Battery

Abstract

To provide a battery with a high quality.SOLUTION: A caulking terminal member 20 of a battery 1 is penetrated through a penetration hole 13 of a lid body 10 of an external body 2, and is provided in / out of the external body 2. An inner terminal member 30 includes an inner terminal plate part 31 provided along an inner surface 12 of the lid body 10. A caulking part 23 of the caulking terminal member 20 has a shape that is expanded to have a diameter larger than a penetration hole 34 by a caulking processing along an inner side surface 33 of the inner terminal member 30. In the caulking part 23, welding traces 27A and 27B with the inner terminal plate part 31 are formed in each of the welding outer edge regions 26A and 26B as regions opposite each other in an outer edge. In addition, in the caulking part 23, slits 29A and 29B that are extended toward a column-like part 22 from an outer periphery of the caulking part 23 are formed in two non-welding outer edge regions 28A and 28B as a region of the outer edge positioned between the welding outer edge regions 26A and 26B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to a battery having a terminal member that passes through a through hole in an exterior body and is provided across the inside and outside of the exterior body, and an insulating material that insulates the terminal member from the exterior body. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a battery in which a terminal member is provided inside and outside the exterior body through a through hole of the exterior body, and is assembled to the exterior body by performing crimping on one end. For example, Patent Document 1 can be cited as such a prior art. In the battery described in Patent Document 1, an electrode plate and an internal terminal member called a pressing plate connected to the electrode plate are housed in a battery case. The battery case is provided with a lid having a through hole. An output terminal is provided inside and outside the through hole of the lid. The output terminal has a head located outside the battery case and a shaft portion extending from the head toward the inside of the battery case. The tip of the shaft portion of the output terminal on the inside side of the battery case is crimped so as to spread along the inner surface of the battery case in the internal terminal member, thereby forming a crimped portion. Insulating material is assembled between the output terminal and the battery case, and between the internal terminal member called the pressing plate and the battery case. As a result, the terminal member and the exterior body are insulated, while the sealing property is maintained at the through hole of the exterior body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-208130 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, the crimped portion may have a slit formed near the outer periphery because the crimped portion is deformed by being crimped so as to be pushed outward from the area before the crimping.

[0005] In batteries having the above-mentioned conventional technology, the internal terminal member and the crimping portion are sometimes joined by welding, because this makes it possible to more reliably establish electrical continuity between the internal terminal member and the crimping portion of the output terminal.

[0006] However, for example, if a slit formed by crimping exists at a joint by welding, the internal terminal member may not be properly joined to the crimped portion. If poor joints occur between the terminal members, the reliability of the conductive path between the electrode plate inside the battery and the outside of the battery may decrease. That is, in a battery in which a terminal member having a crimped portion as a joint among a plurality of terminal members joined by welding exists, it is preferable to have a high-quality configuration that prevents poor joints at that location and forms a highly reliable conductive path.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the problems of the conventional techniques described above. That is, the object of the disclosure is to provide a high-quality battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The disclosed technology relates to a battery having an exterior body having a through hole formed therein, a first terminal member provided on both the inside and outside of the exterior body by penetrating the through hole in the exterior body, a second terminal member connected to the first terminal member, and an insulating material that insulates the first terminal member and the second terminal member from the exterior body, wherein the second terminal member has a terminal plate-shaped portion provided along a surface on one side of the exterior or inside of the exterior body, and a through hole is formed in the terminal plate-shaped portion at a position that overlaps with the through hole in the exterior body, and the first terminal member has a column-shaped portion located inside the through hole in the exterior body and the through hole in the terminal plate-shaped portion, and is connected to the column-shaped portion and is provided on the other side opposite to the one side of the exterior body. The battery has an enlarged portion on one side that is wider than the through hole of the outer casing, and a crimped portion that is connected to the columnar portion and has a shape wider than the through hole of the terminal plate-shaped portion along one side of the terminal plate-shaped portion due to crimping processing being performed along one side of the terminal plate-shaped portion, and the crimped portion has weld marks with the one side surface of the terminal plate-shaped portion in each of two welded outer edge regions that are facing each other on the outer edge, and two non-welded outer edge regions that are regions of the outer edge located between the two welded outer edge regions each have a slit formed therein extending from an opening that opens on the outer periphery toward the columnar portion.

[0009] The crimped portion of the battery according to the above embodiment is formed so that the weld marks do not overlap the slits. Therefore, the joining area between the crimped portion of the first terminal member and the terminal plate portion of the second terminal member is sufficiently secured, and the reliability of the conductive path formed by the first terminal member and the second terminal member is high. Therefore, the battery according to this embodiment is of high quality and can fully exhibit charge and discharge performance. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the disclosed technology, a high quality battery is provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a battery according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal portion of a battery according to an embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a crimped portion of a crimped terminal member of a battery according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the components constituting the terminal portion of the battery according to the embodiment before assembly. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of a crimped portion of a crimp terminal member before a crimping process according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. A battery 1 according to this embodiment is, as shown in FIG. 1, a battery in which an electrode assembly 3 is housed inside an exterior body 2. The electrode assembly 3 is formed by stacking a positive electrode plate 3A and a negative electrode plate 3B with a separator 3C sandwiched between them. The exterior body 2 is composed of a box body 4 and a lid body 10. In this embodiment, the box body 4 and the lid body 10 constituting the exterior body 2 are both made of conductive metal. An electrolyte solution 5 is housed inside the exterior body 2.

[0013] The battery 1 of this embodiment has an overall flat rectangular shape. Figure 1 shows the X, Y, and Z directions. For the battery 1 having a flat rectangular shape, the longitudinal direction of the lid 10 is the X direction, the lateral direction of the lid 10 is the Y direction, and the height direction of the battery 1 is the Z direction. Positive and negative terminals 6, 7 are provided near both ends of the lid 10 on the top of the battery 1 in the longitudinal direction.

[0014] At each of the terminal sections 6 and 7, a crimped terminal member 20 constituting an external terminal of the battery 1 is attached to the lid body 10 via an insulating material. The crimped terminal member 20 is provided on both the inside and outside of the exterior body 2, penetrating the lid body 10, and is attached to the lid body 10 by crimping one end side. Each of the terminal sections 6 and 7 is electrically connected inside the exterior body 2 to either the positive electrode plate 3A or the negative electrode plate 3B constituting the electrode body 3.

[0015] When viewed from the outside of battery 1, terminal surfaces 6A and 7A are visible at the locations of terminal portions 6 and 7, respectively. Terminal surfaces 6A and 7A are surfaces to which other metal members that form current paths for charging and discharging battery 1 are connected. This allows battery 1 to be charged or discharged via terminal portions 6 and 7.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view at the position of the terminals 6, 7 of the battery 1. The left-right direction in Fig. 2 is the longitudinal direction of the lid 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the battery 1 has an internal terminal member 30, a gasket 40, and an insulator 50 in addition to a crimped terminal member 20 as members constituting the periphery of the positive and negative terminals 6, 7.

[0017] The lid 10 is a rectangular plate-like member. The lid 10 has an outer surface 11 and an inner surface 12 as end faces in the thickness direction. In FIG. 2, the side below the inner surface 12 of the lid 10 is the inside of the exterior body 2. The lid 10 has a through hole 13 penetrating in the thickness direction. The outer surface 11 of the lid 10 has a protrusion 15 that protrudes beyond the outer surface 11 toward the outside of the exterior body 2. The protrusion 15 is provided continuously along the opening of the through hole 13 on the outer surface 11 side.

[0018] The internal terminal member 30 is electrically connected to the electrode body 3 inside the exterior body 2. FIG. 2 shows an internal terminal plate portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30, which is a connection portion to the crimped terminal member 20. The internal terminal member 30 is connected to either the positive electrode plate 3A or the negative electrode plate 3B constituting the electrode body 3 at a connection portion different from the internal terminal plate portion 31. The internal terminal member 30 is made of a metal having electrical conductivity. Specifically, the internal terminal member 30 can be made of, for example, aluminum when constituting the positive electrode side, or copper when constituting the negative electrode side.

[0019] The internal terminal plate-like portion 31 is provided along the inner surface 12 of the lid body 10 and has a plate-like shape. The internal terminal plate-like portion 31 has an outer surface 32 and an inner surface 33 as end faces in the thickness direction. The outer surface 32 faces the inner surface 12 of the lid body 10. The internal terminal plate-like portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30 has a through hole 34 penetrating in the thickness direction. The through hole 34 of the internal terminal member 30 is provided at a position overlapping with the through hole 13 of the lid body 10. In other words, the through hole 34 of the internal terminal member 30 is provided coaxially with the through hole 13 of the lid body 10.

[0020] The crimped terminal member 20 is made of a conductive metal. The crimped terminal member 20 has an enlarged portion 21, a columnar portion 22, and a crimped portion 23. The enlarged portion 21 and the crimped portion 23 are both thicker than the columnar portion 22. The columnar portion 22 is inserted through both the through hole 13 of the cover 10 and the through hole 34 of the internal terminal member 30.

[0021] The expanded portion 21 is connected to the outer side of the exterior body 2 at the columnar portion 22. The expanded portion 21 is located outside the exterior body 2. The expanded portion 21 has a shape that is wider than the through-hole 13 of the lid 10. Of the expanded portion 21, the surfaces exposed to the outside of the exterior body 2 are terminal surfaces 6A and 7A.

[0022] The crimped portion 23 is connected to the inner side of the exterior body 2 at the columnar portion 22. The crimped portion 23 is located inside the exterior body 2. Furthermore, the crimped portion 23 is located on the inner side of the exterior body 2 relative to the internal terminal plate portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30. The crimped portion 23 has a shape that is wider than the through hole 34 of the internal terminal member 30. The crimped portion 23 is formed by passing the columnar portion 22 of the crimped terminal member 20 through each member from the outer side of the exterior body 2, and then performing crimping along the inner surface 33 of the internal terminal plate portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30.

[0023] A pilot hole 25 is provided at the center of the crimped portion 23. The pilot hole 25 is provided so that the crimped portion 23 is appropriately formed during crimping. After the crimping process is performed, the crimped portion 23 is joined to the inner terminal plate portion 31 of the inner terminal member 30 by welding near its outer edge. This will be described in detail later.

[0024] Both the gasket 40 and the insulator 50 are made of an insulating material having elasticity and insulating properties. In addition, both the gasket 40 and the insulator 50 are made of a material having resistance to the electrolyte 5. Specifically, for example, perfluoroalkoxy fluorine resin (PFA) can be used as the material of the gasket 40. For example, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) that does not contain inorganic filler can be used as the material of the insulator 50.

[0025] The gasket 40 is disposed on the outside of the exterior body 2 and is an external insulating member that insulates the crimp terminal member 20 from the lid body 10. The gasket 40 has an external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 and an external tubular portion 42. The gasket 40 is provided with a through hole 43 that forms the inner circumference of the external tubular portion 42. The external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 is sandwiched between the outer surface 11 of the lid body 10 and the expanded portion 21 of the crimp terminal member 20. As a result, the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 is in close contact with both the outer surface 11 of the lid body 10 and the expanded portion 21 of the crimp terminal member 20. The external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 is provided with a recess 40A that accommodates the expanded portion 21 of the crimp terminal member 20.

[0026] The outer tubular portion 42 is connected to the inner side of the exterior body 2 in the outer insulating plate-shaped portion 41. The outer tubular portion 42 is located inside the through hole 13 of the lid body 10. The columnar portion 22 of the crimped terminal member 20 is passed through the inside of the through hole 43 of the gasket 40. The outer tubular portion 42 is sandwiched between the wall surface 14 of the through hole 13 of the lid body 10 and the columnar portion 22 of the crimped terminal member 20. As a result, the outer tubular portion 42 is in close contact with both the wall surface 14 of the through hole 13 of the lid body 10 and the columnar portion 22 of the crimped terminal member 20.

[0027] As described above, the outer surface 11 of the lid 10 with which the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 of the gasket 40 is in contact is provided with the convex portion 15. The convex portion 15 is embedded in the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41. As a result, the inner surface 45 of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 is deformed along the shape of the convex portion 15. As described above, the convex portion 15 is provided continuously along the opening of the through hole 13 on the outer surface 11 side of the lid 10. Therefore, the region of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 corresponding to the convex portion 15 is the annular region 41A that annularly surrounds the periphery of the opening of the through hole 13 on the outer surface 11 side of the lid 10.

[0028] The annular region 41A of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 is compressed more strongly in the axial direction of the columnar portion 22 of the crimped terminal member 20 than the outer region 41B, which is farther from the through hole 13 than the annular region 41A, due to deformation along the shape of the protrusion 15. This compression of the annular region 41A of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 maintains the hermeticity at the through hole 13 of the lid 10. In other words, the compression of the annular region 41A of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 prevents the electrolyte 5 inside the exterior body 2 from leaking out of the exterior body 2 through the through hole 13.

[0029] The insulator 50 is disposed inside the exterior body 2, and is an internal insulating member that insulates the internal terminal member 30 from the lid body 10. The insulator 50 is sandwiched between the inner surface 12 of the lid body 10 and the internal terminal plate portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30. As a result, the insulator 50 is in close contact with both the inner surface 12 of the lid body 10 and the internal terminal member 30. The insulator 50 is provided with a recess 51 that accommodates the internal terminal plate portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30.

[0030] The insulator 50 has a through hole 52. The through hole 52 of the insulator 50 is provided at a position overlapping with the through hole 13 of the cover 10. In other words, the through hole 52 of the insulator 50 is provided coaxially with the through hole 13 of the cover 10. The columnar portion 22 of the crimp terminal member 20 is passed through the inside of the through hole 52 of the insulator 50.

[0031] Next, the crimped portion 23 of the crimped terminal member 20 will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is a view of the crimped portion 23 as viewed from the inside of the exterior body 2 in the axial direction of the columnar portion 22. The crimped portion 23 has a shape that spreads along the inner side surface 33 of the internal terminal plate portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30, centered on the central axis of the columnar portion 22. The pilot hole 25 is provided near the center of the crimped portion 23.

[0032] 3 shows welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B located at both ends of the crimped portion 23 in the X direction, and non-welded outer edge regions 28A and 28B located at both ends of the crimped portion 23 in the Y direction. The welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B and the non-welded outer edge regions 28A and 28B are both regions located on the outer edge of the crimped portion 23. The welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B are regions facing each other on the outer edge of the crimped portion 23. The non-welded outer edge regions 28A and 28B are also regions facing each other on the outer edge of the crimped portion 23. In addition, both non-welded outer edge regions 28A and 28B are regions on the outer edge of the crimped portion 23 located between the welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B.

[0033] Weld marks 27A and 27B are formed in the welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B of the crimped portion 23, respectively. In this embodiment, a plurality of weld marks 27A and 27B are formed in the welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B of the crimped portion 23, respectively. Specifically, three weld marks 27A and three weld marks 27B are formed. In this embodiment, the weld marks 27A and 27B can be formed by laser welding. Note that the weld marks 27A and 27B are shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 3, but in reality, they can be visually confirmed.

[0034] The weld marks 27A and 27B overlap the welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B of the crimped portion 23. As described above, the crimped portion 23 spreads along the inner side surface 33 of the internal terminal plate portion 31 of the internal terminal member 30. Therefore, the crimped portion 23 and the internal terminal plate portion 31 are joined at the locations of the weld marks 27A and 27B formed in the welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B of the crimped portion 23, respectively.

[0035] Slits 29A and 29B are formed in the non-welded outer edge regions 28A and 28B of the crimped portion 23, respectively. The slits 29A and 29B are formed by deformation during the crimping process to form the crimped portion 23. Both slits 29A and 29B have a shape that extends from the outer periphery of the crimped portion 23 toward the columnar portion 22. The outer periphery sides of the slits 29A and 29B reach the outer periphery of the crimped portion 23. Therefore, the slits 29A and 29B extend from the openings that open on the outer periphery toward the columnar portion 22. The slits 29A and 29B have a shape that is wider the closer they are to the outer periphery.

[0036] The crimped portion 23 has such a shape, so that the reliability of the conductive path formed by the crimped terminal member 20 and the internal terminal member 30 is high. That is, unlike this embodiment, if the welding mark is formed at a position overlapping the slit, the joint area between the crimped portion of the crimped terminal member and the internal terminal plate portion of the internal terminal member may not be sufficiently secured. In such a case, for example, the current may not flow properly in the conductive path formed by the crimped terminal member and the internal terminal member. Also, for example, in a battery in which the joint area between the crimped portion and the internal terminal plate portion is insufficient, the joint may come off due to vibration or the like. That is, the battery may not be able to fully exhibit its charge and discharge performance.

[0037] In contrast, in the crimped portion 23 of this embodiment, the weld marks 27A and 27B are formed in the mutually opposing welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B, respectively. The slits 29A and 29B are formed in the mutually opposing non-welded outer edge regions 28A and 28B between the two welded outer edge regions 26A and 26B, respectively. Thus, the weld marks 27A and 27B are formed without overlapping the slits 29A and 29B. Therefore, a sufficient joining area between the crimped portion 23 and the internal terminal plate portion 31 is ensured, and the conductive path formed by the crimped terminal member 20 and the internal terminal member 30 is highly reliable. That is, the battery 1 is of high quality and can fully exhibit charge and discharge performance.

[0038] 3, the crimped portion 23 in this embodiment has a shape that is close to an ellipse that is long in the X direction. Therefore, the length LX of the crimped portion 23 in the X direction is longer than the length LY in the Y direction. As a result, the crimped portion 23 in this embodiment has a flat shape with the X direction as the longitudinal direction and the Y direction as the lateral direction.

[0039] In the crimped portion 23, the X direction is the direction from one of the welded outer edge regions 26A, 26B to the other. The Y direction is the direction from one of the non-welded outer edge regions 28A, 28B to the other. The weld marks 27A, 27B are formed in the welded outer edge regions 26A, 26B located at both ends in the X direction. Therefore, in the crimped portion 23 having a flat shape that is long in the direction from one of the welded outer edge regions 26A, 26B to the other, the distance between the weld marks 27A, 27B is greater than in the case of a non-flat shape.

[0040] Here, the electrical resistance value is lower at the weld marks 27A and 27B between the crimped terminal member 20 and the internal terminal member 30 than at other contact points. This is because the weld marks 27A and 27B are formed by melting the members together by welding, and solidifying them in a mixed state. The internal terminal member 30 has a connection portion extending from a portion of the internal terminal plate-shaped portion 31 different from the portion to which the crimped portion 23 is connected to the positive electrode plate 3A or the negative electrode plate 3B. Therefore, the greater the distance between the weld marks 27A and 27B, the shorter the conductive path from the electrode body 3 to the crimped terminal member 20 tends to be. That is, the crimped portion 23 of this embodiment has the weld marks 27A and 27B formed near both ends in the longitudinal direction of the flat shape, so that the internal resistance of the battery 1 tends to be reduced. Therefore, the battery 1 of this embodiment is of higher quality.

[0041] In the battery 1 of this embodiment, the outer surface 11 and the inner surface 12 of the lid body 10, which is the wall portion in which the through hole 13 to which the crimped terminal member 20 is attached, among the walls constituting the exterior body 2, are both rectangular in shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The crimped portion 23 has a flat shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The lid body 10 and the crimped portion 23 are both such that the X direction is the longitudinal direction and the Y direction is the lateral direction. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the crimped portion 23 in its flat shape is provided along the longitudinal direction of the lid body 10.

[0042] For example, when welding, a certain amount of space is required around the welding point. Specifically, for example, when the welding marks 27A and 27B are formed by laser welding, a space is required around the area where the welding marks 27A and 27B are formed so that an irradiation head for irradiating a laser can be brought close to the area. In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the crimping portion 23 and the longitudinal direction of the lid body 10 are the same direction, so that the space required to bring the irradiation head used for laser welding close to the area where the welding marks 27A and 27B are formed can be easily secured.

[0043] Also, for example, in this embodiment, since the longitudinal direction of the crimping portion 23 and the longitudinal direction of the lid body 10 are the same direction, it is possible to further shorten the short side direction of the lid body 10. In other words, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the battery 1. Also, for example, by orienting the longitudinal direction of the crimping portion 23 to the longitudinal direction of the lid body 10, it is possible to arrange each component member with a sufficient margin even in the short side direction of the lid body 10, where space tends to be insufficient. In other words, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design, etc.

[0044] As described above, the battery 1 of this embodiment has a gasket 40 as an insulating material that insulates the cover 10 from the crimped terminal member 20. The gasket 40 has an external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 sandwiched between the cover 10 and the expanded portion 21 of the crimped terminal member 20. The external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 is compressed more strongly in the annular region 41A by the protrusion 15 in the axial direction of the columnar portion 22 of the crimped terminal member 20 than in the outer region 41B. This makes the annular region 41A of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 a seal portion for ensuring the hermeticity of the exterior body 2.

[0045] Here, the temperature of gasket 40 may rise due to heat generated during welding to form weld marks 27A, 27B in crimped portion 23. In addition, materials constituting an insulating material such as gasket 40 tend to deteriorate when heated. If annular region 41A of gasket 40 constituting a seal portion in battery 1 deteriorates, it may become impossible to adequately maintain the hermeticity of exterior body 2.

[0046] In contrast, in the battery 1 of this embodiment, the crimped portion 23 has a flat shape, so that the distance between the weld marks 27A and 27B is greater than when the crimped portion 23 is not flat. That is, in the battery 1 of this embodiment in which the crimped portion 23 has a flat shape, the distance between the weld marks 27A and 27B and the columnar portion 22 is greater than when the crimped portion 23 is not flat. Therefore, in the battery 1 of this embodiment in which the crimped portion 23 has a flat shape, the distance between the weld marks 27A and 27B and the annular region 41A of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 is also greater than when the crimped portion 23 is not flat. Therefore, in the battery 1 of this embodiment in which the crimped portion 23 has a flat shape, even if the temperature of the annular region 41A of the gasket 40 rises due to heat generated during welding to form the weld marks 27A and 27B, the degree of the rise is lower than when the battery 1 of this embodiment does not have a flat shape. As a result, in the battery 1 of this embodiment, deterioration during the manufacturing process of the annular region 41A of the gasket 40 that constitutes the seal portion is suppressed. Therefore, the battery 1 of this embodiment is highly sealed and has high quality.

[0047] Next, a method for manufacturing the battery 1 will be described. The battery 1 of this embodiment is manufactured by assembling the lid body 10 to the box body 4 to form the exterior body 2, and injecting the electrolyte 5 into the interior of the exterior body 2. Furthermore, before the lid body 1 is assembled to the box body 4, the terminal parts 6, 7 are provided on the lid body 10, and the electrode body 3 is assembled thereto. That is, in the manufacturing process of the battery 1, the crimped terminal member 20, the internal terminal member 30, the gasket 40, and the insulator 50 constituting the terminal parts 6, 7 are assembled to the lid body 10. The assembly of the crimped terminal member 20, the internal terminal member 30, the gasket 40, and the insulator 50 to the lid body 10 is performed in a crimping process in which the crimped terminal member 20 is crimped while combining these respective members.

[0048] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the respective members constituting the terminal portions 6, 7 before being assembled. Specifically, Fig. 4 shows the crimp terminal member 20, the inner terminal member 30, the gasket 40, and the insulator 50 before being assembled to the lid 10.

[0049] Before being assembled to the lid 10, the crimped terminal member 20 has a crimped portion 24 on the opposite side of the columnar portion 22 from the expanded portion 21. The crimped portion 24 is a portion that will become the crimped portion 23 when a crimping process is subsequently performed. A pilot hole 25 is formed in the crimped portion 24. As a result, the crimped portion 24 has a hollow cylindrical shape.

[0050] The gasket 40 of this embodiment is not deformed to conform to the shape of the protrusion 15 before being assembled to the lid 10. Furthermore, the inner surface 45 of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 of the gasket 40, which comes into contact with the protrusion 15 of the lid 10, is not provided with a recess or the like corresponding to the protrusion 15. Specifically, the inner surface 45 of the external insulating plate-shaped portion 41 of the gasket 40 of this embodiment has a flat portion corresponding to the protrusion 15 of the lid 10 before being assembled to the lid 10.

[0051] 4, the crimped terminal member 20 and the gasket 40 are assembled to the lid body 10 from the outer surface 11 side of the lid body 10, while the internal terminal member 30 and the insulator 50 are assembled to the lid body 10 from the inner surface 12 side of the lid body 10. In addition, with these members assembled, the crimped portion 24 is subjected to crimping processing.

[0052] Here, it is preferable to perform a pre-processing for forming the slits 29A and 29B by the crimping process on the crimped portion 24. For example, it is possible to form a groove on the surface of the region of the crimped portion 24 that will become the slits 29A and 29B.

[0053] Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to form two grooves 24A and 24B in the tip surface 24F of the crimped portion 24. The grooves 24A and 24B are formed in the area where the slits 29A and 29B are provided by crimping. That is, the grooves 24A and 24B are formed in two areas facing each other in the annular tip surface 24F. The crimped terminal member 20 is assembled to the cover body 10 so that the direction from one of the grooves 24A and 24B to the other matches the short side direction of the cover body 10. Note that the grooves 24A and 24B of the crimped portion 24 shown in FIG. 5 are merely an example, and other embodiments are also possible. For example, the grooves of the crimped portion 24 may be formed in the area that becomes the slits 29A and 29B in the wall surface of the pilot hole 25. Further, for example, the grooves of the crimped portion 24 may be provided on both the tip surface 24F and the wall surface of the pilot hole 25.

[0054] The crimping process of this embodiment can be performed by a punch crimping method in which the enlarged portion 21 and the crimped portion 24 of the crimp terminal member 20 are clamped by a press device in the axial direction of the columnar portion 22. The crimping process by the punch crimping method can be performed in a shorter time and at a lower cost than, for example, the spin crimping method.

[0055] The crimped portion 24 in this embodiment has a hollow cylindrical shape with a pilot hole 25 formed therein. Therefore, by performing crimping processing by punch crimping, the crimped portion 24 of the crimped terminal member 20 is deformed along the inner side surface 33 of the internal terminal member 30 while being pushed outward in the radial direction. As a result, the crimped portion 23 is formed in the crimped terminal member 20. In addition, slits 29A and 29B are formed in the crimped portion 23 starting from the grooves 24A and 24B when the crimped portion 23 is deformed along the inner side surface 33 of the internal terminal member 30.

[0056] Furthermore, when the crimped portion 23 is deformed along the inner surface 33 of the internal terminal member 30 while the slits 29A, 29B are being formed, the crimped portion 23 tends to expand more in the direction perpendicular to the direction from one of the slits 29A, 29B to the other than in other directions. This is because the crimped portion 23 is deformed so as to extend in the direction in which the slits 29A, 29B open. This allows the crimped portion 23 to be formed in a flattened shape.

[0057] Furthermore, by forming the crimped portion 23 in the crimped terminal member 20, the inner terminal member 30, the gasket 40, the insulator 50, together with the lid 10, are sandwiched between the expanded portion 21 and the crimped portion 23 of the crimped terminal member 20. This forms the terminal portions 6 and 7 in the lid 10. Furthermore, in the crimping process, each of the members located between the expanded portion 21 and the crimped portion 23 of the crimped terminal member 20 is compressed in the axial direction of the columnar portion 22. This compression provides a seal portion in the outer insulating plate portion 41 of the gasket 40.

[0058] That is, the gasket 40 is sandwiched between the outer surface 11 of the lid 10 and the expanded portion 21 of the crimped terminal member 20 by the pressing force during the crimping process, and is compressed in the thickness direction. The convex portion 15 provided on the outer surface 11 of the lid 10 bites into the inner surface 45 of the external insulating plate-like portion 41. Due to the biting of the convex portion 15, the annular region 41A corresponding to the convex portion 15 of the external insulating plate-like portion 41 is compressed more strongly in the axial direction of the columnar portion 22 than the outer region 41B.

[0059] After the crimping step, a welding step is performed to join the crimped portion 23 and the inner terminal plate portion 31. In the welding step, welding is performed on the welding outer edge regions 26A, 26B of the crimped portion 23. This allows welding marks 27A, 27B to be formed.

[0060] As described above in detail, the battery 1 according to the present embodiment includes an exterior body 2, a crimped terminal member 20, an internal terminal member 30, a gasket 40, and an insulator 50. The exterior body 2 includes a lid body 10 in which a through hole 13 is formed. The crimped terminal member 20 is provided on both the inside and outside of the exterior body 2, penetrating the through hole 13 of the lid body 10. The internal terminal member 30 is connected to the crimped terminal member 20 inside the exterior body 2. The gasket 40 and the insulator 50 are insulating materials that insulate the crimped terminal member 20 and the internal terminal member 30 from the lid body 10. The internal terminal member 30 includes an internal terminal plate-shaped portion 31 provided along the inner surface 12 of the lid body 10. The internal terminal plate-shaped portion 31 includes a through hole 34 formed at a position overlapping the through hole 13 of the lid body 10. The crimped terminal member 20 includes an enlarged portion 21, a columnar portion 22, and a crimped portion 23. The columnar portion 22 is located inside the through hole 13 of the lid 10 and the through hole 34 of the internal terminal member 30. The enlarged portion 21 is connected to the columnar portion 22 and has a shape that is expanded to a larger diameter than the through hole 13 of the lid 10 on the outside of the exterior body 2. The crimped portion 23 is connected to the columnar portion 22 and is a portion formed by performing crimping along the inner side surface 33 of the internal terminal member 30. The crimped portion 23 has a shape that is expanded to a larger diameter than the through hole 34 along the inner side surface 33 of the internal terminal member 30. In addition, the crimped portion 23 has weld marks 27A and 27B with the inner side surface 33 of the internal terminal plate portion 31 formed in welding outer edge regions 26A and 26B, which are regions facing each other on the outer edge. Furthermore, the crimped portion 23 has slits 29A, 29B formed in two non-welded outer edge regions 28A, 28B, which are outer edge regions located between the welded outer edge regions 26A, 26B, respectively, extending from the openings on the outer periphery of the crimped portion 23 toward the columnar portion 22. In other words, the weld marks 27A, 27B are formed without overlapping the slits 29A, 29B. Therefore, a sufficient bonding area between the crimped portion 23 and the internal terminal plate portion 31 is ensured, and the conductive path formed by the crimped terminal member 20 and the internal terminal member 30 is highly reliable. Therefore, a high-quality battery 1 capable of fully demonstrating charge / discharge performance is realized.

[0061] The above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present disclosure in any way. Therefore, the present disclosure can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] For example, in the above embodiment, an example of the battery 1 has been described in which the expanded portion 21 of the crimped terminal member 20 is located on the outside of the exterior body 2, and the crimped portion 23 is located on the inside of the exterior body 2. However, it is also possible to configure the crimped terminal member 20 so that the expanded portion 21 is located on the inside of the exterior body 2, and the crimped portion 23 is located on the outside of the exterior body 2. In this configuration, the configuration of the terminal portions 6 and 7 described in the above embodiment is reversed with respect to the inside and outside of the exterior body 2. Specifically, the member corresponding to the internal terminal member 30 described in the above embodiment is an external terminal member having a terminal plate-shaped portion provided along the outer surface of the exterior body. The terminal surfaces 6A and 7A may be provided on the external terminal member, or may be provided on a member electrically connected to the external terminal member. In addition, the convex portion corresponding to the convex portion 15 of the lid body 10 that compresses the insulating material to form the seal portion can be provided on the inner side of the lid body. In addition, the expanded portion of the crimped terminal member can be configured to be electrically connected to the electrode body 3.

[0063] Also, for example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the crimp terminal member 20 is provided on the lid 10 among the members constituting the exterior body 2. However, the crimp terminal member may be provided on the exterior body of the battery. Specifically, for example, it is also possible to provide a battery in which the crimp terminal member is provided in a through hole formed in one of the walls constituting the box body.

[0064] Also, for example, in the above embodiment, different materials are used for the gasket 40 and the insulator 50. However, for example, the gasket 40 and the insulator 50 may be made of the same material. Also, for example, the insulating material that insulates the crimped terminal member 20 and the internal terminal member 30 from the exterior body 2 may be composed of two, one, or three or more members.

[0065] Also, for example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the protrusion 15 is provided on the cover 10, and the annular region of the insulating material corresponding to the protrusion 15 is compressed more strongly than the outer region. However, the insulating material sandwiched between the exterior body 2 and the columnar portion 22 of the crimped terminal member 20 may have an annular region that is thicker than the outer region before the crimping step.

[0066] Also, for example, in the above embodiment, the crimped terminal member 20 is composed of one member. However, the crimped terminal member may be composed of multiple members. That is, for example, the expanded portion and the columnar portion may be different members, and the crimped terminal member may be constructed by connecting and integrating them before the crimping process.

[0067] Also, for example, the number of weld marks 27A, 27B provided in welded outer edge regions 26A, 26B of crimped portion 23 and the number of slits 29A, 29B provided in non-welded outer edge regions 28A, 28B may be different from the numbers described in the above embodiment. Also, for example, the shape of weld marks 27A, 27B may be different from the shape shown in the above embodiment.

[0068] In addition, for example, in the above description, an example has been described in which the technique disclosed herein is applied to both the positive and negative terminal portions 6, 7. However, the technique disclosed herein may be applied to only one of the positive and negative terminal portions 6, 7.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the battery is described as being flat and rectangular in shape. However, the battery shape is not particularly limited to the battery that the above embodiment is applicable to. Furthermore, the battery type (nickel-metal hydride battery, lithium-ion battery, etc.) is not particularly limited to the battery that the above embodiment is applicable to.

[0070] The above-disclosed technology also includes the following means 1 to 3. [Means 1] 2. The battery of claim 1, The crimped portion is a flattened battery in which the short side direction is the direction from one to the other of the two slits formed in each of the two opposing non-welded outer edge regions, and the long side direction is the direction from one to the other of the two opposing welded outer edge regions.

[0071] [Means 2] The battery according to item 1, a terminal mounting surface portion of a wall portion constituting the exterior body, the terminal mounting surface portion having the through hole formed therein, the terminal mounting surface portion having a rectangular shape having a short side direction and a long side direction; A battery in which the longitudinal direction of the crimping portion in its flat shape is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the terminal mounting surface portion.

[0072] [Means 3] The battery according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the insulating material has an insulating plate-shaped portion sandwiched between the exterior body and the expanded portion, A battery in which the insulating plate portion is compressed more strongly in the axial direction of the columnar portion in an annular region that annularly surrounds the through hole, compared to an outer region that is farther from the through hole than the annular region. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1 battery 2 Exterior body 10 Lid 11 Exterior 12. Inside 13 Through hole 20 Crimping terminal member (first terminal member) 21 Enlarged section 22 Columnar part 23 Crimping part 26A, 26B Welded edge area 27A, 27B Weld marks 28A, 28B Non-welded outer edge area 29A, 29B Slit 30 Internal terminal member (second terminal member) 31 Internal terminal plate part 33 Inner surface 34 Through hole 40 Gasket (insulating material) 50 Insulator (insulating material)

Claims

1. A battery comprising: an exterior body having a through hole; a first terminal member provided on both the inside and outside of the exterior body by penetrating the through hole of the exterior body; a second terminal member connected to the first terminal member; and an insulating material that insulates the first terminal member and the second terminal member from the exterior body, the second terminal member has a terminal plate-like portion provided along one of the outer and inner surfaces of the exterior body, and a through hole is formed in the terminal plate-like portion at a position overlapping with the through hole of the exterior body; The first terminal member includes: a columnar portion located inside the through hole of the exterior body and the through hole of the terminal plate portion; an expanded portion that is connected to the columnar portion and has a shape that is larger than the through hole of the exterior body on the other side opposite to the one side of the exterior body; a crimped portion that is connected to the columnar portion and that is crimped along the one surface of the terminal plate portion, so that the crimped portion has a shape that is wider than the through hole of the terminal plate portion along the one surface of the terminal plate portion, The crimping portion is a welding mark is formed on each of two welding outer edge regions, which are regions facing each other on the outer edge, and the welding mark is formed on the one surface of the terminal plate portion; A battery in which two non-welded outer edge regions, which are outer edge regions located between the two welded outer edge regions, each have a slit formed therein extending from an opening opening on the outer periphery toward the columnar portion.

2. 2. The battery of claim 1 , The crimped portion is a flattened battery in which the short direction is the direction from one to the other of the two slits formed in each of the two opposing non-welded outer edge regions, and the long direction is the direction from one to the other of the two opposing welded outer edge regions.

3. 3. The battery of claim 2, a terminal mounting surface portion of a wall portion constituting the exterior body, the terminal mounting surface portion having the through hole formed therein, the terminal mounting surface portion having a rectangular shape having a short side direction and a long side direction; A battery in which the longitudinal direction of the crimping portion in its flat shape is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the terminal mounting surface portion.

4. The battery according to claim 2 or 3, the insulating material has an insulating plate-shaped portion sandwiched between the exterior body and the expanded portion, A battery in which the insulating plate portion is compressed more strongly in the axial direction of the columnar portion in an annular region that annularly surrounds the through hole, compared to an outer region that is farther from the through hole than the annular region.

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