover altogether includes four separate components, namely, an inner conductive portion, an intermediate insulating portion surrounding the inner conductive portion, an inner peripheral fitting portion surrounding or fixed to the outer periphery of the intermediate insulating portion, and an outer peripheral fitting portion fixed to the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner peripheral fitting portion.

[0028] Here, the outer peripheral fitting portion includes an outer peripheral edge portion capable of being fixed to the side wall of a square bottom container.

[0029] By providing the inner peripheral fitting portion and the outer peripheral fitting portion, the entire peripheral fitting portion is made of two separate components, wherein the outer peripheral fitting portion forms or establishes mechanical contact with the side wall of the bottom container, and the inner peripheral fitting portion forms or establishes mechanical contact with the intermediate insulating portion of the cover.

[0030] Through the inner peripheral fitting portion and the outer peripheral fitting portion, the entire design of the cover can be easily modified to match the different-sized side walls of bottom containers of different sizes or different configurations.

[0031] Specifically, the outer peripheral fitting portion can be provided as an optional fitting portion. A cover without the outer peripheral fitting portion can provide fastening and fixing to the side wall of the bottom container only and specifically via the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner peripheral fitting portion, and the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner peripheral fitting portion can also form or constitute the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover.

[0032] In order to use the same cover for different-sized containers, for example, for a larger-sized bottom container including side walls with an increased diameter or cross-section, the inner peripheral fitting portion can be fixed to the outer peripheral fitting portion, and the outer peripheral fitting portion can then surround or enclose the inner peripheral fitting portion. Then the cover can be fixed to the side wall through the outer peripheral fitting portion. In this way, by simply selecting or deselecting the outer peripheral fitting portion to form or constitute the cover, the overall size of the cover can be easily modified and adapted according to the given size or geometry of the cup-shaped bottom container.

[0033] According to yet another example of the battery, at least one of the inner peripheral adaptation part and the outer peripheral adaptation part includes a stepped portion at or along its outer peripheral edge portion. The stepped portion can contribute to the assembly and / or mutual fixation of the inner peripheral adaptation part and the outer peripheral adaptation part. Further, when the outer peripheral adaptation part includes such a stepped portion, it can facilitate the fixation and / or fastening of the lid to the side wall of the bottom container.

[0034] According to yet another example, the stepped portion of at least one of the inner peripheral adaptation part and the outer peripheral adaptation part includes an annular profile having an abutment surface to abut against at least one of the outer abutment surfaces facing outward of the outer peripheral adaptation part and the side wall. Through such an annular profile, a well-defined mutual abutment and fixation structure can be provided, which allows the inner peripheral adaptation part to be positioned and fixed to the outer peripheral adaptation part and / or fixes at least one of the inner peripheral adaptation part and the outer peripheral adaptation part to the side wall of the bottom container.

[0035] According to yet another example, the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner peripheral adaptation part matches the inner edge portion of the outer peripheral adaptation part in size and shape. The inner peripheral adaptation part is fixed to the outer peripheral adaptation part via the outer peripheral edge portion of the mutually engaging inner peripheral adaptation part and the inner edge portion of the outer peripheral adaptation part.

[0036] In this way, circumferential and / or continuous mutual fixation can be provided between the inner peripheral adaptation part and the outer peripheral adaptation part. The mutual fixation can be provided by, for example, welding, gluing or bonding.

[0037] According to yet another example, the intermediate insulating part includes an insulating material selected from glass, polymer material or ceramic material.

[0038] In yet another aspect, the present invention also relates to a battery kit, which is, for example, a button battery. The battery kit includes the first battery as described above and also includes the second battery as described above. The first battery includes a first bottom container having a first side wall and a first lid connected to the first side wall and closing the first bottom container. The second battery includes a second bottom container having a second side wall, which is different from the first side wall in size or shape. The second battery includes a second lid, and the second lid is connected or fixed to the second side wall and closes the second bottom container.

[0039] In yet some examples, the second bottom container includes a through-opening for receiving the assembly of the inner conductive part and the intermediate insulating part. Here, the position of the through-recess of the second lid can be different from the position of the through-recess of the first lid. Here, the side walls of the first battery and the second battery can be substantially the same, but each battery can be different in terms of the position and thus configuration of the electrode assembly arranged in the bottom container of each cup shape.

[0040] Since the first lid and the second lid include through openings located at different positions relative to the outer peripheral edge portions of the respective lids, the first lid and the second lid can position the internal conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion in unique and different positions relative to the sidewall of the bottom container.

[0041] According to another example, the first lid includes a first internal conductive portion and the second lid includes a second internal conductive portion. The first internal conductive portion and the second internal conductive portion may have the same shape and / or size. However, since the first sidewall of the first cell and the second sidewall of the second cell are different from each other, the respective peripheral fitting portions of the first lid and the second lid are also different in order to enclose or bridge the gap between the outer edge of the intermediate insulating portion and the inner periphery of the sidewall of the respective bottom container.

[0042] According to another example, the first lid includes a first intermediate insulating portion and the second lid includes a second intermediate insulating portion. The shape and / or size of the first intermediate insulating portion and the second intermediate insulating portion may be the same. In some examples, the internal conductive portions and the intermediate insulating portions of the first lid and the second lid may be substantially the same, respectively. Generally, according to another example, the first lid and the second lid may use the same arrangement structure of the internal conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion.

[0043] The first lid and the second lid may differ only in the structure, shape, and / or size of the peripheral fitting portion to provide effective fitting components for fastening and / or fixing the internal conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion to the sidewalls of different sizes, different shapes, and / or different configurations of the cup-shaped bottom container or the internal electrode assembly.

[0044] According to another example, the first lid includes a first peripheral fitting portion and the second lid includes a second peripheral fitting portion. The first peripheral fitting portion is different from the second peripheral fitting portion in size and / or shape. Alternatively, the first peripheral fitting portion includes a first through recess, and its position is different from the corresponding position of the second through recess extending through the second peripheral fitting portion. The size and shape of the corresponding through recesses are configured to receive the components of the internal conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion of the respective lid.

[0045] Generally, the battery as described herein may be a so-called free-form battery. Specifically, the cup-shaped bottom container, its sidewall, and / or the lid may have any shape or profile suitable for accommodating the electrode assembly of the battery. In some examples, the battery as described herein may be a so-called button battery. Here, the sidewall and / or the cup-shaped bottom container may be circular, annular, or cylindrical. In other examples, the sidewall and / or the cup-shaped bottom container may be polygonal, for example, they may have a D shape, an oval shape, or any other suitable geometric shape.

[0046] On the other hand, the present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a battery as described above. The method includes the following steps: providing a cup-shaped bottom container including a base and an upright sidewall along the outer periphery of the base. In a subsequent step, an electrode assembly is disposed within the bottom container.

[0047] In a further step, an internal conductive part and an intermediate insulating part surrounding the internal conductive part are provided. In a further step, a peripheral adapter part is selected from a variety of available different sizes, different shapes, and / or different configurations, wherein the size, shape, and / or configuration of the selected peripheral adapter part is formed to bridge the gap between the outer edge of the intermediate insulating part and the inner periphery of the sidewall. Thereafter, in a further step, the internal conductive part and the intermediate insulating part are fixed to the selected peripheral adapter part to form or constitute the cover of the battery. In a final step, the cover is fixed to the sidewall of the bottom container.

[0048] Optionally, the cover is welded or otherwise fixed to the sidewall of the bottom container. Optionally, the internal conductive part of the cover is welded to the current collector bar of the electrode assembly, and the current collector bar is disposed within the housing of the battery formed by the bottom container, and the bottom container is covered and enclosed by the cover. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] The following will describe in more detail multiple examples of the present invention with reference to the drawings, wherein:

[0050] Figure 1 shows the main components of a battery according to an example of the present invention, the battery including a wound electrode assembly;

[0051] Figure 2 shows the Figure 1 battery in an assembled state;

[0052] Figure 3 shows the Figure 1 and 2 exploded view of the bottom container and the cover of the battery before the sealing process;

[0053] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an example of the cover;

[0054] Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of another example of the cover;

[0055] Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an example of the cover including an internal peripheral adapter part and an external peripheral adapter part;

[0056] Figure 7 and 8 show two different examples of the cover; and

[0057] Figure 9 and 10 shows the matching profiles of the sidewall edge and the cover edge of a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation mode

[0058] Figure 1 shows the components of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The battery includes a conductive cup-shaped bottom container 1 preferably made of metal, which has a circular base 2 and an upright sidewall 3 along the outer periphery of the base 2. The battery also includes a wound electrode assembly 4, the electrode assembly 4 includes a positive electrode 5, a negative electrode 6 and a separator 7 between the wound electrodes, and also includes a current collector bar. The image of the electrode assembly 4 is a simplified representation, and the electrode assembly 4 can be of any known design. Only the negative current collector bar 8 connected to the negative electrode 6 is visible in the figure. The positive current collector bar connected to the positive electrode 5 is located on the lower side of the electrode assembly 4. The negative current collector bar 8 is shown as a straight rectangular bar in a simplified manner, but it can have a different shape from this. As is known to those skilled in the art, the current collector bar is preferably flexible so that the ends of the current collector bar can be welded to the corresponding battery contacts.

[0059] The battery includes a cover 10, and the cover 10 includes three parts: a conductive inner conductive part (central part) 11, a conductive peripheral adaptation part (hereinafter the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 and an optional outer peripheral adaptation part 15), and an electrically insulating intermediate insulating part 13. The intermediate insulating part 13 separates and electrically isolates the inner conductive part 11 and the peripheral adaptation part from each other. The three parts can form a single component, that is, the intermediate insulating part 13 is combined with the inner conductive part 11 and the peripheral adaptation part along its inner edge and outer edge respectively. In Figure 1 the shown embodiment, all three parts of the cover 10 have the same thickness. According to an alternative embodiment, the thickness of each part can be different.

[0060] The materials used for these three parts have higher mechanical strength and more stable chemical properties relative to the internal materials of the battery. The inner conductive part 11 and the peripheral adaptation part can be formed of the same material as the bottom container 1 (preferably metal). Suitable metals include nickel, cobalt and certain types of stainless steel, such as SS 304 and SS 316. In addition, the material of the intermediate insulating part 13 can be hermetically bonded to the materials used for the inner conductive part 11 and the peripheral adaptation part. The intermediate insulating part 13 can be formed of, for example, glass, certain types of rubber or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and any of its derivatives. The cover 10 can be manufactured by known processes for bonding different materials to each other.

[0061] The assembly of the battery according to the illustrated embodiment includes: welding the positive current collector to the inner surface of the base 2 of the cup-shaped bottom container 1, and inserting the electrode assembly 4 into the bottom container. Injecting the liquid electrolyte into the bottom container 1, and welding the negative current collector 8 to the inner conductive part 11 of the lid 10. Then placing the lid 10 on the side wall 3 of the bottom container 1 and joining it along the outer edge of the lid 10 by a joining technique that achieves a sealed connection between the lid 10 and the container 1, thereby obtaining Figure 2 the finished battery shown. The sealed connection can be achieved by welding (such as laser welding).

[0062] The battery has a positive contact formed by the base 2 of the bottom container 1 and a negative contact formed by the inner conductive part 11 of the lid 10. The contacts are electrically isolated from each other by the intermediate insulating part 13 of the lid. The sealed connection between the edge of the lid and the edge of the side wall 3 is conductive and isolates the interior of the battery 20 from the environment.

[0063] Figure 3 An exploded view of the bottom container 1 and the lid 10 is shown, with the edge 20 of the lid 10 aligned with the edge of the side wall 3 before the sealed connection is achieved. The electrode assembly is not shown in this figure. The side wall 3 can have a rectangular or cylindrical profile, i.e., the edge 20 is substantially perpendicular to the side of the side wall 3. Alternatively, the edge 20 can be slightly convex. This latter profile typically occurs when the bottom container is produced by a deep stamping process. In the example shown, the lid 10 and the side wall 3 have the same thickness, but there may be a slight difference in thickness between the two. In most batteries, these thicknesses are on the order of a few tenths of a millimeter. For example, the thickness of the side wall 3 can be between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm, while the thickness of the lid 10 is between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. According to a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the side wall 3 is 0.15 mm and the thickness of the lid 10 is 0.2 mm.

[0064] In Figure 3 it, an example of the lid 10 is shown, which includes 4 separate parts, i.e., the inner conductive part 11 is surrounded by the intermediate insulating part 13. The intermediate insulating part 13 is surrounded by a peripheral fitting part, and the peripheral fitting part forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge part 32. For the example according to Figure 3 the peripheral fitting part is the inner peripheral fitting part 12, and the lid 10 further includes an outer peripheral fitting part 15.

[0065] Both the inner peripheral adaptation portion 12 and the outer peripheral adaptation portion 15 include an annular or ring-shaped planar structure. The outer peripheral adaptation portion 15 includes a through recess 14, and the size of the through recess 14 is determined to receive the inner peripheral adaptation portion 12. Accordingly, the inner edge portion 27 of the outer peripheral adaptation portion 15 matches the outer peripheral edge portion 32 of the inner peripheral adaptation portion 12 in size and shape. The outer peripheral edge portion 26 of the outer peripheral adaptation portion 15 is configured to engage and / or be fixed to the side wall 3 of the bottom container 1, for example as Figure 9 and 10 shown.

[0066] The outer peripheral adaptation portion 15 may be merely optional. Generally, the size and shape of the inner peripheral adaptation portion 12 may provide a bridge to close the gap between the outer edge 28 of the intermediate insulating portion 13 and the inner periphery or inner surface of the side wall 3.

[0067] In the Figure 4 cross-sectional view, the interconnections between the peripheral adaptation portion, the inner conductive portion 11 and the intermediate insulating portion 13 are specifically shown.

[0068] The inner conductive portion 11 includes a conductive metal material, such as stainless steel. The intermediate insulating portion includes an insulating material, such as glass, polymer material or ceramic material. The intermediate insulating portion may be welded or bonded to the outer periphery or outer circumference of the inner conductive portion 11. The peripheral adaptation portion includes a through recess 34 to receive and / or engage the intermediate insulating portion 13. For this purpose, the inner edge of the through recess 34 includes an upright side wall portion 16, such as a cylindrical upright side wall portion 16.

[0069] The size of the inner surface of the side wall portion 16 may closely match the size of the outer surface (e.g., the outer edge 28 or the outward-facing edge) of the intermediate insulating portion 13. As Figure 4 shown, the outer edge or outer peripheral edge portion 26 of the peripheral adaptation portion may be directly connected to the side wall 3, or may be connected to the outer peripheral adaptation portion 15, as Figure 6 shown.

[0070] To improve the mechanical fastening of the peripheral adaptation portion, the peripheral adaptation portion may include a step portion 17 located at or along the outer peripheral edge portion 32. The step portion 17 may include an L-shaped profile having a flange portion extending radially outward, and the flange portion includes an abutting surface 18 pointing downward or inward. The abutting surface 18 may be configured to abut against the outward-facing outer abutting surface 19 of the outer peripheral adaptation portion 15. Alternatively, it may engage or abut against a corresponding abutting surface 29 or step portion 23 directly provided at the upper end of the side wall 3, for example as Figure 9 shown.

[0071] In accordance with Figure 6In the example, the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 is inserted into the through recess 14 of the outer peripheral adaptation part 15, and the outer peripheral adaptation part 15 provides or constitutes the outer peripheral edge part 26 of the lid 10, and the outer peripheral edge part 26 is used to fasten to the side wall 3 of the bottom container 1.

[0072] As can be further seen from Figure 6 the example, at least one of the inner conductive part 11 and the intermediate insulating part 13 can protrude from the inner surfaces 35, 36 of at least one of the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 and the outer peripheral adaptation part 15. In addition, in a further example (not shown), only the inner conductive part 11 can protrude inwards from at least one of the inner surfaces 35, 36 of the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 or the outer peripheral adaptation part 15. It can also protrude inwards from the intermediate insulating part 13. Such an inwardly extending protrusion or bulge of the inner conductive part 11 can facilitate and improve the electrical connection with the bus bar.

[0073] In some examples, it can be envisaged that the inner conductive part 11, the intermediate insulating part 13 and the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 form or constitute a standardized electrode structure of the lid 10. In order to adapt to the size of the corresponding electrode assembly, the outer peripheral adaptation part 15 can be specifically used. The inner peripheral adaptation part 12 and the outer peripheral adaptation part 15 can be made of the same metal material. They can also contain different types of conductive metal materials.

[0074] In either case, the mutual fastening (such as laser welding) between the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 and the outer peripheral adaptation part 15 may be much easier than the fastening or welding between the intermediate insulating part 13 and the inner peripheral adaptation part 12. In order to save production and manufacturing costs, it may be particularly beneficial to provide or pre-assemble the inner conductive part 11, the intermediate insulating part 13 and the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 in a separate assembly environment, for example.

[0075] Here, since the inner peripheral adaptation part 12 can always have the same size and shape, this will facilitate mutual assembly. Then, the outer peripheral adaptation part can provide the final size adaptation or shape adaptation to adapt to the different sizes of cup-shaped bottom containers with different shapes or different sizes.

[0076] Figure 7 and 8 shows a battery kit formed by two batteries 30, 30'. The batteries 30, 30' include non-circular lids 10. For the battery 30 as Figure 7 shown, compared with Figure 8Compared with the example of the battery 30', the internal conductive part 11 and the intermediate insulating part 13 are located in completely different positions. By simply selecting a suitable outer peripheral adaptation part 15, the positions of the internal conductive part 11 and the intermediate insulating part 13 can be easily changed.

[0077] For the outer peripheral adaptation part 15 according to Figure 7 , the through recess 14 is provided at or near the outer edge of the cover 10, and thus is close to the side wall 3. For another example of the outer peripheral adaptation part 15' as shown in Figure 8 , the through recess 14' is located near the central part of the surface of the cover 10 or near the intermediate section. In this way, by simply selecting a suitable outer peripheral adaptation part from a set of available outer peripheral adaptation parts 15, 15', the positions of the internal conductive part 11 and the intermediate insulating part 13 can generally be adapted to the different requirements of batteries of different sizes or different shapes or different structures.

[0078] Cover diameter D L configured to match (i.e., be as close as possible) the outer diameter D of the side wall 3, as shown in W1 and Figure 9 and 10 . The cover 10 is aligned with the outer diameter D W1 and placed on the edge 20, and then the components are welded, for example, by laser welding, so as to form a welded connection 21 along the aligned periphery of the edge 20 and the cover 10. The welded connection 21 is symbolically represented by a black semi-circle in the shown figure, but in reality it may have different shapes and sizes, for example, depending on the curvature of the edge 20 in the case of a raised edge.

[0079] The diameter matching and alignment of the cover 10 and the side wall 3 should be quite accurate so that the welding process effectively seals the interior of the battery. Moreover, the displacement of the cover 10 during the welding process may cause additional difficulties in obtaining an effective seal.

[0080] The edges of the side wall 3 and the edge of the cover 10 are shaped to reduce the alignment difficulty and the error caused by displacement, thereby improving the quality of the sealed connection. In the embodiment of Figure 9 , the edge 20' of the side wall 3 is provided with a tapered portion 22 and a stepped portion 23. The stepped portion 23 is between the outer diameter D W1 and the intermediate diameter D i of the edge 20'. The tapered portion 22 extends between the intermediate diameter D i and the inner diameter D W2 of the edge 20'. The edge of the cover 10 is shaped in a corresponding manner, including a stepped portion 24 along its outer diameter and a tapered portion 25 radially inward from the stepped portion 24. The tapered portions 22 and 25 are complementary, that is, they have the same inclination angle, so that the outer cone of the cover 10 fits into the inner cone of the edge 20'.

[0081] Now, assembling the lid 10 onto the bottom container 1 includes: inserting the tapered portion 25 of the lid 10 into the tapered portion 22 of the bottom container until the stepped portion 24 of the lid abuts against the stepped portion 23 of the bottom container. Thus, at this time, the tapered portions 22 and 25 and the stepped portions 23 and 24 are in contact with each other. Subsequently, a welded joint 21 is formed along the aligned periphery of the stepped portions 23 and 24, as Figure 10 shown.

[0082] Thereby, due to the self-aligning characteristics of the complementary tapered portions 22 and 25, this configuration can improve the alignment of the lid 10 with the edge 20' of the side wall 3. Inserting one tapered portion into the other also achieves a mechanically stable preliminary connection between the lid 10 and the side wall 3, making it easier to maintain alignment during the welding process. The diameter D of the lid 10 L is preferably still matched with the outer diameter D W1 but in this case, since correct alignment is now ensured, a slightly larger mismatch between these diameters can be allowed without degrading the quality of the welded joint.

[0083] Technical terms

[0084] 1 Bottom container

[0085] 2 Base

[0086] 3 Side wall

[0087] 4 Electrode assembly

[0088] 5 Positive electrode

[0089] 6 Negative electrode

[0090] 7 Separator

[0091] 8 Negative current collector bar

[0092] 10 Lid

[0093] 11 Internal conductive part

[0094] 12 Internal peripheral adaptation part

[0095] 13 Intermediate insulating part

[0096] 14 Through recess

[0097] 15 External peripheral adaptation part

[0098] 16 Side wall part

[0099] 17 Stepped portion

[0100] 18 Contact surface

[0101] 19 Outer abutting surface

[0102] 20 Edge

[0103] 21 Welding connection part

[0104] 22 Tapered part

[0105] 23 Step part

[0106] 24 Step part

[0107] 25 Tapered part

[0108] 26 Outer peripheral edge part

[0109] 27 Inner edge part

[0110] 28 Outer edge

[0111] 29 Abutting surface

[0112] 30 Battery

[0113] 32 Outer peripheral edge part

[0114] 34 Through recess

[0115] 35 Inner surface

[0116] 36 Inner surface

Claims

1. A battery (30), comprising: A cup-shaped bottom container (1) for accommodating an electrode assembly (4), the bottom container (1) comprising a base (2) and an upright side wall (3) along the periphery of the base (2), and Cover (10), Wherein, the cover (10) comprises: - an inner conductive part (11), - an intermediate insulating portion (13) surrounding said inner conductive portion (11), and - a peripheral adapter portion, which forms or constitutes the peripheral edge portion of the cover (10) and can be fixed to the side wall (3) of the bottom container (1) via the peripheral edge portion, wherein the size, shape and / or configuration of the peripheral adapter portion is formed to bridge the gap between the outer edge (28) of the intermediate insulating portion (13) and the inner periphery of the side wall (3).

2. The battery (30) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The peripheral adapting portion comprises a through recess, the size and shape of which match the outer edge (28) of the intermediate insulating portion (13).

3. The battery (30) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The through recess comprises an upstanding side wall portion (16) protruding from the plane of the peripheral fitting portion.

4. The battery (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The material thickness of the peripheral adaptation portion is smaller than the material thickness of at least one of the inner conductive portion (11) and the intermediate insulating portion (13).

5. A battery (30) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The peripheral fitting portion includes an inner surface from which at least one of the inner conductive portion (11) and the intermediate insulating portion (13) protrudes inwardly.

6. A battery (30) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The peripheral edge portion of the peripheral fitting portion is non-circular.

7. A battery (30) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The peripheral adaptation part comprises: an inner peripheral fitting portion (12) fixed to the outer periphery of the intermediate insulating portion (13), and An outer peripheral fitting portion (15) is fixed to the outer peripheral edge portion (32) of the inner peripheral fitting portion (12), and the outer peripheral fitting portion (15) forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion (26) of the cover (10).

8. The battery (30) according to claim 7, characterized in that: At least one of the inner peripheral fitting portion (12) and the outer peripheral fitting portion (15) includes a step portion at or along an outer peripheral edge portion thereof.

9. The battery (30) according to claim 8, characterized in that The cross section of the step portion has an L-shaped cross section, and the step portion has an abutment surface to abut against an outer abutment surface facing outward of at least one of the side wall (3) and the outer peripheral fitting portion (15), respectively.

10. The battery (30) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The outer peripheral edge portion (32) of the inner peripheral fitting portion (12) matches the inner edge portion (27) of the outer peripheral fitting portion (15) in size and shape, and the inner peripheral fitting portion (12) is fixed to the outer peripheral fitting portion (15) via the outer peripheral edge portion (32) of the inner peripheral fitting portion (12) and the inner edge portion (27) of the outer peripheral fitting portion (15) engaging with each other.

11. A battery kit, characterized in that: The battery kit comprises a battery according to any one of claims 1 to 10 as a first battery and a battery according to any one of claims 1 to 10 as a second battery, wherein: The first battery comprises: - a first bottom container having a first side wall, and - a first cover connected to the first side wall and closing the first bottom container, The second battery comprises: - a second bottom container having a second side wall, the second side wall being of a different size or shape than the first side wall, and - A second cover connected to said second side wall and closing said second bottom container.

12. The battery kit according to claim 11, characterized in that: The first cover includes a first inner conductive portion, and the second cover includes a second inner conductive portion, the first inner conductive portion and the second inner conductive portion having the same shape and / or size.

13. The battery kit according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The first cover includes a first intermediate insulating portion, the second cover includes a second intermediate insulating portion, and the first intermediate insulating portion and the second intermediate insulating portion have the same shape and / or size.

14. The battery pack according to any one of the preceding claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The first cover includes a first peripheral fitting portion and the second cover includes a second peripheral fitting portion, the first peripheral fitting portion being different in size and / or shape from the second peripheral fitting portion.

15. A method for manufacturing a battery (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the method comprising the following steps: A cup-shaped bottom container (1) is provided, the bottom container (1) comprising a base (2) and an upright side wall (3) along the periphery of the base (2), Arranging the electrode assembly (4) in the bottom container (1), providing an inner conductive portion (11) and an intermediate insulating portion (13) surrounding the inner conductive portion (11), selecting a peripheral adapter portion from a plurality of available peripheral adapter portions of different sizes, shapes and / or configurations, wherein the size, shape and / or configuration of the selected peripheral adapter portion is formed to bridge a gap between an outer edge (28) of the intermediate insulating portion (13) and an inner periphery of the side wall (3), securing the inner conductive portion (11) and the intermediate insulating portion (13) to selected peripheral adapter portions to form or construct the cover (10), and The cover (10) is fixed to the side wall (3) of the bottom container (1).

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