Electrode plate, electrode assembly, and rechargeable battery including the same

Abstract

Provided are an electrode plate, an electrode assembly, and a rechargeable battery including the electrode plate, the electrode plate including an electrode plate layer and a current collector layer, the current collector layer including: a base layer; the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are respectively arranged on the upper surface and the lower surface of the base body layer; a current collector part having at least one surface on which the electrode plate layer is positioned; the extension part extends outwards from the current collector part; and a bending portion connected to the extension portion and bent twice or more so that the first conductive layer contacts the second conductive layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electrode plate, an electrode assembly, and a rechargeable battery including the electrode assembly. Background Art

[0002] Rechargeable batteries are manufactured in various shapes. Among these rechargeable batteries, a pouch battery may include an electrode assembly having a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and an insulating separator disposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, and may also include a thin flexible pouch that houses the electrode assembly. The pouch may house the electrode assembly in its internal space.

[0003] The electrode assembly of a rechargeable battery may be generally classified into a wound type and a stacked type based on its structure. The stacked type may have good structural safety and suitable space utilization, and has been widely applied to medium and small-sized vehicles, etc. The stacked type rechargeable battery may be a stack of a plurality of electrode plates and separators.

[0004] A current collector layer applied to an electrode (e.g., a positive electrode or a negative electrode) of a rechargeable battery may generally be a thin film made of conductive copper, aluminum, nickel (Ni), stainless steel (SS), etc. For example, a commercialized lithium-ion battery may use a copper foil current collector layer for the negative electrode and an aluminum foil current collector layer for the positive electrode.

[0005] In recent years, a current collector layer having metal films coated on two surfaces of a resin has also been used instead of an entire current collector layer made of copper or aluminum to reduce the manufacturing cost and weight of a rechargeable battery. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure provides an electrode plate, an electrode assembly, and a rechargeable battery including the electrode assembly, in which electricity can be conducted between adjacent electrode plates.

[0007] However, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above, and other aspects of the present disclosure not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the present disclosure.

[0008] According to one or more embodiments, there is provided an electrode plate including an electrode plate layer and a current collector layer. The current collector layer includes: a base layer; a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer respectively on an upper surface and a lower surface of the base layer; a current collector portion having at least one surface on which the electrode plate layer is positioned; an extension portion extending outward from the current collector portion; and a bending portion connected to the extension portion and bent two or more times to bring the first conductive layer into contact with the second conductive layer.

[0009] The base layer may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0010] The substrate layer may include one or more of polyamide, polyimide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, sodium polystyrene sulfonate, polyacetylene, silicone rubber, polyoxymethylene, polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene glycol, polythiazyl, polyphenylene, polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyridine, cellulose, starch, protein, epoxy resin, and phenolic resin, or one or more derivatives, crosslinked products, or copolymers thereof.

[0011] The substrate layer may include additives, and the additives include one or more of metallic materials and inorganic non-metallic materials.

[0012] The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer may include aluminum.

[0013] The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer may include one or more of metallic materials, carbon-based conductive materials, and conductive polymer materials.

[0014] The bent portion may have a pole core shape.

[0015] According to one or more embodiments, there is provided an electrode assembly including: a separator; and electrode plates stacked with the separator disposed therebetween, and including: a current collector layer including a substrate layer and a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer respectively on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate layer; and an electrode plate layer on a part of the current collector layer, and wherein the current collector layer further includes: a current collector portion having at least one surface on which the electrode plate layer is positioned; an extension portion extending outward from the current collector portion; and a bent portion connected to the extension portion and bent two or more times to bring the first conductive layer into contact with the second conductive layer.

[0016] The current collector layer may include adjacent bent portions joined to each other in the vertical direction.

[0017] The electrode plate may include a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate.

[0018] The substrate layer may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0019] The substrate layer may include one or more of polyamide, polyimide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, sodium polystyrene sulfonate, polyacetylene, silicone rubber, polyoxymethylene, polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene glycol, polythiazyl, polyphenylene, polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyridine, cellulose, starch, protein, epoxy resin, and phenolic resin, or one or more derivatives, cross-linked products, or copolymers thereof.

[0020] The substrate layer may include additives, and the additives include one or more of metallic materials and inorganic non-metallic materials.

[0021] The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer may include aluminum.

[0022] The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer may include one or more of metallic materials, carbon-based conductive materials, and conductive polymer materials.

[0023] The bent portion may have a pole core shape.

[0024] According to one or more embodiments, a rechargeable battery is provided, which includes the above electrode assembly and a housing for accommodating the electrode assembly.

[0025] As described above, according to the present disclosure, the electrode plate included in the electrode assembly may include a current collector layer, and the current collector layer includes a bent portion. The first conductive layer of any one current collector layer may be connected to the second conductive layer.

[0026] Since the bent portions of the plurality of electrode plates are connected to each other, the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate may be electrically connected to each other in the electrode assembly, respectively.

[0027] Thus, the electrode assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure does not need to perform an additional folding using a foil and a conduction process of inserting the foil one by one between the electrode plates as in the prior art. Therefore, the electrode assembly of the present disclosure can not only achieve a reduced manufacturing time but also achieve a lower manufacturing cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings attached to the specification illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and are used to better understand the technical features of the present disclosure together with the detailed description of the present disclosure described below. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the matters described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] Figure 1is a perspective view showing an electrode plate and a rechargeable battery having an electrode assembly including the electrode plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a plurality of electrode plates bonded to each other.

[0031] Figure 3 is shown from Figure 1 a perspective view of an electrode plate withdrawn from the rechargeable battery in

[0032] Figures 4 to 6 is a cross-sectional view sequentially showing a process of bonding electrode plates to each other. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing electrode plates positioned parallel to each other in a vertical direction. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of welding respective bent portions of a current collector layer to each other by ultrasonic welding. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of welding respective extending portions of a current collector layer to each other by ultrasonic welding.

[0033] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of pressing an extending portion by using a roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Aspects of some embodiments of the present disclosure and methods of implementing the same can be more easily understood by referring to the detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are provided as examples so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the aspects of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, processes, elements, and techniques that are redundant, not relevant to the description of the embodiments, or not necessary for those of ordinary skill in the art to fully understand the aspects of the present disclosure may be omitted. Unless otherwise indicated, the same reference numerals, characters, or combinations thereof represent the same elements throughout the drawings and the written description, and thus, their repeated description may be omitted.

[0035] The described embodiments may have various modifications and may be embodied in different forms, and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments shown herein. The use of "may", "can", or "may not" in describing the embodiments corresponds to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] In view of the entirety of the present disclosure, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the present disclosure encompasses all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Each of the features of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be partially or wholly combined with each other, and various interlocks and operations are possible technically, and unless otherwise stated or implied, each embodiment may be implemented independently of each other or may be implemented in association with each other.

[0037] In the drawings, for clarity and / or descriptive purposes, the relative dimensions of elements, layers, and regions may be exaggerated. Various embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views that are schematic illustrations of example and / or intermediate structures. As such, variations in the shape of the illustrations due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances are to be expected. Additionally, for the purposes of describing embodiments of the concepts according to the present disclosure, the specific structural or functional descriptions disclosed herein are merely illustrative. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein should not be construed as limited to the shapes of the elements, layers, or regions shown, but include shape deviations caused, for example, by manufacturing.

[0038] For ease of explanation, spatially relative terms such as “beneath,” “below,” “under,” “lower side,” “underneath,” “above,” “upper,” “on top of,” “higher,” “upper side,” “side” (e.g., as in “sidewall”), etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another (or others) as shown in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, an element described as “beneath,” “below,” or “underneath” another element or feature will then be oriented “above” the other element or feature. Thus, the example terms “beneath” and “underneath” can encompass both an upper and a lower orientation. The device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly. Similarly, when a first part is described as being disposed “on” a second part, this means that the first part is disposed at the upper or lower side of the second part (and not limited to its upper side based on the direction of gravity).

[0039] Furthermore, the phrase “in a schematic cross-sectional view” means when viewing a schematic cross-section taken by vertically cutting a portion of an object from the side. The terms “face” and “face toward” can mean that a first object can be directly or indirectly opposite a second object. In the case where a third object is between the first object and the second object, although the first object and the second object are still opposite each other, it can be understood that the first object and the second object are indirectly opposite each other.

[0040] It will be understood that when an element, layer, region or component is referred to as being "formed on", "on", "connected to" or "(operatively or communicatively) coupled to" another element, layer, region or component, it can be directly formed on, directly on the said another element, layer, region or component, directly connected to or directly coupled to the said another element, layer, region or component, or indirectly formed on, indirectly on the said another element, layer, region or component, indirectly connected to or indirectly coupled to the said another element, layer, region or component, such that there can be one or more intervening elements, layers, regions or components. Additionally, this can uniformly mean direct or indirect coupling or connection and integral or non-integral coupling or connection. For example, when a layer, region or component is referred to as being "electrically connected" or "electrically coupled" to another layer, region or component, it can be directly electrically connected to or directly electrically coupled to the said another layer, region and / or component, or there can be one or more intervening layers, regions or components. One or more intervening components can include switches, resistors, capacitors, etc. When describing embodiments, unless explicitly described as a direct connection, the expression of connection indicates an electrical connection, and "direct connection / direct coupling" or "directly on" means that one component is directly connected or directly coupled to another component, or directly on another component, without an intervening component.

[0041] Additionally, in this specification, when a part of a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is formed on another part, the forming direction is not limited to the upward direction, but includes forming the part on a side surface or in a downward direction. Conversely, when a part of a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is formed "under" another part, this includes not only the case where the part is "directly" under the said another part, but also the case where there is another part between the part and the said another part. Meanwhile, other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between", "immediately between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to", can be similarly interpreted. It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "between" two elements or layers, it can be the only element or layer between the said two elements or layers, or there can also be one or more intervening elements or layers.

[0042] For the purposes of the present disclosure, when expressions such as “at least one of...”, “any one of...”, or “one or more of...” follow a list of elements, they modify the entire list of elements and not individual elements of the list. For example, “at least one of X, Y, and Z”, “at least one of X, Y, or Z”, “at least one of the group consisting of X, Y, and Z”, and “at least one of the group consisting of X, Y, or Z” can be interpreted to mean only X, only Y, only Z, any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z (such as, by way of example, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ), or any variation thereof. Similarly, the expressions “at least one of A and B” and “at least one of A or B” can include A, B, or A and B. As used herein, “or” generally means “and / or”, and the term “and / or” includes any combination and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. For example, the expression “A and / or B” can include A, B, or A and B. Similarly, expressions such as “at least one of...”, “a plurality of...”, “one of...”, and other prepositional phrases modify the entire list of elements when they are before or after a list of elements and do not modify individual elements within the list. When stating “C to D”, unless otherwise specified, it means C or greater and D or less.

[0043] It will be understood that although the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms. These terms do not correspond to a particular order, position, or priority, and are only used to distinguish one element, member, component, region, zone, layer, section, or portion from another element, member, component, region, zone, layer, section, or portion. Thus, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first element, first component, first region, first layer, or first section described below can be referred to as a second element, second component, second region, second layer, or second section. Describing an element as a “first” element does not require or imply the existence of a second element or other elements. The terms “first”, “second”, etc. can also be used herein to distinguish different categories or groups of elements. For the sake of brevity, the terms “first”, “second”, etc. can respectively represent “first category (or first group)”, “second category (or second group)”, etc.

[0044] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a" and "an" are also intended to include the plural forms, and the plural forms are also intended to include the singular form. It will also be understood that when the terms "comprises," "has," "includes," and variations thereof are used in this specification, it is specified that there are the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0045] As used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," "approximately," and similar terms are used as approximate terms and not as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent deviations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, "substantially" may include a range of + / −5% of the corresponding value. Considering the measurements discussed and the errors associated with the measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system), "about" or "approximately" as used herein includes the stated value and refers to within an acceptable deviation of the particular value as determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, "about" may refer to within one or more standard deviations, or within ±30%, ±20%, ±10%, 5±% of the stated value. Additionally, when describing embodiments of the present disclosure, the use of "may" refers to "one or more embodiments of the present disclosure."

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It will also be understood that terms (such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary) should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the relevant art and / or the context of this specification, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0047] Hereinafter, before describing the electrode plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the specification describes in detail a rechargeable battery including the electrode plate with reference to the drawings.

[0048] In a stacked electrode plate using a resin-metal composite substrate, as described above, not the entire electrode plate is utilized, or if the prior art method is used to weld a plurality of substrate tabs, the electrode plate will not be electroactive.

[0049] In a resin-metal composite substrate, the metal films can be positioned on two surfaces of the resin sheet. However, the resin may have low electrical conductivity, which can make it difficult to electrically connect the two surfaces to each other. For example, in a stacked electrode plate using multiple electrode plates, their uncoated portions can be joined together and welded to an electrode terminal. However, the metal films may have only one surface in contact with each other instead of two electrically conductive surfaces, thus making welding impractical or impossible.

[0050] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an electrode plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure and a rechargeable battery equipped with an electrode assembly including the electrode plate, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a plurality of electrode plates joined to each other.

[0051] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the rechargeable battery 100 can include an electrode assembly 200 and a housing 300.

[0052] The electrode assembly 200 can include a plurality of electrode plates 210, 220 and a separator 230. The plurality of electrode plates 210, 220 can include a first electrode plate 210 and a second electrode plate 220. The electrode assembly 200 can be a stack including the first electrode plate 210, the second electrode plate 220 and the separator 230 that are repeatedly wound or stacked. For example, the electrode assembly 200 can be a stacked type in which the electrode plates 210, 220 are stacked in multiple layers. In one or more embodiments, the electrode assembly 200 can be a wound core type that is repeatedly wound. As an example, the present disclosure describes the electrode assembly 200 as a stacked type.

[0053] In one or more embodiments, the manufacturing process of the stacked electrode assembly 200 generally can involve a primary stacking process and a secondary stacking process.

[0054] In the primary stacking process, a full positive electrode (or double-sided positive electrode) and a full negative electrode (or double-sided negative electrode) can be stacked. The full positive electrode can be the remaining electrode plates among the plurality of first electrode plates 210 except for the outermost first electrode plate 210A. In one or more embodiments, the full negative electrode can be the second electrode plate 220.

[0055] In the secondary stacking process, a semi-positive electrode (or single-sided positive electrode) can be stacked on one or more sides of one of the two outermost sides in the stacking direction. The semi-positive electrode can be the outermost first electrode plate 210A among the first electrode plates 210.

[0056] For convenience, Figure 2The electrode assembly 200 is shown with the semi-positive electrode stacked on the outermost upper side of the electrode assembly 200. In one or more embodiments, the semi-positive electrodes can be stacked on the two outermost sides of the electrode assembly 200 respectively (for example, stacked on both the outermost upper side and the outermost lower side of the electrode assembly 200 respectively).

[0057] The full positive electrode or full negative electrode is an electrode in which the active material is coated on both surfaces of the substrate. The semi-positive electrode is an electrode in which the electrode plate layer is only located on one surface of the current collector layer. The electrode plate layer can be an active material layer. Details of the full positive electrode, full negative electrode, and semi-positive electrode are omitted in the specification.

[0058] The separator 230 can be disposed between the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220. The separator 230 can reduce or prevent the possibility of short circuit between the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220, and enable the movement of lithium ions. For this purpose, the separator 230 can be relatively larger than the current collector layer.

[0059] The material of the separator 230 can be, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, or a composite film of polyethylene and polypropylene, and is not limited thereto.

[0060] The separator 230 can be cut into unit lengths and can be positioned between the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220. A strip-shaped separator 230 can be positioned between the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220 in a zigzag shape. In one or more embodiments, the separator 230 can be wound in one direction between the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220.

[0061] Thus, the separator 230 is not limited to any given form. The separator 230 can be cut into unit lengths and can be positioned between the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220.

[0062] The housing 300 can accommodate the electrode assembly 200. The above-mentioned electrode assembly 200 can be accommodated in the housing 300 together with the electrolyte.

[0063] The housing 300 as described above can be any one of a pouch type, a cylindrical type, and a square type. The pouch-type housing 300 can be manufactured by bending a plate-shaped outer material to face each other, then pressing or stretching one surface and defining a recess on one surface.

[0064] In one or more embodiments, the electrode assembly 200 can be accommodated in the recess. The sealing portion 310 can be positioned in the outer periphery of the recess, and the sealing portion 310 can be sealed by a method such as heat melting while the electrode assembly 200 is accommodated in the recess.

[0065] In one or more embodiments, among a plurality of electrode plates, the first electrode plate 210 may be a negative electrode and the second electrode plate 220 may be a positive electrode, or vice versa. The first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220 may be electrically connected to the outside of the rechargeable battery 100 through the bar-shaped terminal 250. In one or more embodiments, the insulating tape 240 may be attached to a part of the contact housing 300 of the bar-shaped terminal 250. The insulating tape 240 may reduce or prevent the possibility that the bar-shaped terminal 250 and the housing 300 conduct electricity with each other.

[0066] Hereinafter, the electrode assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0067] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a plurality of electrode plates combined with each other, and Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an electrode plate drawn out from the rechargeable battery in Figure 1

[0068] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As described above, the electrode assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include a plurality of electrode plates 210 and 220, and each of the plurality of electrode plates 210 and 220 may include a current collector layer 201 and an electrode plate layer 202 positioned on a part of the current collector layer 201. The electrode plate layer 202 may be an active material layer of an electrode used in a general rechargeable battery, and details thereof are omitted in the specification.

[0069] Based on its internal structure, the current collector layer 201 may include a base layer E and a first conductive layer F1 and a second conductive layer F2 positioned on the lower surface and the upper surface of the base layer E, respectively.

[0070] The base layer E may include, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In one or more embodiments, the base layer E may include, for example, one or more of the following: polyamide, polyimide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, sodium polystyrene sulfonate, polyacetylene, silicone rubber, polyoxymethylene, polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene glycol, polythiazyl, polyphenylene, polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyridine, cellulose, starch, protein, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, its derivatives, its crosslinked products or its copolymers.

[0071] ​In one or more embodiments, the substrate layer E may further include additives. The additives may include one or more of metallic materials and inorganic non-metallic materials. For example, the metallic material additives may be one or more of aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, iron, iron alloy, silver, and silver alloy.

[0072] In one or more embodiments, the inorganic non-metallic material additives may be one or more of carbonaceous materials, alumina, silica, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, boron nitride, silicate, and titanium oxide, and may be one or more of, for example, glass materials, ceramic materials, and ceramic composite materials. The carbonaceous material additives may be, for example, one or more of graphite, superconducting carbon, acetylene black, carbon black, Ketjenblack (KETJENBLACK ® is a registered trademark of AKZO NOBEL CHEMICALS B.V. in the Netherlands), carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbon nanofibers (Ketjenblack

[0073] In one or more embodiments, the additives may further include carbonaceous materials coated with metallic materials. For example, the additives may be one or more of graphite powder coated with nickel and carbon fiber coated with nickel.

[0074] In one or more embodiments, each of the first conductive layer F1 and the second conductive layer F2 may include aluminum. Each of the first conductive layer F1 and the second conductive layer F2 may include one or more of metallic materials, carbonaceous conductive materials, and conductive polymer materials.

[0075] In one or more embodiments, based on its external shape, the current collector layer 201 may include a current collector portion 201a, an extension portion 201b, and a bending portion 201c.

[0076] The current collector portion 201a may have at least one surface on which the electrode plate layer 202 is coated. For example, the current collector portion 201a may have a square plate shape. For example, referring to Figure 3 , the electrode plate layer 202 may be coated on most of the current collector portion 201a excluding its edge region. The edge region of the current collector portion 201a may be an uncoated portion on which the electrode plate layer 202 is not coated.

[0077] In one or more embodiments, the electrode plate layer 202 may be coated on the entire current collector portion 201a. The current collector portion 201a may not include an uncoated portion, and the extension portion 201b described later may be an uncoated portion.

[0078] The extension part 201b can be connected to the current collector part 201a and can extend outward from the current collector part 201a. For example, the extension part 201b can have a strip shape.

[0079] The bending part 201c can be connected to the extension part 201b. The bending part 201c can be bent two or more times to bring the first conductive layer F1 into contact with the second conductive layer F2. For ease of explanation, Figure 2 it is shown that the bending part 201c is bent twice. The whole bending part 201c can have a pole core shape in which the bending part 201c is repeatedly bent in one direction.

[0080] In one or more embodiments, as described above, the plurality of electrode plates 210, 220 can include a first electrode plate 210 and a second electrode plate 220, and the current collector layer 201 of each of the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220 can include an extension part 201b and a bending part 201c.

[0081] The current collector layer 201 included in each of the plurality of electrode plates 210, 220 can have adjacent bending parts 201c joined to each other in the vertical direction.

[0082] If the electrode assembly 200 is a stacked type, the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220 can be alternately stacked while placing the separator 230 therebetween. A plurality of first electrode plates 210 and a plurality of second electrode plates 220 can be provided.

[0083] The drawings show three first electrode plates 210 and three second electrode plates 220 arranged respectively, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of the first electrode plates 210 and the second electrode plates 220 can be changed based on the design of the rechargeable battery 100.

[0084] In the electrode assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the bending parts 201c of the first electrode plate 210 can be positioned parallel to each other in the vertical direction, and the bending parts 201c of the second electrode plate can be positioned parallel to each other in the vertical direction. In one or more embodiments, the bending parts 201c of the first electrode plate 210 can be spaced apart from the bending parts 201c of the second electrode plate 220 in the horizontal direction.

[0085] In one or more embodiments, the extension part 201b can connect the current collector part 201a and the bending part 201c to each other. The extension parts 201b of the first electrode plate 210 can be positioned parallel to each other in the vertical direction, and the extension parts 201b of the second electrode plate 220 can be positioned parallel to each other in the vertical direction.

[0086] In one or more embodiments, the bent portions 201c may be joined to each other by welding. For example, multiple bent portions 201c may be assembled and joined to each other by a welding method such as laser, resistance welding, or ultrasonic welding.

[0087] In one or more embodiments, the length L2 of the extension portion 201b (see Figure 4 ) may be less than the length L1 of the bent portion 201c (see Figure 4 ). In one or more embodiments, the length of the extension portion 201b may be greater than the length of the bent portion 201c. The lengths of the bent portion 201c and the extension portion 201b may vary based on the design of the electrode assembly 200, and these portions are not limited to any given length.

[0088] The above-described electrode assembly 200 may have a bent portion 201c that is bent two or more times. Even if only the bent portions 201c are welded to each other and the extension portions 201b are not welded to each other, the multiple electrode plates 210, 220 may be electrically conductive with each other. In one or more embodiments, the extension portions 201b may also be welded to each other to improve the bonding force between the electrode plates, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0089] The present disclosure describes the manufacturing process of the electrode assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0090] Figures 4 to 6 is a cross-sectional view sequentially showing the process of joining the electrode plates to each other, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the electrode plates positioned parallel to each other in the vertical direction.

[0091] Referring to Figure 4 , the first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220 may be stacked. The first electrode plate 210 and the second electrode plate 220 may be sequentially stacked while placing the separator 230 therebetween.

[0092] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the process of welding the bent portions of the current collector layer to each other by ultrasonic welding.

[0093] Referring to Figure 5 , multiple second electrode plates 220 may have bent portions 201c that are welded to each other by a welding tip T used in ultrasonic welding. The first conductive layer F1 and the second conductive layer F2 of any one of the current collector layers 201 may be electrically connected to each other. Even if the extension portions 201b are not welded to each other, the multiple second electrode plates 220 may be electrically connected to each other by only welding the bent portions 201c to each other. In one or more embodiments, the multiple first electrode plates 210 may also be electrically connected to each other.

[0094] Figure 6It is a cross-sectional view showing a process of welding respective extensions of a current collector layer to each other by ultrasonic welding.

[0095] Referring to Figure 6 , a plurality of second electrode plates 220 may have extensions 201b welded to each other by a welding tip T used in ultrasonic welding. The second conductive layer F2 of any one current collector layer 201 and the first conductive layer F1 of the adjacent current collector layer 201 may be electrically connected to each other. The extensions 201b may be welded to each other in this way, thereby further improving the bonding force between the plurality of second electrode plates 220.

[0096] As described above, the process of welding the extensions 201b to each other may be selectively performed.

[0097] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view showing a process of pressing the extensions by using a roller.

[0098] In one or more embodiments, referring to Figure 7 , before welding the extensions 201b to each other, the extensions 201b may be pressed by a roller R. Welding may be performed while the extensions 201b are stably and closely in contact with each other, so that the extensions 201b are welded to each other while being positioned parallel to each other in the vertical direction.

[0099] In a rechargeable battery including a resin-metal composite substrate, if the uncoated portions of the electrodes are welded to each other, the metal films may only have corresponding surfaces among the surfaces in contact with each other. To solve this problem, the manufacturing process may be increased by further including a conduction process for allowing the metal films to conduct electricity with each other.

[0100] Returning to refer to Figure 2 , each of the plurality of electrode plates 210, 220 included in the electrode assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may include a bent portion 201c. In one or more embodiments, when the bent portions 201c are connected to each other, the first conductive layer F1 and the second conductive layer F2 of any one current collector layer 201 may be connected to each other to not only electrically connect the first electrode plates 210 to each other, but also electrically connect the second electrode plates 220 to each other.

[0101] As a result, the electrode assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure does not need to perform an additional folding using a foil and a conduction process of inserting the foil one by one between the electrode plates. The electrode assembly 200 of the present disclosure can not only achieve a reduced manufacturing time, but also achieve a lower manufacturing cost.

[0102] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the drawings and the detailed description of the present disclosure described above are merely illustrative and are only used to explain the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the meaning or scope of the present disclosure set forth in the claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments can be derived from the present disclosure. The actual technical scope of the present disclosure will be defined by the technical features of the appended claims and their functional equivalents to be included therein.

[0103] Description of Some of the Reference Numerals 100: Rechargeable battery 200: Electrode assembly 201: Current collector layer 201a: Current collector portion 201b: Extension portion 201c: Bending portion 202: Electrode plate layer 210: First electrode plate 220: Second electrode plate 230: Separator 300: Housing E: Substrate layer F1: First conductive layer F2: Second conductive layer.

Claims

1. An electrode plate, the electrode plate comprising: An electrode plate layer; A current collector layer, comprising: a substrate layer; a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, respectively on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate layer; a current collector portion having at least one surface on which the electrode plate layer is positioned; an extension portion extending outward from the current collector portion; and a bending portion connected to the extension portion and bent two or more times to bring the first conductive layer into contact with the second conductive layer.

2. The electrode plate according to claim 1, wherein, The substrate layer comprises polyethylene terephthalate.

3. The electrode plate according to claim 1, wherein, The substrate layer comprises one or more of polyamide, polyimide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, sodium polystyrene sulfonate, polyacetylene, silicone rubber, polyoxymethylene, polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene glycol, polythiazyl, polyphenylene, polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyridine, cellulose, starch, protein, epoxy resin, and phenolic resin, or one or more of their derivatives, crosslinked products, or copolymers.

4. The electrode plate according to claim 1, wherein, The substrate layer comprises additives, the additives comprising one or more of metallic materials and inorganic non-metallic materials.

5. The electrode plate according to claim 1, wherein, The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprise aluminum.

6. The electrode plate according to claim 1, wherein, The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprise one or more of metallic materials, carbon-based conductive materials, and conductive polymer materials.

7. The electrode plate according to claim 1, wherein, The bending portion has a pole core shape.

8. An electrode assembly, the electrode assembly comprising: A separator; And An electrode plate stacked with the separator disposed therebetween, and comprising: a current collector layer comprising a substrate layer and a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer respectively on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate layer; and an electrode plate layer on a part of the current collector layer, and Wherein, the current collector layer further comprises: a current collector portion having at least one surface on which the electrode plate layer is positioned; an extension portion extending outward from the current collector portion; and a bending portion connected to the extension portion and bent two or more times to bring the first conductive layer into contact with the second conductive layer.

9. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The current collector layer comprises adjacent bending portions joined to each other in the vertical direction.

10. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The electrode plate comprises a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate.

11. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The substrate layer comprises polyethylene terephthalate.

12. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The matrix layer includes one or more of polyamide, polyimide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, sodium polystyrene sulfonate, polyacetylene, silicone rubber, polyoxymethylene, polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene glycol, polythiazyl, poly(phenylene), polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyridine, cellulose, starch, protein, epoxy resin, and phenolic resin, or one or more of their derivatives, cross-linked products, or copolymers.

13. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The matrix layer includes additives, and the additives include one or more of metallic materials and inorganic non-metallic materials.

14. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer include aluminum.

15. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer include one or more of metallic materials, carbon-based conductive materials, and conductive polymer materials.

16. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, wherein, The bent portion has a pole core shape.

17. A rechargeable battery, the rechargeable battery comprising: The electrode assembly according to claim 8; and A housing that houses the electrode assembly.

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